Forster Fairy Pool is picture perfect; a small turquoise rockpool surrounded by a huge cliff wall on one side and the ocean on the other. It really does have the wow factor. The bottom of the pool is sandy, so you don’t have to worry about rocks or coral the way you do in many rockpools.
The water is deep enough to swim and when you visit in the right conditions, it’s utterly serene. In essence, the Fairy Pool is rockpool perfection and one of the best you’ll find anywhere in the country.
The walk to the pool is not signposed, but we have you covered on directions in the trail notes below. Here’s how to find the Forster Fairy Pool.
The walk to the Forster Fairy Pool
The stats
Distance: 2.4km return
Elevation gain: 155m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
Trailhead: Burgess Road, Forster
Summary: The walk to the Fairy Pool is not on a maintained track, but the trail condition is generally pretty good. There’s uneven terrain and a few rough patches, but the majority of the path is smooth.
There is one reasonably steep descent, which has two fixed ropes to assist if needed - though I think the ropes make it sound harder than it really is.
The final stretch to the pool involves rock hopping and walking across rock slabs, it’s grippy when dry, but you need to take care.
Visiting the pool safety - tides and swell
The key to minimising risk when visiting the Fairy Pool is to check the tide and swell and visit only when the swell is slight. This will greatly minimise the chance of waves coming into the pool, though as with all rockpools, rogue waves are always a possibility.
When it comes to tides, a couple of hours either side of low tide is best. This allows you to comfortably traverse the rocky sections to the pool.
Do not visit during a rough swell when there is a much higher chance of large waves entering the pool.
Starting the trail
From the parking area (full details below) you want to avoid the wide open grassy trail with the National Parks signpost. Instead, look for a social trail inbetween the wooden posts that leads into the bush. You can see the path in the photo below.
It’s overgrown at first, but after less than 10m it gets a lot clearer.
Shortly after the path improves you’ll reach a proper track. It’s a dirt path that leads gently downhill before flattening out.
Roughly 160m from the car park you need to head right. There’s a pink ribbon tied to the tree to reassure you you’re on the right track.
There is a little more flat track and then it will begin heading uphill for around 40m before flattening again. This first section is all in the bush until around 360m in, when you begin descending to a small pebbly beach.
You’ll reach the beach 490m into the walk.
Reaching the ropes
Cross the beach and then you’ll see a path at the far end leading back into the bush (it’s towards the back of the beach). Keep following this track and it will become a little rocky.
It curves left and heads steeply uphill. The track is rough, but it’s just a couple of minutes before the gradient slackens and the trail condition improves again.
At the 720m mark there’s an opening in the bush and you can see the Fairy Pool far below you.
The next section of the track may seem counter intuitive, as it feels like you walk a long way past the pool (still high above it), but stick with it because you’ll double back on yourself to reach the pool when you get to the beach below.
Roughly 60m after the view of the pool you’ll begin a gentle descent on a dirt track. Around 90m later it will get a lot steeper, but when dry, it was not slippery.
It will steepen again just before you reach the ropes, which is around 960m into the walk.
The rope descent
The next 20m are relatively steep and will take you down to a small pebbly beach. Two ropes run the full length of the track and there are also trees around for added stability if needed.
To be honest you don’t really need the ropes as it’s not hugely steep or loose, but it’s best to err on the side of caution and use them anyway.
I was expecting the roped section to be much steeper and more scrambly than it actually was.
Roughly 980m into the walk you’ll reach the beach. From here you need to bear left, this requires scrambling up onto the rocks, which are grippy when dry, don’t attempt when it’s wet or it could become very slippery.
Reaching the Fairy Pool
Once you’re at the rocks above the beach you are approximately 220m from the pool. The route is across the rocks the whole way.
Some rocks are slanted and some bits are steeper than others, so you should make your way across choosing the route that looks easiest to you.
You’ll pass a narrow channel of water inbetween two rock shelves. The water is azure blue and it looked an amazing place to swim, but after watching it a while to check for waves, we noticed that it did get some big ones wash in, so we didn’t attempt a dip (this was at low tide and slight swell).
You’ll also pass a small pebble beach partway along and arrive at some steeper rocks just before you reach the pool.
You need to make your way down the rocks, which is easy enough due to the grip and the fact there are many cracks and gaps to put your feet.
All in all, it’s one of the easier rock hopping sections we’ve done lately, just make sure you wear shoes to protect your feet from any sharp bits of rock.
You’ll reach the Fairy Pool roughly 1.2km after leaving the car park.
The Fairy Pool
The Fairy Pool is one of those places that is every bit as good as you’d hoped it would be. The water is crystal clear and has a glorious turquoise hue.
The surrounding rocks and cliffs are dramatic and there’s a glimpse of the ocean too. When it comes to rockpool settings, it doesn’t get much better.
It’s also delightfully easy to get into, you can just step off the rocks and straight onto the sandy bottom.
There are no rocks, coral or sea creatures in the pool (well there weren’t any on our visit anyway!) which combined with the fact no waves came even close to the water, made it one of the most relaxing rockpool experiences I have ever had.
The water is deep enough to swim, but you can touch the bottom at either end of the pool. It even keeps the sun well into the afternoon (in summer), in short, rockpool lovers will be in heaven!
It was a very difficult spot to leave and one of the most fun rockpool adventures we’ve had in the past year, and we’ve had quite a few!
Continuing to the Lobster Pot
Now this next pool is nothing in comparison to the Fairy Pool, but if you love exploring, then you can visit another rockpool nearby, the Lobster Pot.
Straight up, I want to mention that half the pool is weedy, so that may put some people off, but the other half was clear and it’s very secluded, which is always a good thing.
To find it, head back to the beach where you climbed down the ropes to. And now head right, around the rocky shoreline. The rock hopping is on small rocks at first, so it’s a bit tedious.
After 120m rock hopping you’ll reach a smoother rock platform and it’s a more comfortable route from here. Keep following the rock platform for 270m to the pool.
It’s also easy to get into and out of, but does have some coral etc to be aware of.
When you’re ready to return, you simply retrace your steps to the rope climb and back to your car.
Keep them wild
Please remember to take all rubbish with you and keep these places wild and pristine - as with anywhere in the outdoors. It’s important to leave them exactly as you found them so they will remain beautiful for generations to come.
Litter tends to breed litter, so if you do spot any and are able to pick it up and dispose of it outside the area, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Parking for the Fairy Pool
The best place to park is at the end of Burgess Road in Forster. There’s room for a number of cars to park there and further down the road if necessary.
It’s around a 5km drive from Forster.
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