Kiama Blowhole

The Kiama Blowhole sits on a basalt headland right in the town centre, where waves push into a sea cave and compress air and water until they burst upward through a hole in the rock. With the right conditions, a southeast swell and a rising tide, it throws spray tens of metres into the air and soaks anyone standing near the fence; with the wrong conditions it does very little, which catches many visitors out. It has been a documented attraction since the nineteenth century and is floodlit at night. A second, smaller blowhole a short walk south at Little Blowhole often performs when the main one is quiet, since it responds to different swell directions.

History

The blowhole formed in basalt laid down by lava some 260 million years ago, and the local Aboriginal people called it Khanterinte; George Bass, exploring the south coast in an open whaleboat with six men, wrote the first account of it on 6 December 1797 after anchoring in the sheltered bay. In 1992 a freak wave swept two families off the rocks and seven people drowned, and despite fences and warning signs visitors still stand close to the edge (Wikipedia, Kiama Blowhole).

The landscape

• The main blowhole - spray bursting from the basalt when the swell is right.
• Little Blowhole - the smaller southern vent, active on different swells.
• The headland - the lighthouse, rock platform and harbour beside it.
• The town setting - the blowhole sitting directly in the centre of Kiama.

When to go

Any time of year, but performance depends entirely on swell: a southeast swell is needed, and the town publishes forecasts. Rising tide helps. On flat days it barely spouts at all, which is common in summer.

Practical notes

Most visitors arrive on a flat day and see nothing dramatic. When it does work, the spray soaks people and the rocks are slippery and dangerous; people have been swept off the platform. The site is right beside a car park with no sense of remoteness.

Nearby

Jamberoo and the Minnamurra rainforest lie inland; Gerringong and Seven Mile Beach are south.

Key facts