Rocky Cauldron has the wow factor; it’s like a little slice of WA right here in Port Stephens. The pool is surrounded by burnt orange rocks and there’s just enough room for a relaxing float in its crystal clear water.
If you visit at high tide, you’ll have a steady influx of rolling waves enter the pool, giving a jacuzzi like effect - though you’re better off visiting at low to mid tide if you want it to be very calm.
When you tire of floating in paradise, you can head along the rocky shoreline and have a longer swim in the clear blue water of the sheltered bay beyond.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Rocky Cauldron.
The walk to Rocky Cauldron
The stats
Distance: 660m return, or 1.3km if continuing to the bay for swimming
Elevation gain: 15m
Difficulty: Easy
Trailhead: Big Rocky Trail Car Park
Summary: There are a couple of different ways of reaching Rocky Cauldron - we’re sharing the shortest, easiest route in this guide, but longer coastal walks are possible if preferred.
Luckily, the shortest route is very easy. There’s a good path for almost the entire way, with just a couple of very minor bits that are a touch rocky.
If you want to continue to the rockpools and bay for swimming, then it’s still easy, but it’s all rock hopping, with no path at all. The rocks are grippy when dry.
A note on tides
We visited Rocky Cauldron at high tide. I imagine at low tide the water is very shallow and it might be a bit more beach than pool. High tide was great, but there were constant waves coming into the pool.
None of the waves were anything to worry about, it was likely a little waterfall or jacuzzi effect, but perhaps mid tide might be optimum, or high tide, but with a slight swell.
The swell on our visit was moderate. I wouldn’t come when the swell is rough, as I imagine you’d be buffeted constantly, which isn’t so relaxing!
You can continue on to the rockpools and bay at any tide, however, I don’t think there would be water in the rockpools at low tide. If you’re more interested in swimming in the bay, then that’s possible at any time (though again I would not pick a day when the swell is rough).
The walk to Rocky Cauldron
From the car park at Big Rocky, you follow the signposted track, which begins as a flat gravel path. It will fork early on, but it’s signposted and you keep straight, heading for Big Rocky.
After 200m you’ll emerge from the bushy path to a picturesque bay, known as Big Rocky.
The water in the bay is very calm and the shallows are turquoise, but as it does live up to its name, I didn’t swim here - though you could definitely laze around in the water.
The track to Rocky Cauldron continues straight, to the right of the bay and there are a few little rocky bits, but none of it is challenging in any way. You will arrive at Rocky Cauldron 130m later, or 330m from the car park.
Rocky Cauldron
I actually couldn’t believe my eyes when I first saw Rocky Cauldron; it really felt like we’d suddenly been transported to WA! You’ll climb up a couple of deep orange rocks and see the crystal clear pool below.
It’s not like a rockpool in the sense that it’s not cut off from the sea, but it does still feel like a proper pool. Water comes in through the rock channel on the left and rushes into the pool, almost like a mini waterfall.
Well at high tide anyway, it’s probably less lively at other times!
Even at high tide the water is quite shallow, so it’s not a swimming spot so much as a place to relax in the water. And it’s hard to think of a better spot in Port Stephens to while away an hour or two. It really is a little slice of paradise.
I did continue a little further over the rocks to see if there were any more pools, but it’s cut off by a wide channel you’d have to swim across.
Continuing to the rockpools and bay
If you want to continue the adventure a little you can walk along the rocky shoreline to a calm bay for a proper swim. This is possible even at high tide.
There is no set path so you’ll be rockhopping most of the way, but it’s easy enough.
From Rocky Cauldron head ever so slightly back on yourself, but instead of going to Big Rocky, head left instead. It’s less than 90m before you’ll see your first rockpool. Even at high tide none of the rockpools were deep, but they’re very pretty and secluded. I imagine at low tide they would be empty.
There are a couple of decent sized pools over the next 200m and then you’ll come to an inlet (around 350m from Rocky Cauldron).
This is where you can go for a proper swim and the water was almost wave free and nice and clear.
To enter the water requires walking over a couple of rocks and where damp they are slippery. However, it’s just a few steps and then the water was deep enough to swim off. Inside the water it was clear, calm and great for swimming.
Needless to say it’s not patrolled, so you do have to know your own limits, I never go too far as I am definitely not a confident ocean swimmer and prefer to stick fairly close to the shore.
When you’re ready to leave, you can simply retrace your steps back to the car park. You could no doubt also continue around the shoreline, though this is as far as we went.
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 national park, it will go a long way to keeping the area clean.
Getting to Rocky Cauldron
The closest car park to Rocky Cauldron is the Big Rocky car park in Tomaree National Park in Port Stephens. The last 2.9km of the road to the car park is gravel, but suitable for any car at time of writing. It has potholes, but not any that should cause any issues when driven slowly.
The car park is located 7km and roughly a 15 minute drive from Nelson Bay and a similar distance from Anna Bay.
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