Gerringong Falls: Blogger Joe Bird warns of safety risks after 12yo suffered serious head injuries

A popular British travel blogger has described the news a child fell 30m from a popular waterfall ‘absolutely devasting’, two months after he wrote about the dangers of the south coast attraction.

International travel blogger Joe Bird has described the news a child suffered serious injuries after falling from the cliff face at popular Gerringong Falls as “absolutely devastating”.

British blogger Joe Bird last visited the falls in September when he wrote about the dangers of the bushwalk, which is not promoted by National Parks and Wildlife because of the lack of proper tracks.

Mr Bird, who writes about his travel experiences on Walk My World with his partner Cat Smith, said he was “absolutely devastated” to hear the news of the 12-year-old’s fall and that he path to the bottom was “not easy” to navigate.

“The trail to the bottom of the falls is one for experienced hikers who understand safety in the bush and have some scrambling experience,” he said.

Travel blogger Joe Bird said access to the bottom of Gerringong Falls is not easy. Picture: Joe Bird

Joe Bird says access to the bottom of Gerringong Falls is not east. Picture: Joe Bird

“It’s an unmarked trail with no clear signage, and therefore requires some navigational abilities.

“You need to take the usual precautions – start very early, take plenty of food and water, let people know where you are going, have the right gear and only do what you are comfortable with and know is within your abilities.”

The tragic incident over the weekend saw a child taken to hospital in a serious condition after falling almost 30 metres from a cliff face.

A NSW Police spokeswoman said the 12-year-old boy was climbing up a track when he fell from Gerringong Falls inside Budderoo National Park while bushwalking, mountain bike riding and swimming with family and friends.

He was taken to Sydney Children’s Hospital in a critical condition after suffering serious head and body injuries, she said.

a boy is in hospital after falling from Gerringong Falls. Picture: NSW Police

The 12-year-old was winched out of the remote area. Picture: NSW Police

Police said a “vertical rescue operation was undertaken on the lower valley wall”, and the boy was lowered and moved to an open space on the valley floor before being winched out and taken to hospital.

Police have begun inquiries into the circumstances surrounding Saturday’s incident.

To many the waterfalls are an unknown hidden gem, for others it is a popular destination away from the hustle and bustle.

With a picturesque swimming hole beneath a towering waterfall, the spot is popular with bushwalkers and Instagramers alike.

However, after walking the 21 kilometre return hike to the 180 metre scenic waterfall, getting to the bottom in notoriously treacherous.

In 2014, two abseilers were rescued after becoming stranded half way down the cliff, in 2017 two girls were rescued after becoming stuck as they tried to get to the water pool below, and in 2019 a police officer was forced to spend the night at the falls after finding two missing bushwalkers.

The bottom of Gerringong Falls is popular with social media users. Picture: Joe Bird

A NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service spokeswoman said national parks did not promote walking to the bottom of the falls.

“NPWS does not promote walking to the base of Gerringong Falls and there are no authorised, NPWS-managed trails to the base of the falls,” the spokeswoman said.

She said the upcoming summer could be a record breaker in terms of national park visitation.

“Bookings for campsites and accommodation in NSW’s national parks are up 50 per cent compared to the same time last year – and we are expecting record summer visitation,” they said.

“As an example, NPWS opened bookings for Meroo campground on the NSW south coast this morning at 7am and within two hours it was fully booked for December and January.”