Little Blowhole in Kiama, and when to catch it spraying

Find the Little Blowhole on Tingira Crescent

The Little Blowhole sits on the rock platform below Marsden Head, off Tingira Crescent, about 2 km south of the Kiama town centre. It is smaller than the famous Kiama Blowhole on Blowhole Point, and Destination Kiama calls it arguably more consistent. Here are the essentials from the official listings.

The Little Blowhole is a different place from the main Kiama Blowhole next to the Lighthouse. If your map app sends you to Blowhole Point, you have the wrong one.

Walk from the apartments in 20 minutes

From Kiama Ridge Waters at 2 Surfleet Place, the Little Blowhole is about a 20-minute walk (1.6 km), or a 4-minute drive. It makes an easy before-breakfast stroll, and you can be back with coffee in under an hour.

Parking: Destination Kiama lists a car park at the reserve. It does not publish the number of spaces, so on a sunny weekend come early or walk. Parking rules can change, so read the signs when you arrive and see our Kiama parking guide.

By train: Kiama station is on the South Coast Line, and the Little Blowhole is about a 31-minute walk (2.5 km) from the station. Plan your trip on Transport NSW.

On the Coast Walk: the Little Blowhole sits midway along the middle section of the Kiama Coast Walk, which runs from the Kiama Blowhole to Loves Bay.

Go on a north-east swell

This is the main reason to know about the Little Blowhole. The two blowholes respond to different seas:

• Kiama Blowhole: most active in a south-east swell with a south-east wind.
• Little Blowhole: most active in a north-east swell, and it likes a north-east wind too.

Destination Kiama says the north-east swell is the more common one on this stretch of coast, and that the Little Blowhole is often more spectacular when the swell is small. So on the many days when the main Blowhole only puffs, the Little Blowhole may still be putting on regular bursts.

When you read a marine forecast, the swell direction is the direction the waves are coming from. A "NE swell" rolls in from the north-east. Check the Bureau of Meteorology coastal waters forecast for the Illawarra on the morning you plan to go. Both blowholes depend on the weather, so even a good forecast is no guarantee.

See how the sea built the blowhole

Destination Kiama says the Little Blowhole was formed in the same way as its larger cousin. The Kiama coast is made of layers of ancient lava flows and sandstone known as the Gerringong Volcanics, and Kiama Council's heritage plaques describe the lava layers as a rock called latite.

After the lava flows, volcanic material pushed up through cracks in the rock to form dykes. Where the sea wears away the rock in these dykes faster than the rock around it, it carves sea caves and straight channels. At the main Blowhole, Destination Kiama explains that erosion of softer rock created the vertical opening. When a wave rushes into the cave below, it squeezes water and air up through that opening, and you get the whoosh and the plume.

Destination Kiama dates the basalt lava flows at Blowhole Point to about 260 million years ago.

Spread out a picnic at Marsden Head

The grassy headland above the Little Blowhole is Marsden Head, which Destination Kiama describes as overlooking Easts Beach. The official listings name a car park, lookouts and a picnic area, and describe the spot as family friendly. They don't list toilets, so plan around the facilities in town or at Blowhole Point.

Next door, between the Little Blowhole and Easts Beach, is Marsden Point Reserve. Kiama Council describes it as a headland with unpaved walking tracks and ocean views, and as a popular dog off-leash area. Keep dogs leashed outside the signed area, and check the Council's dog rules before you go, since conditions can change.

Little Blowhole Landcare volunteers look after the land next to the blowhole, and they note the headland is a good vantage point for watching whales. In the migration season, pair your visit with our whale watching in Kiama guide.

Stay back from the rock platform edge

You can watch from the viewing platform or from the rocky foreshore, and that second option is where people get into trouble. Destination Kiama describes the blowholes as weather dependent and unpredictable, and a single larger wave can wash across the rocks with no warning.

• Use the platform on big days, and stay behind any barriers.
• Never walk out on wet rock. Wet basalt is slippery, and wet rock tells you waves have been reaching it.
• Never turn your back on the sea, even for a photo.
• Hold small children's hands near the edge.
• Expect to get wet. Keep phones and cameras covered between shots.
• In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).

Time your photos with the sets

The Little Blowhole fires with the waves, so watch for a few minutes before you shoot. Waves tend to arrive in sets, and the biggest bursts often come a few seconds after a larger wave hits the rocks.

• Use burst mode or video and pick the frame later.
• The coast here faces east, so early morning puts the sun behind the spray. Late afternoon light falls on the plume from behind you.
• Step back and use the grassy headland to frame the spout against the open sea, rather than getting close.
• Bring a cloth for the lens. On a windy day the mist drifts a long way.

Bring kids, but not the pram

Destination Kiama lists the Little Blowhole as family friendly, and children love the countdown to each burst. The official listing also says it does not cater for people with access needs, so the grass and rocks are not suitable for wheelchairs and are hard going with a pram.

If anyone in your group needs step-free access, go to the main Kiama Blowhole instead, which has accessible viewing platforms. For more ideas with children, see things to do in Kiama with kids and our family accommodation in Kiama.

Join it up with Easts Beach and the Coast Walk

The Little Blowhole works well as one stop in a longer morning on foot.

• Easts Beach: walk south around the headland to Easts Beach, about 13 minutes (1.0 km) away. It is a sheltered beach reached by grassed paths with steps at each end. Check BeachSafe for patrols and conditions before you swim.
• Kiama Blowhole: walk north along the coast to Blowhole Point, about 40 minutes (3.2 km), or drive it in about 9 minutes. Seeing both on the same day shows you how differently they behave in the same sea.
• The Coast Walk: the middle section runs 6 km from the Kiama Blowhole to Loves Bay, graded medium to hard, with about 1.5 hours of walking. See our Kiama Coast Walk guide.
• Lookouts: add a few more views with our guide to Kiama lookouts.

It costs nothing, which puts it on our list of free things to do in Kiama.

Stay a 20-minute walk from the Little Blowhole

From Kiama Ridge Waters at 2 Surfleet Place, the Little Blowhole is a 20-minute walk and the main Blowhole about 5 minutes by car. Each of the three-bedroom apartments sleeps six, with two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a laundry and secure parking for two cars.

Check the swell forecast over breakfast, then pick your blowhole. See our three-bedroom apartments in Kiama or check availability.