Sydney Has An Ultra Rare ‘Pop-Up Beach’ RN & No One Can Figure Out Why

And, sure, we’ve all seen pop-up food joints or pop-up retails stores or even pop-up bars come and go into our comfy inner-urban lives with reasonable frequency. But this one just about takes the cake, and it’s all thanks to a little quirk of geography.

The super rare mystery beach at Sydney’s Mackenzie’s Bay has returned once again, with a super nice-lookin’ sandy inlet taking over from its usually rocky terrain.

For visual reference, this is what the tiny little area normally looks like:

But this is what it looks like at the moment:

The beach is on a small, tucked away bay just north of Tamarama, is ordinarily super popular with bodyboarders due to its consistent swell. But locals estimate the remarkably pleasant and sheltered beach appears once every seven to ten years or there abouts, making its current appearance a pretty dang rare one.

No one seems to know exactly why the beach appears, but local lifeguards wager it has something to do with smaller swells, meaning the sand builds up on the rocks and creates the “beach.” Geomorphology experts assert that, while that does have a little bit to do with it, it’s largely due to global climate patterns and, more specifically, the meteorologically calmer conditions of an El Niño.

The beach generally lasts as long as the weather holds out, with one decent storm capable of wiping the beach away once again. So if you’re keen to get involved with one of Sydney’s rarest phenomenas, time is absolutely of the essence.

Better still, the temporary beach appears to be one of the few in the area that’s dog friendly, because it’s mostly unpatrolled and rangers have been lenient on owners taking their furry pals for a dip.

Sydney’s forecast to cop a string of super nice weather from Wednesday right through till at least Sunday, so now’s your chance to get yo’self some super rare sand.

Hop to it!