Travellers left disappointed after hiking for hours to 'breathtaking' Insta-famous beach spot

When browsing travel pictures on social media as you head on vacation, it's probably wise to take them with a pinch of salt big enough to send a horse into toxic shock.

We've all seen the gutting difference with Instagram vs Reality, when the actual place is very far removed from how a carefully curated (and edited) social media post makes it look.

And two travellers got a big taste of this when they visited a popular tourist spot in Australia.

The Figure Eight Pools in Lilyvale, New South Wales, has become enormously popular on social media, with many people visiting purely to take some snaps for the 'gram.

It's situated on the coast of Sydney's Royal National Park, around an hour's drive from the city.

Many people make the trip to take pictures at the spots, and in fairness if you go by how they look online, they do look beautiful.

But of course, this is social media, so all is rarely as it seems and some travel vloggers are discovering that the reality of the tourist hotspot is not all what it's meant to be.

Instagram/@andreasbutz

One of those is Jessica Henderson, who posted a video on TikTok outlining her experience at the Figure Eights Pool.

Starting off the TikTok, she said: "Whoever told you the Figure Eight Pools were bucket list-worthy is lying to you and let me show you why."

Jessica took her viewers through the hike, which she described as 'never-ending'.

The TikToker and her boyfriend went through all kinds of terrain to get to the attraction, including bushes, rocky areas, but also a very nice-looking beach.

The final bit before the pair got to the end destination was a rocky incline, where both posed for photos.

@jess_hendersonn/ TikTok

But when the couple arrived at the pools, they were disappointed to discover that they were nothing like the pictures they had seen on social media.

They found a series of murky swimming holes, and only one they say had the recognisable figure-eight shape.

Jessica's boyfriend laughed: "Did we come all the way here for that?" while Jessica couldn't believe they walked all that way for just one pool.

"This one's kind of pretty but still not going in and this is probably the highlight of the trip," she said showing a bigger, clearer rock pool nearby.

@jess_hendersonn/ TikTok

"Time to go straight back to the car."

Hundreds of people have taken to the comment section of the viral TikTok, with many also shocked at how different they look in real life compared to on Instagram.

One person said: "Whoever hyped up the figure 8 pool I hope both sides of their pillow is warm," while a second added: "That's what happens when you only do it for the pic."

And a third remarked: "I always tell tourists don’t go. It’s almost a whole day wasted for one/two hole(s) in the ground, and you’ll be sweaty and bothered when you get back."