Arabic version: تحذير لزوار منحدرات هيثكوت الوردية بسبب تيك توك

According to ABC News, social media has drawn a surge of visitors to the fragile Pink Cliffs at Heathcote in central Victoria, raising concerns that people are leaving designated paths and damaging the formations. Photos and videos of visitors standing on the cliffs have spread on TikTok and Instagram, where recent posts promoting the site as a photo location have attracted more than 100,000 views.

Parks Victoria ranger Peter Barrow said social media had probably highlighted a longer-running trend of visitors going off track. He said people were welcome to explore the reserve, but must remain on designated walking tracks and behind barriers to protect its distinctive geology.

The exposed formations are vulnerable to erosion accelerated by people walking across them, Mr Barrow said. He warned that damage may not affect the current generation, but could mean future generations lose the chance to see the unique geology. Signage at the reserve has been replaced during the past year, while authorities seek to balance protecting the formations with allowing people to experience the site without being surrounded by signs.

Victoria University School for the Visitor Economy director Naomi Dale said social media can influence behaviour at tourist attractions. Repeatedly seeing images of people at a location can create a fear of missing out, even where signs indicate they should not be there, she said. Professor Dale added that individuals may underestimate their effect, but the cumulative impact can become significant when many people act the same way.

The Pink Cliffs are a remnant of 19th-century gold mining. Geologist Clive Willman said miners used high-pressure water to wash away large volumes of soil and rock in their search for gold, exposing layers beneath and leaving the gullies and formations visible today. While visually spectacular, he said, the site is also evidence of the environmental damage caused by the gold rush.