The warning sign on the metal safety fence at Wedding Cake Rock could not be starker: "Do not risk your life for a photograph."

But astoundingly, sightseers are not only ignoring the sign and climbing onto the picturesque rock in the Royal National Park, they're even taking photographs of themselves scaling over the safety barrier and posting those images on Instagram.

"#sorrynotsorry #rebelwithoutacause," is how one person captioned their photograph on Instagram.

That will all change this weekend, when NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service officers start handing out fines of more than $100 to those blatantly disregarding the warning signs.

"People are being so incredibly reckless with a genuine, imminent danger," said Gary Dunnett, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) regional manager.

 

Doubt there will be enough cake for all the guests... #weddingcakerock #asian #tourist

A photo posted by Lewis Tosney (@wanderlewst) on Mar 27, 2016 at 10:53pm PDT

"I honestly think that people don't understand that something that looks like a solid block of concrete is much closer to a block of silly putty, and it just does not have the structural strength that they think.

"Unfortunately, it looks like the only way we're going to be able to give that message about the nature of the risk is through people's hip pockets."

In the past year, the stark white cliff-top formation, along with the Figure 8 Pools at the southern end of the national park, has become a magnet for those wanting to pose for a photograph on the edge of the cliff against the backdrop of the ocean, and post images on social media.

But a geotechnical study conducted by the NPWS last year in response to the spike in visitors found that the very reasons that make Wedding Cake Rock so photogenic also make it incredibly dangerous.

The geotechnical report found the rock was incredibly unstable, and the entire formation could collapse at any time. A drone also filmed evidence of previous rockfalls scattered on the lower ledges and at the base of the cliff.

In response to that report, the safety fence was erected and architects are working on designs for a permanent viewing platform.

Yet over the Easter long weekend, groups of up to 30 people were photographed standing on the edge of the rock at one time.

Mr Dunnett said NPWS staff would be policing the rock from this weekend. The exact amount of the fine was still to be determined, but he said fines for disobeying a regulatory sign ranged from $100 to $300.

It would be the first time fines would be issued for disregarding safety messages at a specific attraction within the national park, he said.

"Normally a mature response from any adult to being told that something is highly dangerous is to say 'Thanks for letting me know' and backing away," Mr Dunnett said.

"This is a genuine imminent danger at Wedding Cake Rock, so we're going to have to step in and take decisive action. My personal hope is that will reverberate through social media networks.

"We're desperate to encourage people to get out there and enjoy the coastal parks, particularly coming up to whale season, which is a fantastic time of the year to be out there, but they can't do it in such a reckless fashion, so unfortunately we are going to have to move to a regulatory environment."