ROCKS piled precariously high at a stretch of beach north of Cairns continue to delight motorists and are finding fame online.

Whitfield resident Maureen Parkin has lived in the area since 1968 but only spotted the mysterious formations, situated between Pebbly and Ellis beaches, on Sunday.

“We went to Port Douglas and we couldn’t understand why there were lots of cars there, so on the way back we stopped,” she said.

“I thought it was magical.”

Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures owner Angela Freeman said stacking the rocks had become popular in recent years.

“As soon as you get a high tide or storm they get knocked over, then people build them up again,” she said.

“You find them all over Australia ... people just do it for amusement.”

Tourism Tropical North Queensland’s Jane Wilson said the formations were proving to be a popular tourist attraction, with a growing number of Instagram users sharing photos via #exploreTNQ.

Ms Freeman urged motorists stopping in the area to exercise caution and not to remove rocks from the site.