Explore the untamed beauty of the Gondwana Rainforest, where pristine pockets of wilderness beckon with thundering waterfalls, misty forest trails and encounters with rare wildlife.
A few decades ago, when my partner and I were successfully avoiding growing up, we would park our van in Nightcap National Park, stoke a campfire and strum a guitar as possums emerged from the treetops. We’d bushwalk in the rain to the base of Protesters Falls just to hear the Fleay’s barred frogs call out to each other, and take long, leisurely drives out of Byron Bay to teeter atop long drop waterfalls and skinny dip far beneath them.
Not too much has changed — about us or the farnorth- coast rainforests we loved. Protesters Falls is still a precious tangle of wild on Bundjalung — and in particular Widjabul — country. Hidden upstream through 700 metres of Bangalow palms along Bat Cave Creek, the falls were named for the community who fought for its protection. Their efforts not only saved the falls, but also paved the way for the creation of Nightcap National Park and its inclusion in the outstanding Gondwana Rainforest of Australia World Heritage Area.
Nightcap National Park harbours endemic Nightcap oaks and a vulnerable feathered cohort made up of rufous scrub birds, red goshawks and sooty and masked owls, and there are frogs so endangered that swimming is prohibited. But the protection that this unique World Heritage area offers wild animals peters out downstream where cleared agricultural lands sever those once-great forests that covered the ancient continent of Gondwana.
Today, Australia’s most fragmented World Heritage area collectively safeguards an archipelago of 41 remnant islands of pristine rainforest located between Newcastle and Brisbane: Barrington Tops and the Border Ranges, to Washpool and Oxley Wild Rivers National Parks. These parks are small but critically important, with the kinds of primitive ecosystems that excite scientists and nature lovers alike, and home to plants and wildlife species relatively unchanged from their fossilised ancestors.
Herein lies the world’s most extensive subtropical rainforests and most of the last Antarctic beech forests too, but what nature-seeking souls will find are hundreds of miles of misty, forested walking trails, restful camps, thundering rivers to raft and kayak and granite peaks to climb. To explore all 41 pockets of wonder, you’d need a few months or more, so we narrow our list down to a favourite few, pile into our campervan and hit the road.
Over the Scenic Rim
From Nightcap National Park, we head for high ground to stand with our heads in the clouds along the aptly named Scenic Rim. This dramatic arc of weathered volcanic peaks forms a natural border between Queensland and New South Wales, with national parks aplenty. Many wilderness areas are too inaccessible to explore, prioritising the protection of spotted quolls and yellow-bellied gliders, the curiously named land mullet (the world’s largest skink) and Alberts lyrebirds that belong to the world’s oldest group of songbirds. These are the creatures that have us searching by spotlight and silently prowling tracks and waterways.
A short drive southwest of Brisbane, Mount Barney’s remarkable twin peaks beckon us over the Border Ranges to find the secret plunge pools that gather beneath rugged spires of the ancient Focal Peak Shield Volcano. Barney’s serious summit climbs demand equipment we don’t have on board, so we wander for an hour to the deep, dark pools of the Lower Portals. A tranquil swimming hole strewn with oversized boulders, the Lower Portals might well be heaven enough. But just up over the ridge and a little further upstream, the Upper Portals provides privacy where few others intrude.
Bush camping is basic in Barney’s protected surrounds, so we climb back into the van and hit the road, bound for another World Heritage-listed pocket of Gondwana in Main Range National Park. Occupying the far northern tip of the park in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, Goomburra is a picturesque forest hub that bushwalkers adore. Half a dozen tracks lead past rocky pools and clear, tumbling cascades and, if you can avoid lolling all day in those incredibly tempting pools, lift you high atop the range.
We stretch out on the grassy flanks of Dalrymple Creek beneath peeling ribbons of manna gums and setout in search of rare tiger quolls on the two-hour walk to Araucaria Falls. Tiger (or spotted-tail) quolls rate as the mainland’s largest marsupial carnivores, but they have long retreated out of sight into the mountainous scrub of the Main Range. Instead, we spot koalas and echidnas and glossy black cockatoos and wander to the rhythmic song of bell miners at daybreak.
Teetering atop Minyon Falls
Back across the NSW border, I find myself on familiar ground, traipsing alongside Boggy Creek past blackbutt trees dripping with dew. There are far easier ways to reach the spectacular Minyon Falls but none so lovely as this 30-minute rock-hop through the fern gardens that fringe this puddly, gurgling stream. We set out at first light from Rummery Park, a state forest-turned-conservation area that provides one of the few places to camp in the Byron Bay hinterland.
It’s well known among coastal escapees and an easy drive 24km southwest of Mullumbimby in Whian Whian State Conservation Area. The rich volcanic soils of ancient basalt and rhyolite lava flows nurture nutrient-dependant temperate and subtropical rainforests, while lofty massifs snag the sky, pulling down enough rain to make this one of the wettest spots in the state.
The usual line-up of rainforest-loving wild things calls this habitat home — kookaburras, koalas and the red-necked pademelons that graze the campground — but keen eyes might catch the brightly coloured wompoo fruit-dove in flight or spot-masked owls or little bent winged bats after darkness falls. As stunning as this forest camp undoubtedly is, it’s Rummery Park’s proximity to World Heritage-listed Minyon Falls that woos crowds with its 100m sheer-drop cascade.
The camping is completely old school with communal fireplaces and lots of forested nooks among the kauri and hoop pine trees. There are gas barbecues and composting toilets, but no drinking water or firewood, while towering Peates Mountain blocks out the world, insisting we take a social-media holiday and soak up the serenity instead.
For adventurous walkers, the overnight Historic Nightcap Track connects Rummery Park to Mount Nardi, covering 16km of difficult ground and demanding a bush camp enroute. This trail travels part of an historic postal route between Lismore and Murwillumbah and dates back to the late 1800s. After our loop to Minyon Falls, we nestle in for the afternoon as a soft rain forms a shimmering backdrop and our sheltered campfire crackles.
On the Waterfall Way
At dawn, we make the leap to the furthest point on our itinerary, skimming the South Pacific Ocean past Iluka and Arrawarra. At Coffs Harbour, the aptly named Waterfall Way whisks us away from the coast to follow the Bellinger River upstream and see it tumble off the Dorrigo Plateau’s grand escarpment. This elevated wonderland shines for its sheer accessibility and easy rainforest strolls in Dorrigo National Park, which lead to crystal-clear waterholes and shimmering falls, daring you to the edge of the world for vertigoinducing views.
Suspended over the edge of Dorrigo’s plunging escarpment cliffs, the Skywalk lookout looms, teetering above an abyss that drops 700m towards the coast. Inching out onto the lookout platform is an adrenalin-spiked stroll and, with hearts racing, we stand high above the treetops, our eyes following wildly forested ridgelines that fall away to the faraway sea. The Skywalk rates as one of the most thrilling East Coast walks, but what makes it a standout is that you can enjoy it for free.
As it turns out, Dorrigo’s dramatic vistas are only the beginning. Exploring farther afield, we set out along the Wonga Walk, bound for Crystal Shower Falls. Etched into eroded basalt terraces from the Ebor Volcano’s 18-million-year-old flow, this popular trail meanders beneath a canopy of strangler figs and mossy, buttressed booyong trees, draped with vines and studded with epiphytes.
We pass thick stands of prickly walking stick palms and rosewood trees; birdsong rings out from the treetop gardens. Tiny waterfalls trickle under the track to disappear beneath bracken ferns that carpet the gully below. Through the mist we spot giant red cedars — precious relics that loggers left behind.
An easy downhill ramble and we are swinging and swaying and standing on a suspension bridge beneath the thundering Crystal Shower Falls. Beyond the falls and the circular pool that stills its flow, the path winds on into a fern-covered cavern where we gaze back through the waterfall’s shimmering veil.
Tackled at a leisurely pace, the sealed pathway to Crystal Shower Falls takes just over an hour return to walk (3.5km) and you can continue along the Wonga Walk and loop past Tristania Falls too (5.8km, 2.5 hours). It’s a little steep in sections, but is suitable for assisted wheelchair-bound travellers and families with kids in strollers too.
Dorrigo boasts an incredible geological story that’s brought to life in one outstanding interpretive centre. The Dorrigo Rainforest Centre’s art, history and wildlife hub makes any visit worthwhile, even if it’s raining and you are not tempted to hike. There are installations and displays, art and photographs and irresistible souvenirs and books for sale.
It’s free to enter and when the rain falls or your feet ache, you can nurse a cup of coffee, order a meal and watch the red-necked pademelons grazing outside. Head here to borrow a free-of-charge baby backpack or wheelchair and let staff guide you onto the best trails for your group.
Platypus camping
Fortunately for wild things, Dorrigo National Park doesn’t offer accommodation or cater to campers. In nearby Bellingen, Lilypad Luxury Cabins suit naturelovers,while compact campervans and all-drive vehicles can stay riverside in neighbouring Nymboi- Binderay National Park, stoking a campfire at dusk as platypus appear.
After a long day on our feet, we follow the wildly winding Moonpar Forest Drive past old-growth giant tallowwood and brush box trees along the Nymboida River. This stunning river gorge with its towering granite cliffs is known by its traditional Gumbaynggirr name and is famed for rampaging rapids that take rafters on wild, white-water rides.
When the river reaches Platypus Flats, deep, dark pools tame its flow and on a serene stretch of riverbank, we park the campervan and spend a magical afternoon stoking a campfire and watching platypus and river turtles bubble to the surface. It’s a shady, serene spot to cool your heels, with toilets, picnic tables and fire pits. On clear, sunny days you could reach the flats by conventional vehicle, but dry days are rare around Dorrigo, making 4WD a must.
Of all the parks that make up Gondwana Rainforest of Australia World Heritage areas, Dorrigo National Park is popular for all the right reasons. It’s a living museum of sorts, with some of the best visitor facilities on the coast, and if you time your trip to coincide with World Heritage Day celebrations in April, you can join free walks and talks too.
Escape routes
Go: Parks included in Gondwana Rainforest of Australia World Heritage area stretch from Brisbane’s Scenic Rim to Newcastle. To reach Protesters Falls in Nightcap National Park, drive 60km inland from Byron Bay. Dorrigo National Park is located 60km west of Coffs Harbour via Bellingen (about an hour’s drive), and Mount Barney and Goomburra campground are accessed via Mount Lindesay Highway, 120km to 175km southwest of Brisbane.
Visit: Mild temperatures persist almost year-round in these high-altitude havens, and waterholes provide respite over the hotter summer months. Arrive at Dorrigo National Park to catch World Heritage Day celebrations in April.
Stay: Having beds (or a tent) on board is the best way to connect with these national parks. Campsites at Rummery Park (Whian Whian State Conservation Park) cost $24.60/night, while 4WD-accessible campsites in Nymboi-Binderay National Park cost $12.30/night (nationalparks.nsw.gov.au). In Queensland, all national park campsites cost $7.25/person or $29/family. Close to Dorrigo National Park, Lilypad Luxury Cabins charges $250/night (2 night min).
Pack: Hiking shoes, a hat, swimmers and waterhole-friendly sunscreen, a rain jacket and camping gear.
For more information: Plan your trip at nationalparks.nsw.gov.au and parks.des.qld.gov.au.
