 The Waterfall Way heads off west, 25km south of Coffs Harbour on the NSW coast, and offers an opportunity to escape the Pacific Highway as it drones on through endless road improvements.
It is the start of a 190km scenic drive, first along the Bellingen Valley, passing through the picturesque riverside village of Bellingen, before climbing the North Eastern Escarpment. It skirts the Dorrigo National Park, famous for its Skywalk that takes you above the rainforest canopy, before arriving at the township of Dorrigo. From here it is a short drive out to the Dangar Falls before continuing on to Ebor Falls and finally winding up in Armidale.
We joined the Waterfall Way at the Ebor Falls as we had come down from Nymboida after exploring the Nymboi-Binderay National Park. The Guy Fawkes River runs from deep within the wilderness of the Guy Fawkes National Park, before making Ebor its first spectacular fall off the Northern Tablelands.
Leaving Ebor Falls, if you followed the road to Guyra it would bring you to the Native Dog Rest and Camping area on the northern edge of Cathedral Rock National Park. This is a more spacious area than the Barokee Rest Area and better suited for caravans. It’s also at a slightly lower altitude, which can make a marked difference as the nights can become decidedly chilly up on the Tablelands.
The Warrigal Walking Track leads off from the camping grounds– Warrigal meaning dingo in Aboriginal language. It’s an easy stroll through dry woodland leading to a jumble of large granite tors. There is also a longer walk to Woolpack Rocks, with views back over the Guy Fawkes River gorge, before the track continues over the Snowy Range to The Barokee Rest Area. This would be a good walk to do if travelling in company and can leave a car at each end.
The drive into the Barokee Rest Area is off the road to Armidale. It’s 8km and not recommended for caravans. At 1385m, it is pretty high and being on the edge of swampy ground there is a damp chill in the air, so it can be bloody cold at night. Luckily, firewood is provided and a robust fire in the evenings is more than welcome.
Plump Rose Robins with their breasts as bright as Christmas lights shared our breakfast table with us, while wallabies and their joeys foraged on the fringes of the swamp. We filled up our water bottles from the gurgling stream, which runs close by the camping grounds, and headed off on the Cathedral Rock Track.
It’s a 5.8km circuit that crosses damp spongy wetlands before entering sub-alpine woodland. The track meanders and climbs through scatterings of granite boulders and stunted hairpin banksias, their thick flowering cones rich in autumnal colour. A side track leads off for the summit of Cathedral Rock. Some agility is required as the climb turns into a scramble with crawls through boulder traps and much rubbing of shoulders against rough granite monoliths.
Assistance is offered for the final ascent in the form of a heavy chain bolted into the rock. But, once you’ve hauled yourself round the final obstacle, the 360° views over the stark granite spires to the Tablelands beyond are magic… Especially if you are lucky enough to strike a clear blue day, with wedge-tailed eagles soaring on the thermals, as we did. At 1586m, the Round Mountain Radar Station’s scanner can be seen sweeping the horizons from the highest point on the New England Tablelands.
» Continue to Page 2
Related Articles
Remember the Tourism Australia promotional campaign ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’. Well, if you mention to your ...
It’s always a great feeling to break free from the clutches of Sydney’s traffic, particularly when you’re hea...
Never heard of Byfield? It’s about 30km north of Yeppoon and south of the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area. Carry ou...
It was not too many years ago that vehicle-based camping was permitted in Kings Canyon itself. I fondly remember setting up cam...
« Back to Travel Articles
|
