Nimbin's closest National Park is Nightcap, which covers 8,145 hectares and adjoins Whian Whian State Forest. In 1989, 5,000 hectares of the Park was granted World Heritage status when it was made part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia.
The park is on the southern rim of the extinct Mt Warning volcano which makes its geographic features quite spectacular. Waterfalls, sheer cliff walls and lush gullies are common features of this beautiful park, which boasts the highest annual rainfall in NSW. Its fertile volcanic soil has created some of the best subtropical rainforest you'll ever walk through.
There are five public roads which provide access to the Park, four of them unsealed, and all of them from the south. Choose your walk or picnic area first, then consult your map closely, as each road leads to a different section of the Park.
The four main picnic areas, equipped with toilets, picnic tables and shelters, also serve as the starting point for the various walks.
Mt Nardi is accessed via a 12 km sealed road from Nimbin. There are three walks that begin here. The Mt Matheson Loop is an easy to moderate three kilometre walk. From this Loop, you can take the four kilometre Pholis Gap walk which provides views of Mt Warning and the valleys; or tackle the Historic Nightcap Track, a 16 km journey that passes along parts of the route taken by postal workers and travellers between Lismore and Murwillumbah in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Terania Creek is at the end of a windy, 14 km dirt road from The Channon. This picnic area was once the scene of major logging protests in the late 70s and early 80s. The walk to Protestors Falls, named to commemorate those protests which saved the area from further logging, is an easy 1.4 kilometre trek which follows the creek upstream through a lush, palm -laden track to the base of the falls. As inviting as the swimming hole below the waterfall looks on a summer's day, swimming is not permitted because the endangered Fleay's Barred Frog lives here. Watch out for the cheeky goannas and kookaburras in the picnic area, who know when there are lunch scraps about.
Minyon Grass and Minyon Falls are both accessed via Minyon Drive, with the former offering the best views of the falls. Choose the Falls walk as the starting point for the Minyon Loop walk, a 7.5 km round trip which brings you to the base of the falls and along the escarpment. The loop walk starting at Minyon Grass is only four kilometres round trip.
The Whian Whian 30 km scenic drive takes you through both Nightcap and the State Forest via an unsealed narrow road, suitable for two-wheeled cars in dry weather. Stop at Peates Mountain Lookout for the view and Rummery Park for a picnic or to camp.
Mebbin National Park, 40 minutes drive south of Murwillumbah and about an hour north of Nimbin, is a relatively new park, dedicated in 1999 as part of the North-East Regional Forest Agreement.
This 3,758 hectare park was actually a state forest for 82 years and the site of heavy logging for the last 30 of those years. A very small section, containing the Mebbin Lagoon, is World Heritage listed.
From the picnic and camping area you can walk 450 metres to Byrill Creek, through subtropical rainforest and ancient fig trees. Another short walking route, from the car park on Lemon Tree Road, takes you to the awesome 400-year-old Giant Ironbark tree.
One other nearby park is the Mt Jerusalem National Park. Situated 32 km south-west of Murwillumbah, it includes part of the rim of the Mt Warning volcano and contains a range of habitats. However, it is undeveloped and has no visitor facilities or formal walking tracks. National Parks advises that access for motorists can be difficult. There are some gravel roads into the Park which can become very slippery when wet. As these roads are also used by local residents, you are urged to take caution when driving on them. For further details on Mt Jerusalem, it is best to phone the Murwillumbah NP office.
NSW National Parks can be closed at times of bushfire and bushfire danger. It is advisable to check with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service before you set off. Either phone 1300 361 967 (within NSW) or (02) 9253 4600 or visit www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au.
Stay at the Crystal Creek Rain Forest Retreat (west of Murwillumbah) and be spell-bound by the rain forest scenery. Allow several days to tour the nearby towns for cafés serving local produce and be prepared to hire a trailer for the return trip home having visited the crafts and timber shops.
Bean Bag, Blaxland.
The most picturesque walk in the area has to be the short walk from The Terania Creek Picnic Area to Protestors Falls. The walk is set through dense rainforest and at the end you'll find one of the most beautiful waterfalls in NSW. Being so close to the Picnic area, it's a great family walk.
Gail, Dubbo.
4WD
