Dorrigo National Park is one of the five national parks located on the Waterfall Way, a beautiful scenic drive in New South Wales, about half way between Sydney and Brisbane. Officially, it stretches 185km between Coffs Harbour on the coast and Armidale inland.
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport. This time, with the freedom of our campervan, we're trying to hit the lesser known spots and go slower.
Dorrigo National Park is home to one of the world-famous Gondwana Rainforests, covering an area of 119 km². The Gondwana Rainforests are UNESCO-listed collection of stunning rainforests across Queensland and New South Wales that are millions of years old. They are considered some of the world's best examples of demonstrating evolution, geology and biological diversity. Many of the plants and animals found in the Gondwana Rainforests are only found here, nowhere else in the world.
For thousands of years, the Gumbaynggirr people lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived. The name Dorrigo is derived from the Gumbaynggirr word Dun Durriga meaning "tallowwood trees", a type of Eucalyptus that grows here.
The first European documentation of Dorrigo was in 1893 by New South Wales' Government Botanist Mr. JH Maiden who reported on the plants in the area. The earliest reserve in the area was established in 1901 around Dorrigo Mountain before becoming a national park in 1976. The park has continued to expand since and further areas have been brought under its protection.
Every single spot (and more) that I mention in all my blog posts about Australia can be found in my Australia | Ultimate Map!
This is a digital map featuring hundreds of my favourite restaurants, campgrounds, accommodations, shops, photo spots, museums, beaches, lakes, animal spots, bridges, viewpoints, hikes and SO much more in Australia, including its three external territories.
Each pin includes exact locations, images, detailed information, the ability to open and save the spot in your Google Maps and a link to my relevant blog post to read more.
COMING SOON → Buy the Australia | Ultimate Map!
Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Dorrigo National Park on the Waterfall Way. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In Dorrigo National Park, the traditional language of the Gumbaynggirr people is Gumbaynggirr.
→ Learn more about the language of the Gumbaynggirr people.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Telstra provides the best coverage of Australia's three mobile phone network providers on the Waterfall Way (the other two being Optus and Vodafone). Even then, be prepared for patchy coverage outside the towns along the way.
We travel with a Starlink in our campervan which enables us to have unlimited WiFi wherever we are, even in places without coverage.
There is free WiFi available at the Dorrigo Rainforest Visitor Centre.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. Dorrigo National Park and the Waterfall Way can get very hot and wet and cool in the winter months. I recommend visiting in spring (September-November) or autumn (March-May) for pleasant, sunny days.
Length of stay: Dorrigo National Park is located on the Waterfall Way which stretches 185km between Coffs Harbour on the coast and Armidale inland. We spent three days on the Waterfall Way of which we spent a half day exploring Dorrigo National Park.
Our van on the Waterfall Way
By flight: The closest airport to the Waterfall Way and Dorrigo National Park is in Coffs Harbour, just under an hour away.
Coffs Harbour Airport only has domestic flights from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne so if traveling internationally, the easiest would be to get a connecting flight through one of these three major cities.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to Dorrigo National Park is with your own wheels. This gives you the freedom to explore the national park at your own pace, stopping whenever and wherever you like.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Coffs Harbour.
By shuttle: Dorrigo Transit runs a regional shuttle all the way from Byron Bay to Tamworth via Coffs Harbour and the Waterfall Way. They also have on-demand transport available from Dorrigo.
By guided tour: If you don't have your own wheels or simply don't want to tackle the 185km yourself, there are a number of different guided tour options for all sorts of interests. Indulgence Tours runs a day trip from Port Macquarie to Dorrigo National Park and the nearby Dangar Falls.
For multi-day trips, Cross Country Tours runs a four-day tour of the jacaranda trees in Grafton and the Waterfall Way and Fun Over 50 Holidays offers a six-day tour of the Bellingen Valley including Dorrigo National Park from Brisbane.
Dangar Falls, near to Dorrigo National Park
Dorrigo National Park is located in New South Wales along the Waterfall Way near Bellingen.
Of course, the easiest way to explore is with your own wheels. We are traveling around the entire country in our campervan for a year and it gives so much freedom to get around.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Coffs Harbour.
There are two areas to park in the national park from which you can explore the trails and viewpoints on foot. The main area is at the Dorrigo Rainforest Visitor Centre which has access to the Skywalk Lookout and the Wonga Walk. You can drive about 20 minutes further into the park and park at the Never Never Picnic Area which has access to other waterfalls and hiking routes.
If you don't have a vehicle, Dorrigo Transit runs a regional shuttle along the Waterfall Way running all the way from Byron Bay to Tamworth including a stop at the Dorrigo Rainforest Visitor Centre from where you can do the best parts of the national park on foot.
Hotel: Not traveling by campervan? Driving in a car? Whatever your reason for needing a place to stay, there are some great accommodation options all along the Waterfall Way.
→ Check out all the accommodation options on the Waterfall Way.
Camping: We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. As with the rest of Australia, New South Wales permits freedom camping on designated sites. These sites can vary greatly; some offer a variety of facilities such as toilets, trash bins, picnic tables, outdoor cooking stations and others have none of this and might simply be a pull-out on the side of the road.
The best way to find legal freedom camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
We stayed in Thora for three nights while exploring the Waterfall Way, less than a 20-minute drive away. This lovely little campground is tucked into a curve of the road - it's marked as "chicken joe's park" on Google Maps - and offers a few levels of grass for you to park up on. It's right next to a river and next door to a cute general store, the perfect place to camp. There are toilets and bins available, too.
We spent just half a day exploring the beautiful Dorrigo National Park (before heading to nearby Dangar Falls for a refreshing swim!) starting from where we parked at the Dorrigo Rainforest Visitor Centre.
There are eight different walking tracks to do in Dorrigo National Park, some of which are wheelchair-accessible, all ranging in length and difficulty.
→ Check out all the hikes in Dorrigo National Park.
Best of all, entry to Dorrigo National Park is free!
Here is what we did to get you started:
Check out the view from the Skywalk Lookout
The best way to start your visit to Dorrigo National Park is at the Skywalk Lookout, a short walk to a platform standing 21 metres above the rainforest. From here you can get a great view looking down over the rainforest, maybe spotting some of the birds and animals that call this area home.
Complete the Lyrebird Link Track
This short hike is the easiest one in the national park at just 800 metres return. It's the perfect introduction to exploring the Gondwana Rainforests.
From here, you can carry on and continue to the Wonga Walk, the most famous loop hike in the park.
Hike the Wonga Walk
After you finish the Lyrebird Link Track, carry on to the Wonga Walk. The Wonga Walk is the most famous loop in Dorrigo National Park, a loop of 6.6km through gorgeous rainforest and past the Crystal Shower Falls.
We hiked about half of the Wonga Walk which took us about an hour.
BOOK AN EXPERIENCE ON THE WATERFALL WAY!
PIN THIS POST TO REFER BACK TO LATER!
GET READY TO TRAVEL!
— Book tours and experiences - with GetYourGuide
— Get all the gear you need for your trip - with Amazon (North America)
— Get all the gear you need for your trip - with Amazon (Europe)
— Find a place to stay - with Booking.com
— Choose a hostel to stay at - with Hostelworld
— Purchase global travel insurance - with World Nomads
— Load an international eSim on your phone - with AirAlo
— Start your own travel blog - with Hostinger
— Join the GetYourGuide Travel Creator Community - with GetYourGuide
Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
