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Destinations > Hidden Gem
Hidden Gem
Issue: June 2009
Words and photos by John McCann
There's a wild range of habitats and wildlife to see only a day's drive from Sydney in the Willi Willi National Park.
The gentle plopping sounds of small fruit falling amongst the leaf litter grabbed my attention as I rounded a corner on the narrow track winding through the rainforest. Scanning the dense canopy above me with binoculars I finally spotted what I had half expected to see - a large slaty-grey coloured topknot pigeon busily feeding on clusters of ripened figs. Within a few minutes I had sighted another eight of these distinctive rainforest pigeons hopping through the branches to feast on the ripened fruit. In former times flocks of these birds were said to number in the hundreds, but shooting and habitat destruction over the years have both contributed to their steep decline.
Willi Willi NP to the west of Kempsey in coastal NSW is one of those little known rainforest national parks that sees very few visitors. Gazetted in 1996, the 30,000ha park protects a mixture of sub-tropical, warm-temperate and cool-temperate rainforests and is a major catchment area for many of the creeks and rivers that flow towards the coast and help to form the Hastings-Macleay river system. Much of the park is a trackless wilderness of narrow plunging valleys, steep ridges and overgrown logging tracks.
The city of Kempsey on the Pacific Highway, 460km north of Sydney, is the nearest main centre of population to the park. Try and allow yourself at least two or three days to properly explore the place otherwise you won't do it justice and you will miss out on many of the hidden gems that go to make Willi Willi the special place it is. Remember to check the weather conditions before you go since a few days of heavy rain can make some of the tracks totally impassable and if you try to get through you could become hopelessly bogged.
There are a number of ways to access Willi Willi NP but probably the best route is to drive south from Kempsey along the Pacific Highway for about 28km and turn-off at Telegraph Point. From here you head out along Rollands Plains Road for about 14km until you come to a junction in the track where you turn left towards Bellangry State Forest. For the first few kilometres the road is quite flat, but it then starts to climb quite steeply for the next 3-4km until you enter Bri Bri State Forest. Watch out for logging trucks on the road through here - especially during the week. If you have a UHF radio turn it on to channel 24 so you can monitor where the trucks are. The road through Bri Bri State Forest twists and turns for about 19km until it arrives at a T-junction with Hastings Forest Way in Bellangry State Forest
Hang a right here and keep going for about another 14km until you see the turn-off to Wilson River. The tinkling calls from bellbirds are a common sound in this part of Bellangry State Forest. In some coastal areas of NSW these rather drab olive coloured little birds are regarded as somewhat of a pest as they are blamed for dieback in eucalypt forests.
It's a 6km drive from the turnoff down to the picnic area beside the Wilson River. While some sections of Willi Willi have been heavily logged in the past, former State Forest flora reserves such as the Wilson River have been protected since 1953 and still retain their massive trees. During or after periods of heavy rain it would be inadvisable to drive down this track since it is quite steep in places and would be very slippery if it was wet.
While the majority of rainforest in Willi Willi NP is either the warm temperate or cool temperate variety, the area along the Wilson River is the sub-tropical type that is now quite rare throughout NSW. There are two delightful walks that start near the picnic area. The easiest one is the easy 500m return Palm Grove track that meanders past huge strangler figs and other massive 200 year-old trees. Make sure you carry some mosquito repellent since these little biting pests can be quite vicious.
Visitors with a moderate degree of fitness and a bit more time should tackle the 3.6km return waterfall walk that starts across the bridge on the other side of the Wilson River. For the first couple of hundred metres the track weaves close to the river through lush sub-tropical rainforest then rises slowly into warm-temperate rainforest before dropping back down to the river once again. This is a very silent world with very few sounds apart from the weird wailing calls of green catbirds or the melodious bell-like piping calls from king parrots.
Epiphytes such as elkhorns and birds-nest ferns cling tenaciously to the branches of huge trees in this forest and often crash to the ground when their weight becomes too great for their host. Giant lianas - often thicker than a man's arm, loop down from the canopy while the spreading roots from the buttresses of huge trees branch out like tentacles across the forest floor. The track comes to an end at a shallow stony creek at the base of Tinkerbell Falls, an aptly named magic little spot in the middle of the rainforest.
After leaving the Wilson River picnic area, the road crosses the bridge over the river and begins to climb up through the rainforest. You are now entering 4WD only country and you start travelling over sections of the road that are quite steep and rough in places. The scenery is stunning, with huge trees such as tallowwood, blue gum and brush box reaching up to the sunlight through the thick undergrowth.
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One of the main problems that can occur when you are travelling along little used roads in remote national parks like Willi Willi is the distinct possibility of being stopped by trees that have fallen across the road. Since chainsaws are unlawful to use and carry in national parks, you might have to resort to using an axe if you have one or to try and reverse around and go back.
It's approximately 7km from the Wilson River Picnic area to the summit after which the road flattens out for a short while before it begins twisting down through the rainforest. This area would be extremely slippery in wet weather, so make sure you get out quickly if rain starts pelting down. At about the 12km mark you enter Kappara State Forest for about 1km then dart back again into Willi Willi for a further 4.5km until you reach the national park boundary. From here you continue down through the adjoining state forest for a further 11km until you emerge into lush cattle grazing country in the valley below. You are now on Roland Plains Road, which you can follow for about 30 minutes to Telegraph Point on the Pacific Highway.
To reach the central and northern sections, head back to the Wilson River turnoff on Hastings Forest Way in Bellangry State Forest and keep heading northwest for another 11km until you see the Banda Banda forest loop track branching off to the right. This track winds up through some spectacular rainforest for a couple of kilometres before it finally arrives at a magnificent Antarctic beech forest. Some of these ancient trees are said to be at least a thousand years old, with many of their gnarled trunks and branches covered with mosses and lichen. There is a good chance that you will only be able to drive half the way and will have to walk the rest, as there are often fallen trees across the track here that block the way.
There is no designated camping area in Willi Willi, so the nearest place to spend the night is at Brushy Mountain 7km further on up the road from the Banda Banda turnoff in adjoining Werrikimbe National Park. Birdlife is prolific, especially in the early morning when crimson rosellas and king parrots can be seen feeding amongst the low bushes. Another rainforest bird that is often sighted here is the extremely well camouflaged scaly thrush as it hops along the forest floor searching for worms.
From Brushy Mountain the track heads north through thick bush for about 22km to the former logging camp of Kookaburra. There are a couple of minor creek crossings within a couple of kilometres of leaving the camping area but they won't present any problems unless it has been raining heavily for a couple of days. The exit point on the second of these crossings is rocky and fairly rough so take it slow.
From Kookaburra, the track branches off to the northeast along Carrai Road and follows the boundary of the national park for a few kilometres until you see McCoys Trail branching off to the right. This is a no through road that eventually ends at private property so it's probably best to keep going straight ahead into Carrai State Forest and then through Castles Nature Reserve.
The road ducks back into Carrai State Forest for a few more kilometres before entering private property and cleared grazing country. The gravel ends and the bitumen starts about 5km from the tiny hamlet of Toorooka. The distance from Kookaburra to here is about 40km. At Toorooka you can right on the main Kempsey-Armidale road. Kempsey is 32km from here.
TIGER QUOLLS
Willi Willi NP and the surrounding area is a major stronghold in NSW for the highly endangered spotted-tail tiger quoll. These striking spotted animals are the largest marsupial carnivores on the Australian mainland and are rarely seen in the wild. Living on a diet of birds, reptiles, bandicoots and other small marsupials, the tiger quoll is an efficient little nocturnal hunter but it often loses out to larger introduced predators like the fox and feral dog. In Queensland the quoll has been decimated from eating the poisonous cane toad, which it unfortunately mistakes for frogs.
GETTING THERE
The park is best accessed from the city of Kempsey 460km north of Sydney. Head south along the Pacific Highway and turn off at Telegraph Point then turn off onto Rollands Plains Road.
WHEN TO GO
The park is a great spot to visit throughout the year except after a few days of very heavy rain.
STAYING THERE
There are no designated camping areas in the park so it's best to stay at Brushy Mountain Camping Area in adjoining Werrikimbe National Park. There are no camping fees there.
THINGS TO DO
Good 4WD, bird watching, bush walking, wildlife photography and relaxing with nature.
RECOMMENDED MAPS
The best map that shows all the forest roads is the Mid North Coast Forest Map, which is put out by the State Forests of NSW.
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
NPWS Mid North Coast Region 02 65868300
Kempsey Visitors Centre 02 65631555 or 1800 642480
National parks website www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au
Words and photos by John McCann
There's a wild range of habitats and wildlife to see only a day's drive from Sydney in the Willi Willi National Park.
The gentle plopping sounds of small fruit falling amongst the leaf litter grabbed my attention as I rounded a corner on the narrow track winding through the rainforest. Scanning the dense canopy above me with binoculars I finally spotted what I had half expected to see - a large slaty-grey coloured topknot pigeon busily feeding on clusters of ripened figs. Within a few minutes I had sighted another eight of these distinctive rainforest pigeons hopping through the branches to feast on the ripened fruit. In former times flocks of these birds were said to number in the hundreds, but shooting and habitat destruction over the years have both contributed to their steep decline.
Willi Willi NP to the west of Kempsey in coastal NSW is one of those little known rainforest national parks that sees very few visitors. Gazetted in 1996, the 30,000ha park protects a mixture of sub-tropical, warm-temperate and cool-temperate rainforests and is a major catchment area for many of the creeks and rivers that flow towards the coast and help to form the Hastings-Macleay river system. Much of the park is a trackless wilderness of narrow plunging valleys, steep ridges and overgrown logging tracks.
The city of Kempsey on the Pacific Highway, 460km north of Sydney, is the nearest main centre of population to the park. Try and allow yourself at least two or three days to properly explore the place otherwise you won't do it justice and you will miss out on many of the hidden gems that go to make Willi Willi the special place it is. Remember to check the weather conditions before you go since a few days of heavy rain can make some of the tracks totally impassable and if you try to get through you could become hopelessly bogged.
There are a number of ways to access Willi Willi NP but probably the best route is to drive south from Kempsey along the Pacific Highway for about 28km and turn-off at Telegraph Point. From here you head out along Rollands Plains Road for about 14km until you come to a junction in the track where you turn left towards Bellangry State Forest. For the first few kilometres the road is quite flat, but it then starts to climb quite steeply for the next 3-4km until you enter Bri Bri State Forest. Watch out for logging trucks on the road through here - especially during the week. If you have a UHF radio turn it on to channel 24 so you can monitor where the trucks are. The road through Bri Bri State Forest twists and turns for about 19km until it arrives at a T-junction with Hastings Forest Way in Bellangry State Forest
Hang a right here and keep going for about another 14km until you see the turn-off to Wilson River. The tinkling calls from bellbirds are a common sound in this part of Bellangry State Forest. In some coastal areas of NSW these rather drab olive coloured little birds are regarded as somewhat of a pest as they are blamed for dieback in eucalypt forests.
It's a 6km drive from the turnoff down to the picnic area beside the Wilson River. While some sections of Willi Willi have been heavily logged in the past, former State Forest flora reserves such as the Wilson River have been protected since 1953 and still retain their massive trees. During or after periods of heavy rain it would be inadvisable to drive down this track since it is quite steep in places and would be very slippery if it was wet.
While the majority of rainforest in Willi Willi NP is either the warm temperate or cool temperate variety, the area along the Wilson River is the sub-tropical type that is now quite rare throughout NSW. There are two delightful walks that start near the picnic area. The easiest one is the easy 500m return Palm Grove track that meanders past huge strangler figs and other massive 200 year-old trees. Make sure you carry some mosquito repellent since these little biting pests can be quite vicious.
Visitors with a moderate degree of fitness and a bit more time should tackle the 3.6km return waterfall walk that starts across the bridge on the other side of the Wilson River. For the first couple of hundred metres the track weaves close to the river through lush sub-tropical rainforest then rises slowly into warm-temperate rainforest before dropping back down to the river once again. This is a very silent world with very few sounds apart from the weird wailing calls of green catbirds or the melodious bell-like piping calls from king parrots.
Epiphytes such as elkhorns and birds-nest ferns cling tenaciously to the branches of huge trees in this forest and often crash to the ground when their weight becomes too great for their host. Giant lianas - often thicker than a man's arm, loop down from the canopy while the spreading roots from the buttresses of huge trees branch out like tentacles across the forest floor. The track comes to an end at a shallow stony creek at the base of Tinkerbell Falls, an aptly named magic little spot in the middle of the rainforest.
After leaving the Wilson River picnic area, the road crosses the bridge over the river and begins to climb up through the rainforest. You are now entering 4WD only country and you start travelling over sections of the road that are quite steep and rough in places. The scenery is stunning, with huge trees such as tallowwood, blue gum and brush box reaching up to the sunlight through the thick undergrowth.
read on below advertisement
One of the main problems that can occur when you are travelling along little used roads in remote national parks like Willi Willi is the distinct possibility of being stopped by trees that have fallen across the road. Since chainsaws are unlawful to use and carry in national parks, you might have to resort to using an axe if you have one or to try and reverse around and go back.
It's approximately 7km from the Wilson River Picnic area to the summit after which the road flattens out for a short while before it begins twisting down through the rainforest. This area would be extremely slippery in wet weather, so make sure you get out quickly if rain starts pelting down. At about the 12km mark you enter Kappara State Forest for about 1km then dart back again into Willi Willi for a further 4.5km until you reach the national park boundary. From here you continue down through the adjoining state forest for a further 11km until you emerge into lush cattle grazing country in the valley below. You are now on Roland Plains Road, which you can follow for about 30 minutes to Telegraph Point on the Pacific Highway.
To reach the central and northern sections, head back to the Wilson River turnoff on Hastings Forest Way in Bellangry State Forest and keep heading northwest for another 11km until you see the Banda Banda forest loop track branching off to the right. This track winds up through some spectacular rainforest for a couple of kilometres before it finally arrives at a magnificent Antarctic beech forest. Some of these ancient trees are said to be at least a thousand years old, with many of their gnarled trunks and branches covered with mosses and lichen. There is a good chance that you will only be able to drive half the way and will have to walk the rest, as there are often fallen trees across the track here that block the way.
There is no designated camping area in Willi Willi, so the nearest place to spend the night is at Brushy Mountain 7km further on up the road from the Banda Banda turnoff in adjoining Werrikimbe National Park. Birdlife is prolific, especially in the early morning when crimson rosellas and king parrots can be seen feeding amongst the low bushes. Another rainforest bird that is often sighted here is the extremely well camouflaged scaly thrush as it hops along the forest floor searching for worms.
From Brushy Mountain the track heads north through thick bush for about 22km to the former logging camp of Kookaburra. There are a couple of minor creek crossings within a couple of kilometres of leaving the camping area but they won't present any problems unless it has been raining heavily for a couple of days. The exit point on the second of these crossings is rocky and fairly rough so take it slow.
From Kookaburra, the track branches off to the northeast along Carrai Road and follows the boundary of the national park for a few kilometres until you see McCoys Trail branching off to the right. This is a no through road that eventually ends at private property so it's probably best to keep going straight ahead into Carrai State Forest and then through Castles Nature Reserve.
The road ducks back into Carrai State Forest for a few more kilometres before entering private property and cleared grazing country. The gravel ends and the bitumen starts about 5km from the tiny hamlet of Toorooka. The distance from Kookaburra to here is about 40km. At Toorooka you can right on the main Kempsey-Armidale road. Kempsey is 32km from here.
TIGER QUOLLS
Willi Willi NP and the surrounding area is a major stronghold in NSW for the highly endangered spotted-tail tiger quoll. These striking spotted animals are the largest marsupial carnivores on the Australian mainland and are rarely seen in the wild. Living on a diet of birds, reptiles, bandicoots and other small marsupials, the tiger quoll is an efficient little nocturnal hunter but it often loses out to larger introduced predators like the fox and feral dog. In Queensland the quoll has been decimated from eating the poisonous cane toad, which it unfortunately mistakes for frogs.
GETTING THERE
The park is best accessed from the city of Kempsey 460km north of Sydney. Head south along the Pacific Highway and turn off at Telegraph Point then turn off onto Rollands Plains Road.
WHEN TO GO
The park is a great spot to visit throughout the year except after a few days of very heavy rain.
STAYING THERE
There are no designated camping areas in the park so it's best to stay at Brushy Mountain Camping Area in adjoining Werrikimbe National Park. There are no camping fees there.
THINGS TO DO
Good 4WD, bird watching, bush walking, wildlife photography and relaxing with nature.
RECOMMENDED MAPS
The best map that shows all the forest roads is the Mid North Coast Forest Map, which is put out by the State Forests of NSW.
IMPORTANT NUMBERS
NPWS Mid North Coast Region 02 65868300
Kempsey Visitors Centre 02 65631555 or 1800 642480
National parks website www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au
