Dorrigo National park is only an hours drive from Coffs Harbour and only 30 mins away from the hip town of Bellingen on the Mid-North coast of NSW. It’s the perfect day trip that offers different activities away from the beach. The road leading into Dorrigo National Park isn’t called Waterfall way for no reason, Dorrigo is peppered with incredible waterfalls attracting an abundance of native birds and wildlife. Located in world heritage listed forests, there are so many walks and hikes leading to waterfalls that it will be hard to choose which ones to do!
Dorrigo national park is best enjoyed in Spring when it is a bit cooler as Summer can have a lot of rainfall, great for the waterfalls but not if you want to capture those crisp photos. We visited during May (Autumn) and it was still great weather, albeit on the colder side, we had beautiful sunny days and it really warmed up during the walks down to the waterfalls. We have put together the Perfect Day Itinerary for you which maximizes places to see and includes some incredible waterfalls views.
Morning
Start your day at Components café. This is the only café open from 6am and so if you’re an early riser this is the place for you! Inside feels like you’ve been transported to a quaint little café in England, possibly due to the English & Aussie co-owners, the warm fire in the corner is the perfect touch on a chilly morning. Dorrigo is one of the wettest towns in NSW due to its highland subtropical climate, so a fireplace and a cozy corner is often most welcome!
After filling up on coffee, head to the Rainforest Centre which is a great place to start your National Park visit. They can provide lots of tips on walks, hikes, and trails. We recommend visiting the Skywalk lookout which is right next to the Rainforest Centre. Although the Rainforest Centre is open between 9am-4.30pm you are able to access the Skywalk at any time via another entrance. The view at the end is sensational and really allows you to take in how vast the surrounding area is.
