Barrington Tops National Park (Southern Gateway), NSW

Dungog Shire and its towns and villages act as the southern gateway to the Barrington Tops National Park and the world heritage area. Both are very accessible to the large population living within three hours.

The rainforests of Barrington Tops National Park are of international significance, forming part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area. Carved out of ancient volcanic flows, the park rises from near sea level to over 1500 metres. It protects one of the largest temperate rainforests in mainland Australia -- the Antarctic Beech (cool temperate rainforest), along with a host of diverse habitats, from subtropical rainforests, wet eucalypt and dryer forests to subalpine woodlands and mossy grasslands and a wide range of birds and animals.

The park is a bushwalker’s paradise, with an excellent walking track network that includes many short and easy walks to more difficult overnight hikes, with plenty of sites to set up a bush camp for the evening.

For those visiting for the day, there are lots of picnic and barbecue areas to enjoy by the river, cycling trails to be explored and views from the park’s high plateau lookouts that need to be seen to be believed. Self-guided walking maps can be collected from the Dungog visitor information centre.