Misty morning at Dangars Falls

Heading to Gostwyck

After getting 30mm of rain in the last few days of March we decided the following weekend to drive up to Dangars Falls. It's about a 40 minute drive from Uralla: out past Gostwyck, down narrow unsealed roads though wooded areas into open paddocks.

It was a foggy morning and driving through the fields felt very bleak--we did not see any other cars on the way there and only two or three on the way back. The sparse landscape has its own beauty: winding through fields with lone eucalyptus trees, but the bleakness of the landscape (especially this time of year), added with the fact we saw no other people felt a bit apocalyptic.

We didn't see any koalas of course but we did see lots and lots of sheep..

Sheep shed

Lone eucalypt

Sheep on the road.

First view of the falls

The falls themselves are at the edge of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, which stretches over some of the gorges in this area (green in the map below.) The gorge at Dangars Falls is of course spectacular and the 120m tall falls are really beautiful when they're filled with rushing water. We came here for a bush walk in February 2015 but the waterfall was completely dry-- only a bit of green stagnant water at the bottom of the gorge and a trickle in the river bed.

(Map courtesy Google and NSW National Parks website)

February 2015. Not a drop of water..

The rushing water over the falls was really loud, even from a distance as the water tumbled into the gorge below. As always, photos don't really give the scale of the area. We walked around the edge of the gorge and followed the river to the edge where it falls into the gorge, and back around again to see it from the other side. We saw a pair of wallabies and a few small birds, but otherwise the area was quiet except for the sound of the water.

Looking out from the ridge of the gorge, the river far below

Wallabies!

The river rushing over the lichen-covered rocks

Standing above the falls

The river feeding the falls

There were a few sign posts and information boards at the falls concerning wildlife (a particular kind of wattle found here, that you might see eels that have been washed down the river)  but overall not a whole lot of information about the history of the area. There is very little information available on the internet as well,so now I wish I'd taken more photos of the sign boards to remind myself.

Dangars Falls

Beautiful rocks of the gorge

Kangaroos on our drive out of the park. Almost didn't see them..

Dorrigo National Park

We finally made it to the Never Never Picnic Area at Dorrigo National Park.  There are several trailheads at the picnic area and we took the Rosewood Creek walking track.  It was a nice hike, quite long but overall not too strenuous, which led us to two waterfalls: Coachwood Falls and Red Cedar Falls, which is the highest waterfall in the park.

We were hoping to see pademelons or wallabies, and the Dorrigo warratah is supposed to be blooming right now-- but all we saw were a few lyrebirds and some other small, unidentified bush birds.  Driving out of the park on our way home, Reid saw a huge goanna (monitor lizard) in a paddock, which is a first for us!

We have a couple jokes why it's called the Never Never Picnic Area: before, it was 'you're never, never going to go there' (since it's pretty far off the beaten path) and on the way it was 'you're never, never going to get there' (since the road is quite long, winding, and very much unsealed (it's a trap!!)) and after we left: 'you're never, never coming back' (because as lovely that hike and as amazing those waterfalls, it's not proportionately better than the walks at the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre.)  We may go back someday: but for now we have other priorities.

Forest bathing.

Rosewood Creek

There is evidence of many trees that have fallen across the track.  This one
was too big to remove: you had to go under it!  So they cut a little door.

Fissured rocks at Coachwood Falls

Brush Box

Red Cedar Falls

Patersonia wildflowers

Dangar Falls

Dangar Falls near Dorrigo, not to be confused with Dangars Falls near Armidale.

Dangar Falls is just two kilometres outside of Dorrigo.  It's a popular swimming spot in the summer, and it was such a hot weekend that we took a dip in the lower pool.  The water sure was cold though!

Upper Ebor Falls

The view from the viewing platform at Upper Ebor Falls.  The stop at Ebor Falls on the way from Armidale to the coast
is just a brief detour, maybe only five minutes off Waterfall Way.

Looking down from the viewing platform toward the Lower Falls.

Wollomombi Falls and Bright Acacia

Wollomombi Falls, the second highest waterfall in Australia.  Behind it, further back in the adjacent gorge is Chandler Falls.

The wattles were in bright, brilliant bloom when we went to Wollomombi, which made for some spectacular views of the gorge and a really pleasant walk to the falls overlook.  We'd had some decent rain so the waterfalls were flowing.  We've had pretty good luck every time we've gone to Wollomombi, but we later heard the falls were dry only a couple weeks before.

Walking through the eucalypt forest.  Unfortunately, we
didn't see any wallabies today.

Crossing the river to the other side

Presumably, the Wollomombi River, as it flows downriver to Wollomombi Falls

Looking upriver

Wollomombi Falls from above, surrounded by bright wattles

The gorges are just amazing!