It’s an easy walk through the rain forest, until you reach an old, high wooden bridge across the creek. You can scramble down the creek bank to cross safely underneath.
After crossing the creek, climb the hill and look for a small steep path down the bank to Fig Tree Falls. Water trickles down a high cliff face, with a few quartz veins in the wet black rock. Look for the mass of fig tree roots among the palm tree fronds. Go back to the main track and find another path which leads to the top of the falls – take care, it’s a very big drop!
Once you’ve had a look at the waterfall, you have two choices. Stop and go back, or continue up the hill, looping back on 4WD tracks down to the start. If you have dodgy knees, or are just here for the Insta-shot, or not dressed for a bush cardio workout, now is your chance to retreat. For those of us who love the fitness challenge of a steep clay Coffs hill, head on up!
This forest has been logged since the 1930s, you will notice some tree stumps, and flooded gum plantations along Frontage Creek. Despite this, there are still some good sized tallowwood and brush box, and lovely rainforest in the creek lines. The tree for which the falls are named is likely a strangler fig (Ficus watkinsiana) which are common in these coastal rainforests, sending down aerial roots and providing food for birds and bats.
This route is not signposted, and has a number of turns – download the GPX and load it on your app of choice to stay on track. We use GaiaGPS.
You will need a 4WD to access the start of this walk. Turn onto Carmadys Road from Dingo Creek Road, there is a creek crossing on the way. We parked on Frontage Creek Road, near the swimming hole. There is only space for about 3 cars here, there are a couple of other spots to tuck into further up the road.
