The mighty Nymboida River provides water to those of us living on the Coffs Coast or Clarence Valley. It is a breeding place for the endangered eastern freshwater cod, and home to many other wild creatures. This is Gumbaynggirr country, with the national park Nymboi-Binderay named for this wild and scenic river.
We turned off Eastern Dorrigo way onto Bushmans Range Road at the wooden sign welcoming us to Tallowwood Country. Our destination for the day is the Junction campground.
The dirt road winds its way slowly through forest and past outlying farms, onto Mole Creek Road then Black Mountain Road. These forests were heavily logged in the 20th century. Georges Gold Mine hides in a valley near here, but has long been closed to tourists.
There is a small 2WD car park at the top of the steep 4WD only descent to the the junction of the Little Nymboida and Nymboida Rivers. If you don’t have a 4WD, its a 1.5km walk.
Parks have done an excellent job reconstructing the campsite after the fires in 2019/20. We enjoyed our picnic lunch in a gorgeous picnic shelter with a dramatic view of the river valley below. Later we inspected the grassy walk-in tent campsites, and played around the river, disturbing a large black snake who slithered away into the water with a splash.
After leaving, we continued on Black Mountain Road to join the Armidale-Grafton road near the village of Nymboida.
Other campsites on the Nymboida River include Platypus Flat, Cod Hole and the Nymboida Campground near Ramornie. A short walk visits Battery Falls on the Little Nymboida, accessed from Ulong and Timmsvale.
The Nymboida River is a popular whitewater rafting destination, with rafters travelling downriver from Platypus Flat to The Junction. The Junction is a starting point for the Clarence River Canoe and Kayak Trail.
