This is a very popular walk in Dorrigo National Park on the Waterfall Way for many reasons: two stunning waterfalls, a suspension bridge, a valley lookout, gorgeous World Heritage Gondwana rainforest with interpretation signs, and a cafe and superb gift shop at the finish line. Don’t forget to visit the Skywalk too, for a view from above the forest canopy!
If you’ve done the Wonga Walk before, it is time to revisit this special rainforest track! The Wonga Walk was upgraded in 2022 with new trackwork, a new Walk with the Birds raised boardwalk through the forest canopy, the installation of sculptures of a Wompoo fruit dove, cheeky robins, and engaging smaller animal sculptures. There are further track upgrades to look forward to in 2023.
Wonga walk is shady, paved and suitable for families.
Walk with the Birds
Follow the Wonga track signs from the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre or from the nearby Glade picnic area. We walked anti-clockwise, which quickly gets you to the waterfalls and ends with a nice climb, you may prefer to walk clockwise.
The first stop is a space used by tour guides. Gumbaynggir language welcomes you to slow down, breathe and relax to get the most from your forest experience. Can you see the Wompoo Fruit Dove created by local artist Nick Warfield out of recycled car bumpers? Warfield’s wood duck “Waraaday” sculpture features on the Urunga to Hungry Head Walk. You can also find the first of a number of small stainless steel sculptures by artist Tim Johnman – you might have seen some of his work on the Manly-Shelley Beach walk.
Pay attention as you continue to walk, there are cheeky yellow breasted robins watching you from the trees, and other stainless steel sculptures to be found – snails, snakes, frogs, dragon flies and more. Better still are the sounds of real birds in the trees and flitting hunting critters among the leaf litter, snakes warming up in gaps of sunshine,
Crystal Showers Falls and Tristania Falls
A suspension bridge gives you a lovely view as you cross the creek in front of Crystal Showers Falls. Take the track to explore the rock overhang behind the falls, enjoying the falling veil of water and dropping moss trails. Crystal Showers Falls is possibly the most photographed waterfall in NSW!
Further along the track is Hardwood Lookout, where you can look between the trees, towards McGraths Hump and down the Bellinger valley to the sea. Next is Tristania Falls, a 20m waterfall cascading down black basalt rock into a pool.
Don’t put your camera away though, because there is still a lot to see in the wonder world of the ancient rainforest as you complete the circuit. There are strangler figs, tree buttresses, lichens, fungi, volcanic rocks, critters, birds, and more. There are numerous interpretive signs to help you learn more about the environment.
Make sure you enjoy the view from the Skywalk, visit the gift shop and cafe, and check out the mosaics at the Rainforest Centre entrance!
