Where

Werakata National Park in North Coast

Distance

8km loop

Time suggested

1hr

Grade

Easy

What to
bring

Drinking water, hat, sunscreen

Please note

There is limited mobile reception in this park.

Don’t be put off by its name, because Deadmans mountain bike loop offers a fun and active day for the whole family. Set out from Astills picnic area on this easy, flat ride, flanked by ironbark, spotted gum and flowering shrubs.

Whether you travel on mountain bike, foot or horseback, be sure to stop and examine the bush around you. You’re likely to see some rare birds nesting and feeding, like speckled warblers, black-chinned honeyeaters and grey-crowned babblers. Cockatoos, magpies and kookaburras can also be seen along the track.

In spring and autumn, flowers like purple happy wanderer, yellow hairpin banksia, red mountain devil, and the lovely purple thyme honey myrtle splash colour atop the lush greenery.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

Blossoming with life

Spring wildflowers such as purple happy wanderer, yellow hairpin banksia and red mountain devil all bloom in Werakata National Park. There are also delicate ground orchids and lovely thyme honey myrtle sprinkled throughout the park. More than 200 native animal species have been recorded in the park and surrounds. You'll likely see tree-dwellers like gliders, possums and bats at night. Old favourites like wallabies can also be seen feasting on the luscious landscape. Lizards, like the common scaly-foot and Burton's snake lizard, might be a little harder to find, but keep looking. If you like birds, you’ll love Werakata. The abundance of ironbark and spotted gum, which flower in winter, attracts the threatened swift parrot and regent honeyeater. The trees’ blooms are an important winter food source for the birds and the park becomes a winter breeding ground. But there is a lot of birdlife all year round. Powerful owls, masked owls, various robins, and lorikeets can all be seen here, so be sure to bring your binoculars for some great bird watching. 

Green in the valley

Conservation is a vital aspect of this national park. Check out Kurri sand swamp woodland and Hunter lowlands red gum forest, as they are home to endangered ecological communities. Werakata National Park has some special and endangered plants. Over 400 species of plants are known to exist here. Lower Hunter spotted gums and ironbark form part of the park's thick bushland, and are a rich source of food for the winter birds that flock here.