Where

Wallingat National Park in North Coast

Distance

6.5km loop

Time suggested

1hr

Grade

Medium

What to
bring

Hat, sunscreen, drinking water

It doesn’t matter how experienced you are on a mountain bike – Wallingat National Park has something to suit every level. A great place to start for people with moderate experience can be found at Southern Boundary trail.

This relatively flat track starts at Gur-um-bee picnic area, following Sugar Creek Road onto Southern Boundary trail before turning onto Thomas Road back to Gur-um-bee. It winds through tall eucalyptus forest and cabbage tree palms that are popular with native birds, so be sure to pack a camera.

The picnic spot features a shelter shed with information about the park, as well as basic picnic facilities, where you can enjoy lunch after exploring the forest. Adventurous cyclists can try the steep terrain around No Return trail, Reedy Creek trail, or Whoota Lookout Road. Visitors looking for a good multi-use trail can try Double Wharf trail.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

Ancient footprints

The 6,557ha of Wallingat National Park is part of the identity and spirituality, as well as a resource, for people of the Worimi nation. The Worimi People lived a traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle and used the leaves of the cabbage palm for weaving baskets and its fibrous bark for making fishing line. They used many of the area's natural resources, including the freshwater lakes, stone outcrops, and the ocean. A central campsite was known to exist in the area now known as Coomba Park, although there are few other Aboriginal sites recorded within the park include the Bungwahl area.

Fun times

Whether you're after a relaxing time or something more adventurous, Wallingat is just the spot. Take to the gravel roads either on foot, in a car or on a bike – to explore the forests. You can swim, fish and paddle on Wallingat River. Pitch a tent in the campground and get away from it all for a few days in this naturally beautiful setting. Surrounding some of the picnic areas and campsites, you’ll find magnificent stands of trees. In the southeast corner of Wallingat, there are tall, straight flooded gums, as well as stands of cabbage palms. Find both during a walk from Sugar Creek picnic area. Some rare plants such as the liana woody climber, a climbing species that bears white flowers from August to May, can also be found here.

Life among the trees

More than 200 species of birds make Wallingat National Park a home. Walking through forest as well as stands of straight flooded gums, and cabbage palms, you'll hear birds singing. Noisy friarbirds, for instance, have a distinctive 'ya-kob' call, while a 'woop, woop, woop' sound signals the presence of the wonga pigeon. You might see blue wrens flitting through the trees, as well as king parrots and glossy black cockatoos. Wallingat is also a popular spot for the satin bowerbird – the males are black and shiny, the females are a plainer brown. They both, however, have startling lilac eyes.