Where

Mummel Gulf National Park in Country NSW

Distance

17km one-way

Time suggested

19min

Please note

• The weather in this area can be extreme and unpredictable and this park is in a remote location, so please ensure you're thoroughly prepared, bring appropriate clothing and equipment and advise a family member or friend of your travel plans.
• There is limited mobile reception in this park

Whether you’re looking for a scenic drive, or heading to the park for a weekend of camping and bushwalking, Mummel Forest Road offers a great opportunity for an enjoyable nature getaway.

Suitable for 2WD (dry weather only), it’s a scenic car touring or cycling route between Wauchope and Walcha that traverses 17km of the beautiful mountain forest for which Mummel Gulf National Park is so well-known. With beautiful forest vistas and places to picnic along the way, it makes a picturesque alternative to driving on the main roads.

Enjoy the cooler temperatures in the forest during summer, and in winter you’ll probably see snow alongside the road.  You’re also likely to see wildlife like swamp wallabies, red-necked wallabies and wombats along the roadside, especially at dusk and early morning. You might even catch a glimpse of a lyrebird as they dart back into the forest.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

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Forests worth protecting

What were the anti-logging protesters trying to protect? Mummel Gulf National Park is notable for its wide variety of plant life, not to mention the animals which rely on the biodiversity. Your visit will expose you to everything from sclerophyll forests to warm temperate rainforests, and, if you're lucky, ant orchids and greenhoods - both threatened species.

The journey of John Oxley, the legacy of logging

The famous explorer John Oxley would have travelled in the vicinity of Mummel Gulf National Park on his crossing from Apsley Falls to the coast in 1818. Later, though little evidence remains, small-scale mining and grazing took place in the area. More notable are the logging trails - logging here ultimately caused a series of protests in the 1990s, which resulted in the creation of many national parks in the north-east of NSW.

The lost Aboriginal connection

The difficult terrain in Mummel Gulf National Park poses a challenge to more than just adventurous hikers. There are very few recorded Aboriginal sites in the area because of the complexities of surveying. This doesn't mean they don't exist, though: Aboriginal people may have moved through the area as they crossed between the tablelands and the coast. They may also have lived in the area permanently, drawing on the land and water biodiversity to inform their spiritual beliefs and cultural identity.