Where

Monga National Park in South Coast, Country NSW

Distance

16km one-way

Time suggested

6hrs - 6hrs 30min

Grade

Grade 4

Trip Intention Form

It's a good idea to let someone know where you're going. Fill in a trip intention form to send important details about your trip to your emergency contact.

What to
bring

Drinking water, first aid kit, personal locator beacon, topographic map, compass, hat, sunscreen, sturdy shoes, torch, insect repellent, clothes for all weather conditions

Please note

• This is a remote area and there's is limited mobile reception. Please bring a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)
• Topographic maps are recommend: take 1:25 000 topographic maps for Monga and Araluen
• Weather in this area can be extreme and unpredictable, so ensure you’re well-prepared for your visit. This area can experience wind storms and walkers may encounter fallen trees over parts of the track.

Take a journey back in time and follow a route that has been used for thousands of years. Popular today with bushwalkers and horse riding groups, Corn Trail walking track was originally used by Aboriginal people on their seasonal travels between the coast and the tablelands, then later by European settlers on pack horses carrying supplies.

This historic trail takes you downhill from high mountain ridges to deep rainforest-filled valleys. You'll cross the gently flowing Mongarlowe and Buckenbowra Rivers, wander through warm temperate rainforest and walk through eucalypt forests. You’ll also catch glimpses of Mount Budawang and the sandstone peaks of Pigeon House and Castle Mountain further north.

It’s a difficult walk, so you’ll need to come prepared, but the scenery is worth it.

It is easier to do this walk downhill from the Dasyurus Picnic Area to the Lower Corn Trail car park, which allows you to do a car shuffle. You can access Lower Corn Trail car park via the Misty Mountain and No Name Mountain Roads. It's a 40 minute, one-way drive from Kings Highway, but well worth to have a vehicle and supplies waiting for you at the end of a long day.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

A glimpse of trading history

Monga National Park is significant for its natural wonders and its historic heritage. Corn Trail walking track, which is today enjoyed by bushwalkers and horse riders, was the first trade route between the Buckenbowra Valley farmlands near the coast and the early European settlements on the tablelands near Braidwood. Further settlement came to the area in the 1840s, with the establishment of the timber trade and gold mining. The sawmill at Monga provided timber for Braidwood and the establishment of Canberra in the 1900s, with logging continuing in the area until 1987.

Aboriginal culture

For over 14,000 years, the Yuin and Walbunja people have lived around the valleys of Clyde, Deua and Buckenbowra rivers. Walkers and horse riders can walk in their footsteps on Corn Trail walking track, which was one of the trails used by Aboriginal people to travel between the coast and the tablelands. There are many Aboriginal cultural sites in the park where stone artefacts, fire beacons and old campsites have been found.

Unique plantlife

Many of the plants you'll find in the cool, temperate rainforests of Monga are millions of years in the making. Related to the plants from the super continent Gondwana, they present a unique window to the past. The plumwood trees and soft tree ferns you see in the park are closely related to pollen fossils found in Antarctica. Some plumwood trees here have widths of up to 4m and are thought to be thousands of years old. Wander along the banks of Mongarlowe River and you'll also see the distinctive bright red flowers of the Monga waratah.

Plants and animals protected in this park