Gibraltar Range National Park
Overview
Gibraltar Range National Park treats you to magnificent walks, lookouts, and picnic spots in World Heritage-listed gondwana rainforest. Relax at a cottage or campground, spot wildlife, discover history, or tackle a multi-day hiking adventure.
Read more about Gibraltar Range National Park
Home to remarkable plants and animals that have evolved since the age of dinosaurs, Gibraltar Range is a special place that forms part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area. This series of parks and reserves stretches from Barrington Tops to southern Queensland.
Strike out on a mountain biking track past huge granite outcroppings that overlook ancient rainforest. Swim in creeks surrounded by remnants of early colonial history. Camp in fragrant woodlands and listen to giant barred frogs during their nightly chorus. Take a morning walk for the waratahs and Christmas bells, or load up your backpack and embark on a rugged multi-day hiking adventure. There are sweeping lookouts and swooping yellow-bellied gliders, a comfortable cottage for hire and plenty of picnic spots to settle down with the family on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Gibraltar Range National Park is a rarity; historic and appealing to a modern audience, a treasure trove for heritage buffs, naturalists, adventure junkies, and people just looking for a quiet place to appreciate the natural wonders of NSW.
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://uat.nswparks.cloud/visit-a-park/parks/gibraltar-range-national-park/local-alerts
Contact
- in the North Coast and Country NSW regions
Gibraltar Range National Park is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather, road damage, or high fire danger.
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Park entry fees:
$8 per vehicle per day. The park uses a self-registration fee collection system. Please bring the correct change and display your receipt.
Buy annual pass. -
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Glen Innes office
02 6739 0700
Contact hours: Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm. - 68 Church Street, Glen Innes NSW 2370
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Email: npws.ntab@environment.nsw.gov.au
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Glen Innes office
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about Gibraltar Range National Park.
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Maps and downloads
Nearby towns
Glen Innes (57 km)
Set in the most prolific sapphire region of Country NSW, Glen Innes hosts the annual Minerama Fossicking and Gem Show and the annual Australian Celtic Festival, and is home to the Australian Standing Stones.
Grafton (73 km)
Grafton is a gracious, historic city in the Clarence Valley farming district. It's situated on the broad Clarence River and surrounded by river flats.
Tenterfield (111 km)
Sir Henry Parkes delivered his famous "birth of our nation" speech in the Tenterfield School of Arts in 1889. His rousing speech is credited with being the decisive moment that set the country on its path toward Federation in 1901.
Learn more
Gibraltar Range National Park is a special place. Here are just some of the reasons why:
Years in the making
Long stewarded through history by Aboriginal people in the area, the Gibraltar Range continues to hold significance for contemporary descendants. The Range is rich in cultural sites and sacred places, with Aboriginal groups having moved regularly between the tablelands and coastal plains, conducting ceremonies and gathering food along the way.
- Dandahra Crags walking track Dandahra Crags walking track, in Gibraltar Range National Park, is a hiking route with scenic views and birdwatching opportunities.
World Heritage Area
Part of the Gondwana Rainforests Reserves of Australia, Gibraltar Range is listed on the World Heritage register for rainforest plants that have existed since Australia was part of the Gondwana super-continent. Gibraltar Range National Park is home to several threatened species of animal: the endangered giant barred frog, which can grow to the size of a small adult's hand; and glossy black cockatoos, under threat from a loss of breeding habitat. Feeding locations are very important to the continuing survival of the cockatoo.
- Dandahra Falls walking track Suitable for fit and experienced bushwalkers only, Dandahra Falls walking track in Gibraltar Range National Park offers impressive waterfall views in stunning World Heritage surrounds.
- Duffer Falls walking track Within easy reach of Glen Innes or Grafton and ideal for a day trip, Duffer Falls walking track offers waterfall views in the beautiful forest setting of Gibraltar Range National Park.
- Gibraltar-Washpool World Heritage walk Keep an eye out for birds and wildflowers on the 45km Gibraltar-Washpool World Heritage walk through eucalypt forests, rainforests, wetlands and granite tors in the rugged Northern Tablelands.
- Junction Spur walking track For experienced bushwalkers only, Junction Spur walking track in Gibraltar Range National Park will suit adventure seekers who want to get off the beaten track and explore the tablelands.
- The Needles walking track The Needles walking track offers jaw-dropping views of granite rock formations in Gibraltar Range National Park, near Glen Innes. Part of the Gibraltar-Washpool World Heritage walk, it’s a great shorter walk option.
Lands of plenty
The European heritage of the park may be shorter, but look around and you'll find its traces clearly etched in the natural environment. Living around the range are direct descendants of graziers, lumberers and miners who made their livings here. Bullock teams and horses once struggled through the bush and granite tors, attempting to tame a landscape that today inspires for its wild ruggedness. Evidence of their work can be glimpsed at Mulligans campground and picnic area, where an aborted hydro-electric scheme from the 1900s is memoralised by a remaining hut and several weirs. Hikers on the wide-reaching Gibraltar-Washpool World Heritage walk might also notice relics of pre-WWII tin and gold-mining operations in the Grassy Creek area.
- Dandahra Crags walking track Dandahra Crags walking track, in Gibraltar Range National Park, is a hiking route with scenic views and birdwatching opportunities.
- Gibraltar-Washpool World Heritage walk Keep an eye out for birds and wildflowers on the 45km Gibraltar-Washpool World Heritage walk through eucalypt forests, rainforests, wetlands and granite tors in the rugged Northern Tablelands.
Education resources (1)
What we're doing
Gibraltar Range National Park has management strategies in place to protect and conserve the values of this park. View the detailed park and fire management documents.
Exploring World Heritage
Gibraltar Range National Park is on the World Heritage register for rainforest plants. NPWS conserves this park’s special World Heritage values by restoring significant plant communities and rehabilitating key areas, and minimising factors that threaten this. Pest management and weed control are ongoing in this park. NPWS trains its staff on World Heritage values and works to ensure nearby development does not affect the park.