. Weve never had such a reward for a failed koala hunt! If youre in need of a caffeine fix wed highly recommend Heartfire Bakery and for dinner or drinks, the eclectic Bellingen Brewery. The map below (blue line) is a short walk south of Bellingen to the lookout. cream. Bellingen brewery is deservedly popular. Part of the best-selling Woodslane Walking Guides series. Thank you for subscribing! Bellingen's former famed restaurant No. Most people visit the award winning Raleigh Winery for its fabulous restaurant with a terrace overlooking the vines and river. To really make the most out of your time away from it all, we recommend you driving just 20 minutes drive north of Bellingen which will bring you to Valery Trails. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. 1400 m. New England National Park. It really is sensational and despite visiting during heavy rain it was a while before we could tear ourselves away. We were lucky to visit in Autumn which really made the town come alive with every street filled with colour. This out and back route begins and ends from the end of Hill Street, where the Hill Street Trail trailhead is located. Its a pretty, 15 minute drive from the centre of town and the moment you see that water for the first time its almost impossible not to let out a wow. Weve had our eye on the following cottages and chalets which all have excellent views. Bring a picnic with you and chill out on the grass. Visit the excellent Tweed Regional Art Gallery, home to the Margaret Olley Art Centre, have lunch at the fabulous cafe run by well-known locals Peter Clarke and Charlie Ebell of Mavis Kitchen fame and explore the World Heritage Rainforest Centre, which documents the wildlife and botanical splendours of the region's national parks. The final stretch is a steep few steps up to the summit, with a chain to help you with the gradient. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. 2023 - Walk My World. The view from the main lookout, (just a 200m walk from the carpark) is the sort of vista that just makes you stop and stare. Theres so many places to stop along the way that its so exciting to come across the beautiful spots which await you. It doesnt look too hard to get to the bottom of the top falls. Its an absolutely beautiful beach to discover and if youre looking for things to do in Urunga, we recommend going for a walk down the 1km Urunga boardwalk. Sunrise was our favourite because as well as watching the sun illuminate the mountains, you also hear the whole rainforest come to life. The setting is truly awe-inspiring as it tumbles down a huge cliff deep in the ancient rainforest. Book ahead for this one but we loved it here. It's a place so special the fortunate locals that call it home, including its most famous residents George Negus and David Helfgott would much rather keep all to themselves. All Rights Reserved. Bring the family along for a picnic on the idyllic river banks or burn some energy in the skate park. The walk to the main lookout is only 75m, and it is wheelchair accessible. There are a range of walking tracks to suit all abilities, including the accessible Skywalk Lookout at the Rainforest Centre that looks down over the valley to the coast, and the 0.56km Walk With the Birds boardwalk at The Glade Picnic Area which travels amongst the treetops for the best bird spotting in the region with over 150 species of birds Show all {#thumbnail.source . Theres even a rope swing if this all sounds too sedate. Sign up to our mailing list to get our free mini guide! Wollomombi Falls is just jaw-dropping. You can read more about the routes and other wild swimming spots nearby in our post on Red Cedar Falls. It is a 30-minute drive from Coffs Harbour airport, serviced by several daily flights from Sydney and Melbourne on Qantas, Tiger Air and Virgin Blue. It will take you about 60 to 65 minutes. Local stories about the environment, heritage and culture of the region. This gets very steep. You can then join up with the Cascades Track which will take you through what really does feel like a fairytale forest. All rights reserved, Switch to Sydney.com to see more of our capital city, The 185 kilometre Waterfall Way scenic drive links Coffs harbour and Armidale, passing rainforest, river valleys and waterfalls, including New England and Dorrigo National Parks. "I love it here," Wolfgang enthuses looking out over the view from the sun-drenched deck: "every day is different." When taking a dip in the water here, please dont wear sunscreen or insect repellant which harms the local wildlife (there are always plenty of shady spots so you dont need to worry about getting burnt). The sounds are different and you will likely see different wildlife, as well as the glow worms, we saw giant snails (as big as your fist) and possums. The signpost says its difficult and recommends two hours for the walk, but this was double the time it took us and we stopped many times just to appreciate the scenery, as well as to take photos and videos. Check out the menu here and the reviews here. Bellingen is surrounded by lots of great waterfalls, and one of the most spectacular is also one of the lesser visited ones. Whether you're getting ready to hike, bike, trail run, or explore other outdoor activities, AllTrails has 3 scenic trails in the Bellingen area. The walk begins along Slingsbys trail, stretching 6.5km to Lanes lookout along gently undulating terrain that's also suitable for mountain biking. The walking track we took is the Bundagaree Rainforest Walk, a 6km circuit. It's become something of a ritual, that whenever we arrive in town we head straight for the Bellinger River. Make sure you bring clothes for all seasons when visiting Bellingen and Dorrigo. Stop at the Glade Picnic area for a picnic and enjoy the day out. Unfortunately its a six hour road trip from Sydney which would be better for a brilliant long weekend getaway. Skywalk lookout is a 70m boardwalk that soars over the edge of the escarpment some 21m above the rainforest. Wonga Walk - for a mysterious forest of wonder Distance: 6.1km loop Elevation: 210m Difficulty: Moderate With sensational wild swimming spots, ancient rainforest, dramatic waterfalls, remote beaches and even a winery nearby, theres enough to keep you going for weeks! You can read more about the trail, including the track conditions in this guide. If you have more time to spend in the park, we have a full guide on all the day walks there. View Larger Map But in Bellingen, things only get better. Our next pick is Valla Beach, which is another beauty, just 25 minutes from Bellingen. Starting at Coffs Harbour, the scenic drive traverses five national parks and winds through lush rainforest, waterfalls, open woodlands and farmland as you approach Armidale. This spectacular place will just prepare you for more wow moments when you hike in the rainforest as mentioned in the point below. Posted: Tuesday, February 28, 2023. Before you go - tips to stay safe. Essentially what Im trying to say is, come at any time of day and you wont be disappointed! Free, no car required and good for you. There are actually two waterfalls, Wollomombi and Chandler falls, which cascade into an immense gorge. The track takes you through a boulder strewn forest before you arrive at the summit junction. Bongil Bongil National Park is a 30 minute drive from Bellingen. From there its a bit of an obstacle course as you make your way over, under and in-between huge boulder piles. Bellingen is a small town that is surrounded by green rolling pastures and the famously clean Bellinger River. Wed recommend it even to people who dont usually do much walking, as long as there are no issues with the path not being manicured. The city center is close by, about 5 minutes' walk away. Tracks to trigs allowing access for surveyors provided hikers with an opportunity to climb to many high lookout points. More information about this trail. Another morning we breakfast at the Hearth Fire Bakery, have coffee and a squiz through the interesting Hyde and then have a browse of the Hammond and Wheatley Emporium, an iconic building on Bello's main street. If you take this route youll have to walk 3km back along the beach to your car, but its compact sand, so very easy to walk on. If you're running short on time, you can also just drive to the other side where you will find another car park. Walking Bellingen Shire Forest, Lookout, Cafe Grade 3 One way 8.7 km 3 hours 300m 310 m Tarkeeth State Forest Start location: 74 Mount St, Fernmount NSW 2454, Australia Before you go - tips to stay safe Fernmount to Bellingen You will need a car shuffle or a taxi ride as this is a one way walk, although it can be walked in either direction. We headed up to Wrights Lookout for sunrise, which was very special if you can manage the early start. The next highest ascent trail is Bellingen River Paddle via Hammond Street with 262 ft of elevation gain. 8. Our favourite spot however is No. Start location: 74 Mount St, Fernmount NSW 2454, Australia. Its gorgeous and has a fabulous deep swimming pool at the base. You can walk around the top of the canyon to many different vantage points to take this incredible Australian canyon in. Later I learnt more about previous protests over clear felling the Tarkeeth, the ongoing concerns of the locals regarding the Tarkeeth forests around logging wood for chipping, biomass extraction, and aerial spraying. Youll be given a wine menu and allowed to choose any six that take your fancy, or you can do what I did and say the kind of wine you normally drink and then theyll bring you various options they think you might like. Before we know it the week has flown by. 10 reasons you need to stay at The Belfry Guesthouse in Bellingen, How to get to the bottom of Dangar Falls in Dorrigo, 10 reasons to do the Crystal Shower Falls walk in Dorrigo National Park, 22 Places To Stop On Your Sydney to Byron Bay Road Trip, If you found this post helpful, please share it to your Facebook below , Hi Annie, just wanted to thank you for this post. Sadly it was full when we turned up (definitely book in advance), but they still squeezed us in for a wine tasting. Here, the Canopy Cafe, run by Wolfgang Zichy and his wife Catherine McDonald, is yet another foodie find, serving up an interesting menu that includes all day breakfast and weekly specials concocted from the Bellofoodbox, a community initiative which distributes local, seasonal produce within 160 kilometres of Bellingen. Bring the family along for a picnic on the idyllic river banks or burn some energy in the skate park. There was also a gorgeous shop which sold a variety of beautiful furniture and trinkets from Asia, which was right up my street, if not my budget! Bellingen lookout. Looking to read more about Bellingen and nearby towns on the East Coast? Qudo is only open from Wednesday Saturday. See airbnb.com.au/rooms/2387682. Our absolute favourite beach near Bellingen is Bongil Beach, that we mentioned at the start of this post. If you are lucky enough to visit on a misty day, like we did, its wonderfully atmospheric, it reminded of a David Attenborough rainforest documentary! This short circuit wheelchair-accessible walk in Dorrigo National Park is a great spot to hear and see some of the 150 bird species in the park. When she needs to go faster, she rides a Red Beemer (F700GS). Red Cedar Falls is the tallest waterfall in Dorrigo and an absolutely jaw dropping sight, particularly if you are visiting after recent rain. Other highlights of the drive include the granite tors in Cathedral Rock National Park, Point lookout in New England National Park, and the Wollomombi Gorge and Falls picnic area, near Armidale, which has one of the states highest drops. One of the most amazing lookout points weve been to in Australia has to be at the Skywalk at the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre. You can read more details on the track in our Eagles Nest guide. It is located in the Stone Oak neighborhood of San Antonio. 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