A spectacular new 42 km, four-day, three-night Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk experience is now open in the Tweed Byron hinterland of northern NSW. Photos: Supplied.
The NSW hinterland offers lush landscapes, including rainforests, eucalypt forests and cascading creeks, making it a great destination for outdoor activities and nature lovers. The area boasts a variety of natural attractions, such as the Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk in the Tweed Byron hinterland, which allows adventure-seeking visitors to immerse themselves in the stunning ancient landscape.
Spectacular rainforest walking tours offer a unique way to experience the biodiversity and beauty of these ecosystems. The advantages include jaw-dropping views, close encounters with wildlife, and an opportunity to gain insights and absorb information as we learn from expert guides. These tours can be particularly valuable for conservation and supporting local economies.
The newly opened Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk, on Widjabul Wia-bal and Minjungbal Country, is a stunning 42 km, four-day, three-night trek. This Country is part of the Bundjalung Nation. The walk offers a hiking experience through some of the region’s most striking natural landscapes.
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service delivers the walk that winds through the ancient Gondwana rainforests and volcanic terrain of Mount Jerusalem National Park, Whian Whian State Conservation Area and Nightcap National Park, finishing at the dramatic Minyon Falls lookout.
This walking route has rainforests, waterfalls and volcanic landscapes. Gidjuum Gulganyi means ‘’Old People’s Track’’ in the language of the Aboriginal peoples who have been walking these ridges and valleys for millennia. The powerful significance of the cultural landscape, with its layers of meaning and spiritual connections, is embedded within the lore of the Widjabul Wia-bal and Minjungbal people.
At Minyon Falls, water dramatically cascades more than 100 m down cliffs formed by the ancient Tweed Volcano.
This remarkable walk links Mount Jerusalem and Nightcap national parks in the Tweed Byron hinterland. Hike along the rim of an ancient caldera through Gondwanan rainforest, ending at the impressive Minyon Falls. There’s an open invitation to connect deeply with these ancient, storied landscapes shaped by millions of years of volcanic activity.
Highlights include timeless rainforest along this walk in Nightcap National Park, with roots tracking back to the ancient supercontinent Gondwang. The north-eastern corner of NSW is celebrated for its exceptional biodiversity. It hosts many threatened species, including rare Gondwanan relics such as Antarctic beech trees, which grow in only a few spots in Australia.
The biodiverse rainforests of Mount Jerusalem and Nightcap national parks are home to species so rare they’re found nowhere else. The endangered nightcap oak is an ancient species with fewer than 150 mature trees remaining in the wild. Along the rainforest-lined creeks, listen to the chorus of rate frogs such as Fleay’s barred frog and the pouched frog.
Along your journey, listen for the calls of the wompoo fruit dove, yellow-tailed black cockatoo, and the distinctive mimicry of the Albert’s lyrebird. More than 270 native animal species thrive in these ecosystems. Fifty are listed as threatened, including the spotted-tailed quoll and koala.
Along this path through three different parks, you’ll encounter subtropical and warm temperate rainforest, wet and dry sclerophyll forest, and even some tea-tree rocky scrub. These distinct ecosystems provide a living connection to Earth’s ancient past and are home to a variety of unique species, making this area a vital sanctuary for rare and precious biodiversity.
Over four days, hike through towering rainforest, clear mountain streams and ancient volcanic landscapes along Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk in the Tweed Byron hinterland. Camp beneath the forest canopy on hardwood tent platforms.
This walk will immerse you in stunning water landscapes. At Minyon Falls, water dramatically cascades more than 100 m down cliffs formed by the ancient Tweed Volcano. After rain, the roaring sounds of the falls echo into a palm-shaded gorge below.
Experience the life-giving power of water as you wander along the cool banks of Whiskey Creek and marvel at Unicorn Falls. These waterfalls and water sources are essential to sustain the region’s rich biodiversity of plant and animal life.
Traverse an ancient volcano rim. Hike along the southern edge of the ancient Tweed Caldera, once the site of a massive volcano that erupted 20 million years ago. At 1100 m, Wollumbin (formerly Mount Warning) rises as the central plug of caldera.
Once 2 km high, the volcano spanned from Byron Bay to Lismore and Mount Tamborine, in Queensland. Erosion has left behind a stunning caldera, home to mountain ranges like the Nightcap and Border Ranges, and plateaus including Lamington and Springbrook.
Available all-year round, this hike is at Grade 4 level, where bushwalking experience is recommended. You will stay at walk-in campgrounds along the track. Providing a unique perspective on the region’s history and environment, rainforest expeditions offer numerous benefits, including experiencing nature’s beauty, reducing stress, and connecting with Indigenous culture.
