A public holiday provided a great excuse to hitch up the camper trailer and head away for the long weekend. Our origional plan was to head south to the Snowy Mountains, however horse culling meant a large section of the park was closed for several months. So pulling out a map and closing the eyes, the finger landed north on a green patch we have never ventured.
Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is part of a World Heritage Area, with its Gondwana Rainforests, dramatic gorges, waterfalls, and wild and scenic rivers proving to be a lucky choice for us to explore and experience the beauty of the area.
Named after John Oxley, who explored this area in 1818, its wonders were well known long before this with the Dangaddi people living here for thousands of years prior.
While much of the 145 thousand hectare park is inaccesible wilderness, there are several campsites on its edges with easy access to the numerous waterfalls that are the star attraction of the Park.
Dangar Falls, McDirty’s Lookout, Mihi Falls via Mihi Track
Located 18km from Armidale, Dangars Gorge Campground is the start of several walks to explore the gorge.
McDirty’s Lookout is an out and back walk of approximately 6km from the campsite, following a well-formed trail. Not far into the hike, you are greeted by the breathtaking sight of Dangards Falls, plunging 120m into the vast abyss below. The trail then winds along the cliff edge, offering numerous stunning views of the gorge, including a detour to Rock Wallaby Lookout. Finally, the walk concludes at a scenic platform, providing a perfect vantage point to soak in the panoramic vistas.
Mihi Lookout heads south from the car park and is an 8km out and back track (although less if combined with the above walk). This heads into the eucalypt woodland replacing gorge views with lots of kangaroos and wallabies to keep you occupied.
Reaching Mihi Falls we were somewhat disapoined with the flow of water but the hike was still well worth it.
Dangar Falls (left) and mihi Falls (right).
The sheer sided walls of the Gorge are caused by the slate in this area which splits vertically. While it is easy to get vertigo looking into the depth of the gorge, the brain gets just as confused looking at the vertical cliff face questioning how the trees and vegetation manage to cling to its edge.
We chose to camp at Apsley Falls Campground - any yes it even had flushing toilets!!
Tia Falls
35km from Walcha it is not long before you turn off the highway taking a dirt track through farmland until you reach the National Park enterance for Tia Falls campground and picnic area. The landscape dramatically changes from green rolling grasslands to vertical shale cliffs dropping away to the river below.
Following along the western side of the gorge, the Tia Falls walk is only 2km out and back but gives multiple mouth opening views along the way.
Apsley Falls
This is the most accesible of the waterfalls, featuring a short loop track leading from the car park. The first of the lookouts is called McMillans Lookout named after a Walcha resident who built the original near vertical stairs that dropped down into the gorge. Back in 1902, Ted Baker, Jim McMillan, and "Wattie" Joiner undertook the arduous task of building a wooden stairwell that descended its way from the gorge's summit down to the water's edge. Every piece of timber utilized in this perilous endeavor was made by hand. The original stairway remained in use until 1932 when safety concerns led to its partial dismantling. From this vantage point, visitors are treated to a direct and unobstructed view of the majestic Upper Apsley Falls.
The Oxley Walk is a 4km out and back trail along a well maintained track. It crosses the Apsely River suspension footbridge and continues along the edge of the northern side of the gorge through cliff top woodlands of snow gums and New England stringybark. Multiple lookouts offer breathtaking views of the waterfalls and gorge.
Further around, the Lower Apsley Falls comes into view. It is hard to believe that despite the water already cascading 65 meters over the Upper Apsley Falls, it plummets a further 58 metres down the second falls.
ps: We couldnt resist sneaking off from camp to go and grab a couple of cold beverages from the local establishments.
