Despite also being located on the Waterfall Way, New England National Park doesn’t see anywhere near as many visitors as nearby Dorrigo. This means you’ll get wild and wonderful waterfalls, ancient mossy forest and glorious mountain vistas all to yourself.
The walking tracks are generally a bit more rustic, and you might have to grab a stick and wave a few cobwebs away, but your rewards are far greater than the effort required.
The beauty of the forests here is something I won’t forget and if you’re lucky enough to catch a sunrise or sunset you definitely won’t regret it.
We walked every day track in New England National Park and here’s how we found them.
6 Incredible New England National Park Walks
These are the 6 best trails in New England National Park:
1. Eagles Nest
Distance: 2.2km circuit
Elevation: 160m
Difficulty: Moderate
The Eagles Nest is the one walk in this park that I’d heard of before visiting, and it’s easy to see why. In one short circuit track you get to experience mysterious Antarctic beech forest, some great mountain views and the huge basalt cliff that weeps all year round.
It’s a fabulous all rounder and a great introduction to the park. Although the path isn’t perfect, it is in pretty good condition, much more so than most of the other trails.
You have a few climbs, but nothing prolonged, which is why we disagree with the signposts that mark this track as hard.
Even if you’re not an avid hiker, you can still do this trail, you’ll find yourself stopping many times to admire all the scenery anyway!
If you’re lucky enough to be able to hike it on misty day it will be simply magical. After experiencing Dorrigo’s Wonga Track in the mist, we waited many days to try and catch Eagles Nest in the same conditions. Alas it didn’t happen, but maybe it will for you!
You can read more about the trail, including track conditions, in this post.
2. Wrights Lookout with the Cascades
Distance: 8km return
Elevation: 333m
Difficulty: Moderate
This is my personal favourite walk in the park, because basically, it has it all! A breathtaking viewpoint which is just magnificent at sunrise, a fabulous hidden waterfall and some of the most beautiful Antarctic beech forest I’ve ever set foot in.
It also had some seriously slippery sections of track and more webs than I consider acceptable on a trail, but even that couldn’t shake it from my top spot.
If you can stomach an early alarm call, start this trail before sunrise and head up to Wrights Lookout just as the sun begins to rise above the mountains.
Not only is it an exquisite view, but the whole forest comes to life and you’ll be serenaded by countless lyrebirds.
Then continue on to the Cascades Track to experience some of the most magical ancient forest in Australia. If you love moss, colourful fungi and gushing cascades it’s a walk you really can’t miss.
Everything you need to know about this track, including how the trails connect and what the slippery bits are like are in this post.
3. Tea Tree Falls
Distance: 4km return
Elevation: 120m
Difficulty: Easy (unless the weather is bad)
The Tea Tree Falls Track is the easiest in the park, but that doesn’t mean it scimps on the wow factor. Even though we ended up walking it in what can only be described as a monsoon, the beauty of the forest shone through.
You’ll walk through some of the mossiest trees in the whole park, which is an absolute delight, and everything feels almost impossibly green.
It’s virtually all flat (until the very last bit, which I would skip anyway) so you can focus on the stunning surroundings, and not your feet.
Despite the track’s name, it doesn’t take you to the wild little waterfall itself, you have to branch off down an unmarked side trail for that. It’s worth the short somewhat slippery few minutes to get up close to the gorgeous waterfall though.
Everything you need to know about the walk, including what it’s like in heavy rain, is in this guide.
4. Point Lookout Circuit
Distance: 500m circuit
Elevation: 10m
Difficulty: Easy
This easy peasy paved circuit track almost doesn’t qualify as a walk, but I thought I’d include it as I know not everyone is looking for a more substantial hike.
This walk takes you to two spectacular lookouts, including Point Lookout, which is one of the most photographed sunrise spots in NSW. If sunrise isn’t for you, we did this walk at sunset and it was breathtaking. I actually didn’t feel like I’d missed out on sunrise at all.
It’s such a short walk that it fits really well at the beginning or end of the day and at either time the vistas will be extra special in the soft light.
I actually liked the lookout before Point Lookout (the one you come to first) better than Point Lookout itself because there is less foliage in the way of the view. Both are fab though.
The walk will likely only take 10 minutes or so, but allow more time to linger at the viewpoints. It connects to the Eagles Nest Track if you want a longer walk.
5. Lyrebird Walk
Distance: 5.8km circuit
Elevation: 285m
Difficulty: Moderate
The Lyrebird Walk is one of the quietest in the park, so you’re highly unlikely to see anyone else during the whole trail.
It lives up to its name in terms of the lyrebirds too, although we never spotted one, we heard their calls throughout so much of the track, which always makes us smile.
The walk has some lovely mountain views, as well as some gorgeous rainforest and very small waterfalls, as well as some more Antarctic beech forest, complete with mossy logs and tree ferns.
It’s a very pretty track that would get more attention were it located in another national park.
In terms of trail conditions, there are a few sections of washed out path as well as some debris to navigate. It also has quite a steep climb at the end and a fair few webs, but don’t let that put you off because it’s more than worth the effort.
You can read our full trail guide here.
6. Weeping Rock
Distance: 1.2km return
Elevation: 70m
Difficulty: Easy
For such a short and easy walk the Weeping Rock Track has a lot of gorgeous scenery on offer. The huge basalt rock has a natural spring above it which keeps it weeping all year long.
It’s an impressive sight in the warmer months but come back in winter and you’ll find it dripping in icicles! You’ll also walk through ancient forest as well as in-between some huge boulders.
The path does have some rocky sections and a couple of climbs but it’s still an easy walk overall. It connects to both the Lyrebird Track and the Eagles Nest Track if you want to extend the walk.
Essential information about New England National Park
Getting there
New England National Park is located off the Waterfall Way (B53 Highway) and the closest town is Ebor, which is 25 minutes away.
Alternatively, Dorrigo is 1 hour away, Armidale is just over 1 hour away and Bellingen is 1.5 hours away.
The access road
The last 10km of the road into the park is unsealed. For the most part it’s ok but there are quite a few potholes and some corrugations.
It was probably in a worse state than usual when we visited though, as there had been such a long period of heavy rain. You don’t need a 4WD but you will want to take it slow in parts.
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