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Border Ranges National Park

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Overview

The Border Ranges National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. A small portion of the national park is also located in South East Queensland. The 31,729-hectare (78,400-acre) park is situated approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) south of Brisbane, north of Kyogle. The park is part of the Shield Volcano Group World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2007.

Facts

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia516 words

WBP editorial3

In‑park itinerary beyond the main trails

While the park’s main tracks lead you through towering trees and the famed Brindle Creek, a quieter day can be shaped around the lesser‑known fire‑trail loops near the Queensland border. Start at the small carpark at the Chululul walk‑in, then wander onto the mist‑kissed Fernleigh Path, where you’ll often spot dwarf tree ferns unfurling beneath ancient trunks. Keep an eye for the blue‑eyed honeyeater, a bird that prefers these secluded canopy gaps. After a few kilometres, loop back via the heritage‑signposted Border Ridge track, which skirts a historic timber‑cutting line from the 1920s, giving you a glimpse of the area’s early European use without the crowds.

Seasonal flavours for the discerning traveller

The park’s subtropical climate creates a shifting palette of sensory experiences throughout the year. In late autumn, the understory erupts in a carpet of orange‑tinted myrtle berries, attracting fruit‑eating birds and offering a subtle sweetness to evening campfires. Winter mornings bring a gentle veil of low cloud that clings to the ridge‑tops, perfect for photographing the layered silhouettes of the Gondwana rainforest. By early summer, the higher ground cools enough for the crisp‑scented tea‑tree blossoms to open, a pleasant contrast to the lowland humidity and an opportunity to sample native‑infused teas at the small visitor kiosk.

Connecting the park to nearby cultural sites

A short drive from the northern gate lies the historic village of Kyogle, where the local Indigenous community hosts monthly storytelling evenings in a community hall overlooking the park’s fringe. These gatherings often feature traditional bushcraft demonstrations, such as making bark canoes from the very timber that lines Brindle Creek. Pair this with a visit to the nearby Border Ranges Geology Museum, where you can trace the volcanic origins of the Shield Volcano Group that underpins the park’s rich soils. This combined itinerary adds depth to a nature‑focused visit, weaving ecological wonders with living cultural narratives.

Introduction

National park in New South Wales, Australia Border Ranges National ParkIUCN category II (national park)Brindle Creek in the Border Ranges National Park is an impressive rainforest stream.Border Ranges National ParkLocationNew South WalesNearest cityKyogleCoordinates28°21′35″S 152°59′10″E / 28.35972°S 152.98611°E / -28.35972; 152.98611Area317.29 km2 (122.51 sq mi)Established8 June 1979 (1979-06-08)Governing bodyNSW National Parks & Wildlife ServiceWebsitehttps://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/border-ranges-national-park The Border Ranges National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. A small portion of the national park is also located in South East Queensland. The 31,729-hectare (78,400-acre) park is situated approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) south of Brisbane, north of Kyogle. The park is part of the Shield Volcano Group World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2007.

Geology

[edit] The Border Ranges region, which includes the McPherson Range, Tweed Range, Lamington Plateau and Levers Plateau, were formed from the erosion of the Tweed Volcano over many years. A number of volcanic plugs remain in the Border Ranges National Park. Notable for extensive stands of Nothofagus moorei (Antarctic beech), the park offers a 64 kilometres (40 mi) gravel road circuit through sub tropical, cool and warm temperate rainforest types. The area was extensively logged during the 20th century, providing timber to a number of nearby sawmills. The Lions Road and the Sydney–Brisbane rail corridor pass through the park at its narrow middle section.

Flora and fauna

[edit] Border Ranges and Lamington National Park are recognised as a biodiversity hotspot, containing a mixture of northern and southern flora species (the McPherson-Macleay overlap) with a number of endemic, rare and endangered species. Fauna is similarly diverse and species like the Hastings River mouse, have been rediscovered in the park in recent years. A diverse set of subtropical rainforest flora is preserved along Brindle Creek. Lower areas of the park contain eucalypt forests that provide habitat for eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies and koalas. Pademelons and potoroo are also found in the park as well as a diverse array of birdlife including the rare Albert's lyrebird. The park is part of the Scenic Rim Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance in the conservation of several species of threatened birds. fruit of Syzygium francisii in Sawpit Creek, in the Border Ranges National Park. It dropped prodigious quantities of fruit, which floated down stream and collected in beautiful pink rafts, such as this. The Border Ranges contains one of Australia's most diverse range of spider species within its montane rainforests.

Facilities

[edit] Two camp grounds (car/camper and walk-in tent camping only) and a number of picnic areas, some with shelters, water and composting toilets, are available at various points in the rainforest adjacent to the road, and one picnic spot at Blackbutts Lookout, has extensive views to Mount Warning, and of the Tweed Valley, an erosion caldera which, while broken by the sea on its eastern flank, is considered larger in size than the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. From a lookout in Border Ranges National Park, NSW Australia looking over the Tweed valley with The Pinnacle distinctive in the centre right.