Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk

This $56.4 million project was announced by the NSW Government in June 2022.

The project will be delivered in stages and is due for completion in 2026.

The NSW Government is delivering its largest investment in national parks history with more than $450 million for over 200 visitor infrastructure projects across the State.

It builds on the $17.9 billion and 74,000 jobs national parks already contribute annually to the State's economy and is supporting NSW communities to recover in the wake of droughts, bushfires, floods, and the pandemic.

Connecting more people to nature and culture

Evidence from around the world shows that demand for experiences that connect people back to nature are increasing exponentially. At the same time, the population of the North Coast is growing rapidly, and transport links to the urban growth areas of south-east Queensland and Greater Sydney are improving.

There is an opportunity to engage a broader range of people by providing authentic and transformative natural and cultural experiences, and to work with Aboriginal partners to showcase local Aboriginal culture and connections.

This visionary project will be one of the first of its kind to combine two new world-class nature-based attractions. The new Arc Rainforest Centre will provide access for all abilities to the incredibly important Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, encouraging visitors to explore further and learn more.

Multi-day walking tracks are growing in demand, with more people discovering the health and wellbeing benefits of walking in nature, in beautiful locations, over many days. The Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk will provide a challenging 4-day experience in this high rainfall environment. The option of affordable communal huts is important to allow a wider range of abilities to enjoy the walk. It is part of a series of signature multi-day walks that are providing new experiences in New South Wales and expanding access to our national parks.

Revitalising ageing infrastructure

The existing Dorrigo Rainforest Centre is very popular but is ready for renewal. The visitor facilities were built in the late 1980s and require significant investment to maintain. The current short wooden Skywalk is 33 years old and nearing the end of its operational life. This injection of funding provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine this enduring destination and create a long-term framework to meet future visitation demands.

Rigorous environmental approvals

Our national parks are managed to protect their unique values and provide for sustainable visitor use and enjoyment. This includes providing visitor experiences and, where appropriate, new visitor facilities including lookouts, visitor centres and walking tracks. The Arc Rainforest Centre and Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk will provide a platform to promote the importance of protecting the natural and cultural values of Dorrigo and Bindarri national parks.

These two magnificent national parks provide a refuge for many rare and threatened plants and animals across a variety of important habitats. To protect these species, all visitor infrastructure improvements in the parks are subject to independent environmental assessments. The current draft concept plans and planned walk alignment are subject to change or strict conditions to mitigate any potential impacts.

The proposed project will undergo rigorous environmental planning approvals to ensure compliance with relevant conservation and heritage management plans under State and Commonwealth legislation. This includes working with Aboriginal custodians to assess Aboriginal places of significance and seek advice on spiritual and cultural values associated with Country and how best to respect these values.

The parks’ plans of management, adopted in 1998 and 2009, may need to be reviewed in light of the proposed new visitor facilities.

Sustainable and low-impact design

The project has been designed to have low visual and construction impacts. The new Arc Rainforest Centre is within the location of the existing centre and is designed to minimise any effects on world heritage values. It will feature energy-efficient, sustainable design and recycled materials where possible to reduce the building’s carbon footprint.

A large part of the walk is along existing trails and new campsites and huts will be raised and carefully sited in areas of previous disturbance or existing clearings. Hut design will complement the surrounding landscape and suit the climatic conditions. 

Education and interpretation will remain the primary purpose for the revitalised Rainforest Centre. Compelling guided experiences, school excursions and contemporary interpretive elements will continue to be a catalyst for visitors to form emotional and intellectual connections with the parks.

Interpretation through innovative storytelling is one of the most effective ways to achieve an 'experience of a lifetime' for visitors. Developing rich and engaging face to face interpretation, including opportunities for local Aboriginal guided experiences, will be a key focus to immerse visitors in the natural and cultural landscape, creating a strong sense of place. 

NPWS recognises that community input adds value to the work we do. We held several visitor centre concept planning workshops with local community members in 2019 which informed early concept designs. Further targeted consultation with Aboriginal groups, NPWS staff, regional tourism organisations and local government have helped refine the concept plans to this point.

There is a long history of various community suggestions for multi-day walking routes through Dorrigo National Park since the proposed Waterfall Way walking track in 2002. Preliminary targeted consultation and ground-truthing has occurred to develop the current proposed alignment.

We will continue to engage with stakeholders and interested community members in a meaningful and timely way. Draft masterplans for the proposed developments will be placed on public exhibition to consider stakeholder and community feedback.

Those interested in the project are invited to register their interest to receive regular updates on the project and be notified of any upcoming consultation opportunities.

Working with traditional custodians

NPWS works closely with the Gumbaynggirr people. Local Elders will help guide the alignment of the walk and work with NPWS to explore new and unique ways to celebrate their culture. The Dorrigo Local Aboriginal Land Council and Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Cooperative have helped us interpret culture in the recent upgrade of the Wonga Walk in Dorrigo National Park. This sets the model for how we will continue to work with these important organisations in the final planning and construction of the project.