Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk: project update 11

Minister announces major walk project milestone

Construction is officially underway on the Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk, with opening planned for 2028. Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe visited Dorrigo to announce the start of works and receive updates from Principal Project Officer Chris Petrov on the $56.4 million NSW Government investment, which includes the redevelopment of the popular Dorrigo Rainforest Centre.

The Minister said: 'Our national parks are where families make memories, kids get outside, and communities welcome visitors. The Dorrigo rainforest is one of our most loved and visited national parks. Connecting people to nature supports tens of thousands of jobs and drives economic development, especially in regional New South Wales.'

 Across the state, visitation to national parks is at record levels, with 65.5 million visits last financial year, driving economic growth and getting more people into the great outdoors. 

National parks inject $19.5 billion into the state’s economy and support 62,000 jobs annually. Regional communities and businesses reap significant benefits as visitors travel far and wide to experience our forests, rivers and wildlife.

'The redevelopment of the Rainforest Centre and the starting construction of a multi-day walk will support more visitors to the region, more people to get out into nature and create 270 local jobs,' the Minister said.

Buchanan Landscaping and Construction kicks off track building

Buchanan’s Landscaping and Construction, a local Dorrigo company, started work on day 1 of the walk near Dome Mountain in early May. The company was awarded 3 of the 4 sections of the track through a competitive procurement process led by NSW Public Works. 

Trailworx Australia Pty Ltd, based in south-east Queensland, has also been awarded the tender to work on one section of the walk.

Seventeen local people have already been employed to work on the track through Buchanan’s Landscaping and Construction. Those workers have completed comprehensive training and induction, including cultural heritage awareness, working at heights and remote first aid.

Contractor Jack Buchanan said he was really excited to be awarded the tender. 'It’s a dream in the making – being able to employ so many local workers, with the majority being young people, is very rewarding and great for the local community.'

Minister for the North Coast, Janelle Saffin, said: 'This is transformative investment for Dorrigo and the wider Mid North Coast. By backing this project we are creating local jobs, supporting our small businesses and ensuring more people can experience everything this remarkable part of our region has to offer.'

Reusing materials a win-win for the project

Initial track construction works will focus on building a Grade 4, natural-surface walking track designed to be challenging, rewarding and durable. Where steps are needed, the crew is building them with recycled hardwood risers and locally sourced stone, giving the track a sturdy, natural feel while helping it blend into the surrounding forest. 

Hardwood boards retrieved from previous upgrades of the Skywalk and Walk with the Birds boardwalks in Dorrigo National Park are being restored and given a new lease on life as step risers. Once the rotted ends are removed and surfaces planed, they stand ready for their new role on the track.

Construction techniques are also being chosen to build in resilience to changing climatic conditions, with effective drainage and carefully designed water crossings to help future-proof the walk experience.

Protecting our waterways: baseline water quality sampling underway

Water quality sampling was carried out in late March 2026 across key creeks and rivers along the proposed Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk to establish baseline conditions before construction. This will help NPWS track and manage any future changes linked to construction or increased visitation.

Specialist aquatic ecologist Mathew Birch (from Aquatic Science and Management) worked with NPWS staff to sample Rosewood and Wild Cattle creeks and the Never Never and Urumbilum rivers. These waterways flow through some of the most intact rainforest catchments in Dorrigo and Bindarri national parks, and protecting their health is a core commitment of the project. Monitoring will continue during construction and operation to help protect these important rainforest waterways.

Camp inspection brings NPWS expertise together

While camp design is being finalised, 18 NPWS staff from across the Coffs Coast Area and branch teams headed out to the Eastern Dorrigo Plateau in late February to inspect the sites for camps 2 and 3 and Mt Wondurrigah on the Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk. Expertise included assets, fire management, field operations and maintenance, Aboriginal joint management and visitor experience – all critical to the project’s long-term success.

Topics discussed included:

• improvements to the management road into Camp 2
• protection of threatened plants like Rusty Plum and Slender Marsdenia during the works
• camp layout and design, toilet pods, wastewater treatment, security and maintenance
• location and design of suspension bridge crossing of Never Never River
• Camp 3 location and tree risk management, energy systems and fire management.

Hazard reduction burn at Bindarri National Park

NPWS completed a planned hazard reduction burn in the Bangalore Creek, Wayper Creek and Camp Falls areas of Bindarri National Park in mid-April. A helicopter was used to drop incendiary balls to ignite specific sections of the park along the ridgelines. NPWS and Rural Fire Service ground crews monitored the fire to ensure there was no risk to neighbouring properties.

The burn targeted dry, north-facing eucalypt ridges, where fire can be contained naturally by surrounding vegetation and moisture levels. This helps reduce fuel loads in blackbutt forest, supports forest health and lowers bushfire risk in areas that include parts of the multi-day walk.

Dorrigo Rainforest Centre renewal

Minister reveals latest design renders

Design of the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre is progressing, with principal design consultant Terroir releasing the latest renders of the visitor centre. The new centre will be a low-profile building which will sit lightly in the landscape to create an educational walk from arrival through to the Skywalk elevated walkway and surrounding rainforest.

The Skywalk has been refined to reduce its footprint and minimise disturbance to the surrounding rainforest environment while increasing capacity. Detailed surveys assessed tree health, threatened species habitat and education values to guide the final alignment. The aim is to provide a memorable and accessible visitor experience while protecting the rainforest values that people come to see.

The Dorrigo National Park visitor centre and walking tracks, including the popular Crystal Shower Falls walk, will remain open while this work is underway. Visitors should check NSW National Parks alerts for the latest access changes, closures and project updates before travelling.

Transition to temporary visitor centre at the Glade

A small temporary visitor centre established at the Glade, 1 km from the current Dorrigo Rainforest Centre, will open later this year to support visitors as the project progresses. This new facility will ensure continuity of visitor services during construction at the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre site.

It will be known as Maam ganiyaygamba (meeting place), a name selected by Gumbaynggirr language experts at Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Cultural Cooperative. Once its temporary role is complete, the building will be retained to provide a community asset for education and events.

Planning to visit Dorrigo National Park

The rainforest walking tracks remain open, but keep an eye on NSW national parks alerts for the latest access changes, closures and project updates before travelling. Always drop in to chat to friendly information officers in the visitor centre for the best advice on walks and other activities tailored to your group’s interests and abilities. 

The ramp from the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre to the Wonga Walk is now closed due to safety concerns, while the Skywalk remains open. Current access to the walking tracks is via a secondary access track just 100 m from the existing carpark. This track is quite steep (1 in 3 or 18 °), so please get advice from information officers first and proceed with caution. It delivers you onto the walking tracks where you can choose from 30-minute to 3-hour rainforest walks, including 2 spectacular waterfalls. 

Vehicle access to the Glade picnic area and accessible walking tracks will reopen in June when the temporary visitor centre is finished, and the expanded carpark is completed with line marking and signage.