Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk: project update 4

Have your say

One month down, two to go

Have you submitted your feedback on the draft plan of management and draft master plans yet? There's still time to review the plans and let us know what you think. Submissions close on 15 January 2024. A big thank you to all those who have already sent comments in.

There are 2 separate consultations underway:

1. Draft plan of management for Dorrigo and Bindarri national parks and Bindarri State Conservation Area. The draft plan contains information on important park values and provides key strategic directions for future management of these parks.
2. Draft master plans for the proposed Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk and the Dorrigo Arc Rainforest Centre. The draft master plans provide further details about the location and concept designs for the proposed multi-day walking experience, replacement visitor centre, and new elevated walkway.

Public consultation on the draft plans provides an important opportunity for the community to have a say on the new visitor centre and multi-day walk proposals, as well as the high-level strategic approach to the broader management of the parks.

By asking for feedback on these 3 draft plans, we seek to understand the various interests, values, needs and perspectives of the people our decisions affect, and use this knowledge to improve our plans.

Visit the consultation pages below to download the plans and make a submission:

• Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk project: Public consultation
• Dorrigo National Park, Bindarri National Park and Bindarri State Conservation Area draft plan of management: public consultation

How to comment

You can provide your comments on the draft master plans by completing the online survey.

The survey can make it easier for you to structure your feedback. It is divided into sections to capture your comments on the proposals within the 2 master plans. There is also plenty of opportunity to provide free text comments on each of the key elements of the proposals.

The project team will consider your comments in finalising the master plans.

What we have heard so far

There has been a great response to the release of the draft plans, with over 5,000 views of the consultation web pages and nearly 800 downloads of the PDF documents. We have already received around 50 submissions overall in the first month of public exhibition.

Many of the comments are very positive about the proposals, with plenty of constructive ideas about how they might be improved. The main concerns raised in feedback comments to date are about:

• the scale and environmental impacts of proposals
• the impacts of increased visitation on local infrastructure
• a preference for spending on conservation action.

A submissions summary will be provided to advise the public of the outcomes of the consultation on the draft master plans.

Behind the scenery

A short wrap-up of other activities within Dorrigo and Bindarri national parks.

Progress on the Wonga Walk

Dorrigo-based contractor Jack Buchanan and his team from Avirida have been hard at work on the third stage of upgrades on the popular Wonga Walk between the Glade picnic area and Crystal Shower Falls. The Wonga Walk is one of the most popular walks in Australia, and was recently featured on the SBS series Great Australian Walks with Julia Zemiro.

This project aims to rebuild the walking track, including asphalt resurfacing and strategic widening of this 1.6-kilometre section to enhance the safety, accessibility and longevity of the track. New rest nodes will be installed along the track, including a new viewing platform in addition to the recently opened Hardwood lookout.

These upgrades are part of a wider project designed to make the Wonga Walk more accessible to people of different ages and abilities and encourage visitors to interact with the rainforest environment.

Whilst the track is currently closed, visitors can still access Crystal Shower Falls from the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre along the Wonga Walk, a 7.4 km return walk that also includes Tristania Falls. The loop track will be made safe and reopened during school holidays to reduce visitor impacts.

For up-to-date closure information, visitors should contact the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre on 02 6657 5913 or check the National Parks and Wildlife Service Alerts page.

Never Never picnic shelter conservation works

Conservation works will soon commence on the historic picnic shelter at the Never Never picnic area following heritage and engineering assessments.

The works will repair and replace rotten timber elements while retaining the original gabled roofed form and round timber-framed structure.

A new accessible toilet has also been installed in the picnic area.

The shelter was originally planned and constructed in 1975 under the direction of Park Ranger Mr Nev Fenton and built by local men on an employment scheme, including Mr Antonio Vitali, who did the stonework and made the original shingles for the roof.

Dorrigo National Park received a Merit Award for Outstanding Environmental Design for the picnic shelter from the Chapter of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. The funding for this heritage conservation project will ensure the shelter can be enjoyed for generations.