Behind the coast of northern New South Wales, the Tweed valley sits inside the remains of an enormous shield volcano that erupted some twenty-odd million years ago. Erosion has carved away the centre, leaving a huge caldera, one of the largest in the world, with the steep, forested walls of the Border Ranges and the McPherson Range curving around it and the volcanic plug of Wollumbin, also known as Mount Warning, rising in the middle. The Amaroo Flora Reserve lies on the slopes of this landscape, part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, a UNESCO site of scattered reserves along the Great Dividing Range.
The rainforests here are living relics of the vegetation that covered the supercontinent of Gondwana, with ancient lineages of ferns, conifers and flowering plants, and a remarkable diversity of birds, frogs, possums and other animals. Walking into the forest, with strangler figs, palms and vines all around and the sound of whipbirds and bellbirds, you step into a world that has changed little over millions of years. Wollumbin is a sacred place for the Bundjalung people, the traditional owners, and the summit track is closed out of respect.
For riders, the Tweed valley offers a variety of good roads. From Murwillumbah, roads run through sugar cane fields and banana plantations, along the Tweed river and up into the hills, with tight curves, steep climbs and views of the caldera. The road to Uki, Nimbin and on to Kyogle winds through green hills and valleys, while the roads up into the ranges are narrower and sometimes unsealed. Watch out for wildlife at dawn and dusk, slippery surfaces after rain, and logging trucks on some roads.
Nimbin, about twenty-four kilometres away, is famous for its alternative culture, dating back to the Aquarius Festival of 1973, and its colourful main street is a lively, eccentric place. Murwillumbah, a town of around seven thousand people seventeen kilometres away, has fuel, shops and cafés, and an excellent regional art gallery. The coast, with the beaches of Kingscliff and the Gold Coast to the north, is half an hour away.
The best time to ride is from autumn to spring, when temperatures are mild; summers are hot and humid, with heavy rain and storms. Stop for a coffee and a slice of cake in a café in one of the hinterland villages, and enjoy the view of Wollumbin rising above the green valley.