The Dorrigo plateau rises behind the coast of northern New South Wales like an island of rainforest in a sea of farmland, at about seven hundred metres, with rich red soil formed by ancient volcanic basalt. The national park protects the largest stand of subtropical rainforest on the plateau, and it is one of the Gondwana Rainforests sites on the World Heritage list. The trees are huge: strangler figs, brush box, tulipwood, and tree ferns in the shade beneath, with epiphytes and orchids on every branch. Walking in this forest after rain, the air smells of wet earth and leaves, and the sound of dripping is everywhere.
The best known feature is the Skywalk, a boardwalk that reaches out into the canopy and looks down over the valley toward the coast, and on a clear day the Pacific can be seen shining in the distance. Trails lead to waterfalls such as Crystal Shower Falls, where you can walk behind a curtain of water, and the cool air under the trees comes as a relief on a hot day. The wildlife is rewarding if you are patient: superb lyrebirds scratch in the leaf litter, paradise riflebirds display in the canopy, and the call of the whipbird rings out sharply.
For motorcyclists, the draw is the Waterfall Way. This famous road climbs from the coast near Bellingen up the steep escarpment of the Dorrigo Mountain, with hairpins, tight bends and views of the valley below, and crosses the tablelands toward Armidale and the great gorges and waterfalls on the way. It is one of the most popular rides in the state, with lovely tarmac and little heavy traffic, but also with weekend crowds, police and wildlife. Mist and rain can reduce visibility, especially in the summer wet from December on, and autumn and spring are the most comfortable seasons.
Dorrigo, a small town of just over a thousand people on the plateau, has fuel, a bakery and a pub, and Bellingen, in the valley below, is a gentler, artistic town with cafes, markets and a few galleries. Coffs Harbour, on the coast, is the larger centre. After a morning in the park, the plateau's famous potatoes and dairy products make a fine lunch, and the cafes in town serve the sort of coffee that makes a long climb worthwhile.