Nightcap National Park covers a high, wet plateau and escarpment north of Lismore in New South Wales, the remains of the rim of an ancient volcano centred on Wollumbin, Mount Warning, whose eroded caldera forms one of the largest in the world. The plateau receives some of the highest rainfall in the state, and it is covered in subtropical rainforest, tall eucalypt forest and dramatic waterfalls, including Minyon Falls, which drops about a hundred metres over a cliff of volcanic rock. Nightcap is one of the Gondwana Rainforests reserves, and in 2000 it made headlines when scientists found a previously unknown tree, the Nightcap oak, surviving in only a few small populations here.
The forests here have a special place in Australian environmental history. In 1979, at Terania Creek, protesters blocked loggers from entering the rainforest, in one of the first direct-action environmental campaigns in Australia. The protests led to the protection of the forests and helped inspire the national movement to save rainforests. Protestors Falls, at the end of a short walk in the Terania Creek valley, is named after them.
Nimbin, a few kilometres away, is Australia's best-known alternative town. In 1973 it hosted the Aquarius Festival, which brought thousands of young people seeking a different way of life, and many stayed. Its main street, with psychedelic murals, hemp shops and cafes, is colourful, a bit faded and very much its own place. The surrounding hills are dotted with communes and small farms.
The roads around Nightcap are narrow, winding and often wet, climbing through rainforest and farmland with steep grades, tight bends and occasional unsealed sections, like the road up to Mount Nardi or the Whian Whian forest drive. They are great fun on a dry day but treacherous when wet, with mud, moss and fallen leaves. Watch for wildlife, including pademelons, and for logging trucks and locals who know the roads well. Nimbin has basic shops and cafes; for fuel and a full choice of services, Lismore, Mullumbimby and the coastal towns such as Ocean Shores are better bets. Summer is hot, humid and wet, with storms and flash floods; winter is mild and drier.