Werrikimbe lies on the rim of the Great Escarpment in the hinterland of the New South Wales mid-north coast, a remote tract of high plateau, eucalypt forest and rainforest pockets, cut by deep gorges and wild rivers. It belongs to the Gondwana Rainforests, the World Heritage group that links patches of ancient forest scattered along the ranges of eastern Australia.
The plateau is cool and wet, with grassy clearings, swamps and tall forest of blackbutt, stringybark and manna gum, and sheltered gullies hold patches of rainforest hung with tree ferns and moss. Many of the rivers rise here and race through gorges toward the coast. The wildlife includes wallabies, wombats, greater gliders and the elusive platypus in the pools, as well as lyrebirds, whose calls ring through the trees, and the rare brush-tailed rock-wallaby in the rocky areas. At night the sky is dark and filled with stars, and the sound of the bush has no equal.
This is serious remote country for a rider. The tracks into the park are largely gravel, steep and rough in places, and they can be closed by rain or fallen trees, so check with the national parks service before setting out. The Oxley Highway, one of the best sealed roads in the region, climbs from the coast near Wauchope across the ranges toward Walcha and passes close to the area, with long, flowing bends, sweeping views and little traffic. Fog, rain and cold nights are common on the plateau, even in summer, and snow is not unknown in winter.
Mobile phone coverage is patchy to nonexistent, so let someone know your plans. Camping areas inside the park offer basic facilities, and the silence of the bush at dawn is worth the discomfort. Wildlife on the road is a serious hazard at dawn and dusk, particularly kangaroos and wallabies, which seem to enjoy the tarmac.