Brushy Mountain campground

Werrikimbe National Park

Affected by closures, check current alerts 

Overview

Brushy Mountain campground is set amid tall ribbon gum and blackbutt forest. Enjoy camping, campfires, short walks, fantastic birdwatching and scenic views near Wauchope.

Accommodation Details
Number of campsites 12
Camping type Tent, Camper trailer site, Camping beside my vehicle
Facilities Picnic tables, barbecue facilities, toilets
What to bring Drinking water, cooking water, firewood
Price There are no camping fees at this campground but a $6 booking fee applies.
Group bookings Bookings for up to 5 sites and 20 people can be made online. School groups and commercial tour operators can submit a group booking enquiry form.
Please note
  • There are no marked sites
  • Sites are not powered
  • This is a remote campground, so please make sure you arrive well-prepared.

Brushy Mountain campground is a perfect place to get away from it all and unwind. Set amid tall ribbon gum and blackbutt forest, you’ll find plenty of grassy patches to set up camp or picnic under the trees.

It makes an ideal base to explore the nearby walking tracks. Discover ancient Gondwana rainforests and eucalypt forests on the easy Brushy Mountain loop walk, or spend a few hours and head to Spokes lookout for spectacular views on a 9km loop trail.

If you’d prefer, why not relax, sit back and absorb the peaceful ambience? While in the zone, listen and look out for the inquisitive, though rare, spotted-tailed quoll and the range of birdlife. You might not see it, but you’re also likely to hear the shy and rare rufous scrub-bird, with the males' distinctive ‘chip-chip-chip’ call.

At night, get cosy by the campfire and keep your torch handy to spot large greater gliders feeding in the nearby branches.

Take a virtual tour of Brushy Mountain campground captured with Google Street View Trekker.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Nearby

  • Walking track with a small footbridge along Brushy Mountain loop walk, near Wauchope. Photo: John Spencer © OEH

    Brushy Mountain loop walk

    Brushy Mountain loop walk is an easy walk through Gondwana rainforest near Brushy Mountain campground, in Werrikimbe National Park. It’s readily combined with the longer Scrub Bird walk.

Map


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Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/camping-and-accommodation/campgrounds/brushy-mountain-campground/local-alerts

Bookings

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Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about Brushy Mountain campground.

Getting there and parking

Brushy Mountain campground is in the eastern precinct of the park, and is best accessed via Wauchope or Port Macquarie.

  • Leave the Pacific Highway and travel on the Oxley Highway to Wauchope. 
  • Continue along the Oxley Highway through Wauchope and then turn right towards Beechwood on Beechwood Road, signposted as Werrikimbe National Park 63kms.
  • At Beechwood turn right on to Bellangry Road, signposted as Werrikimbe National Park 56 kms.
  • After 17km the road changes from tar to gravel.
  • From the start of the gravel travel 37.7km to the intersection of Cockerawombeeba Road and bear right along Hastings Forest Way for 2km. 
  • The entrance to Brushy Mountain campground is on the right.

Please be aware that access to Werrikimbe National Park is on roads managed by other land holders. Road conditions in these locations may not be suitable for 2WD vehicles.

Road quality

Check the weather before you set out as the road to Brushy Mountain campground can become boggy when it rains.

Roads in this location are remote with limited mobile coverage and subject to rapidly changing weather conditions.

  • Unsealed roads

Vehicle access

  • Most roads suitable for 2WD vehicles (no long vehicle access)

Weather restrictions

  • Dry weather only
  • 4WD required in wet weather

Parking

Parking is available at in a small hard-packed ground carpark Brushy Mountain campground.

Best times to visit

There are lots of great things waiting for you in Werrikimbe National Park. Here are some of the highlights.

Autumn

Bathe in warm days and huddle around the campfire on cool nights at one of the remote campgrounds.

Spring

See the bushland burst with colour as the spring wildflowers attract a range of birds.

Summer

Escape the crowds and the coastal heat and enjoy walking in cool temperate rainforest.

Winter

Experience crystal clear days and crisp early morning frosts. Listen out for the night-time territorial calls of large forest owls from your tent.

Weather, temperature and rainfall

Summer temperature

Average

16°C and 29°C

Highest recorded

42.2°C

Winter temperature

Average

5°C and 20°C

Lowest recorded

-5.1°C

Rainfall

Wettest month

February

Driest month

July

The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day

706.8mm

Facilities

  • Water is not available at this campground.
  • Firewood is not provided and should not be collected from the park.
  • Rubbish bins are not available, so please take your rubbish with you when leaving.

Toilets

  • Non-flush toilets

Picnic tables

Barbecue facilities

  • Wood barbecues (bring your own firewood)

Step-free access

The campground is flat and step-free with a concrete pathway that leads to the toilets.

Aside from this, there are no other pathways – you'll need to cross over flat grass and hard-packed ground to get around the rest of the campground.

Maps and downloads

Safety messages

Bushwalking safety

If you're keen to head out on a longer walk or a backpack camp, always be prepared. Read these bushwalking safety tips before you set off on a walking adventure in national parks.

If you’re bushwalking in this park, it’s a good idea to bring a topographic map and compass, or a GPS.

Camping safety

Whether you're pitching your tent on the coast or up on the mountains, there are many things to consider when camping in NSW national parks. Find out how to stay safe when camping.

Fire safety

During periods of fire weather, the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service may declare a total fire ban for particular NSW fire areas, or statewide. Learn more about total fire bans and fire safety.

Mobile safety

Dial Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Download the Emergency Plus app before you visit, it helps emergency services locate you using your smartphone's GPS. Please note there is limited mobile phone reception in this park and you’ll need mobile reception to call Triple Zero (000).

Accessibility

Disability access level - medium

Brushy Mountain campground is flat and step-free, but there are some areas where people with reduced mobility may need assistance:

  • Most of the campground does not have pathways – you'll need to cross over flat grass and hard-packed ground to get to the facilities. The ground can be muddy when wet.
  • There's a concrete path to the toilets, but the toilets are not accessible or ambulant
  • Some sections of the nearby walking tracks may be accessed by wheelchairs, although with some difficulty and assistance may be required.

Prohibited

No unregistered vehicles allowed.

Generators

Generators are not permitted in this campground.

Pets

Pets and domestic animals (other than certified assistance animals) are not permitted. Find out which regional parks allow dog walking and see the pets in parks policy for more information.

Smoking

NSW national parks are no smoking areas.

Learn more

Brushy Mountain campground is in Werrikimbe National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

    Abundant landscapes

    Platypus Pools walk, Werrikimbe National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    You'll find three different rainforest types; cool temperate, warm temperate and subtropical. The park also contains significant endangered ecological communities, like at Bishops Swamp and Racecourse Swamp. Head to Mooraback campground to see the snow gum woodland that is slowly regenerating from over 100 years of grazing.

    Thousands of species

    Eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus), Werrikimbe National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    There are close to 1,000 plant species found in Werrikimbe, including nearly 30 that are listed as rare or threatened. The diverse landscapes of Werrikimbe are home to a wide range of wildlife including around 52 species of mammals, over 120 bird species and 48 species of reptiles and amphibians. You'll see bandicoots, eastern grey kangaroos and wallabies including the rare parma wallaby, sometimes seen around Brushy Mountain. You'll also find a range of forest birds such as eastern yellow robins, scarlet robins, grey and rufous fantails. If you're lucky, you might spot rare species such as the olive whistler, rufous scrub-bird and sooty owl.

    • King Fern walking track King Fern walking track in Werrikimbe National Park near Wauchope is a great introduction to World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests. A 2km loop, it also offers waterfalls and vibrant birdlife.

    Traditional lands of the Dungutti People

    Platypus Pools walk, Werrikimbe National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    When you're exploring the beautiful mountains, rivers and bushlands of Werrikimbe National Park, you're on the traditional lands of the Dungutti Aboriginal People. Aboriginal groups continue to have an active role in the management of the park. There are a number of important sites in the park that show that Dungutti people are the original inhabitants of this land, including several stone arrangements and surface deposits of stone artefacts.

    World Heritage wonder

    Lookout over the wilderness, Werrikimbe National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    The rainforests in Werrikimbe National Park are part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area; the most extensive strip of diverse rainforest anywhere on earth. This World Heritage Area is a direct window into the past and the future, providing a link to the ancient pre-human world and an irreplaceable record of life on our planet. Explore the rainforest on one of the park's many walking tracks, like King Fern walking track from Plateau Beech campground. Discover ancient Antarctic beech trees and listen for the lyrebird whose mimicking calls ring out through the rainforest.

    • Carabeen walk Discover World Heritage Gondwana Rainforest on Carabeen walk, in Werrikimbe National Park. This short, family-friendly walk loops past majestic yellow carabeen trees, near Walcha.
    • King Fern walking track King Fern walking track in Werrikimbe National Park near Wauchope is a great introduction to World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests. A 2km loop, it also offers waterfalls and vibrant birdlife.
    • Platypus Pool walking track Don’t miss Platypus Pool walking track when you’re staying at Mooraback campground in Werrikimbe National Park, near Walcha. You might spot a shy platypus as you walk alongside the Hastings River.

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