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Clover Hill trail

Macquarie Pass National Park

Affected by closures, check current alerts 

Overview

For escarpment views, rainforest, waterfalls, birdwatching and cool creeks, take the Clover Hill trail at Macquarie Pass near Wollongong and Kiama.

Accessibility
Hard
Distance
6km return
Time suggested
2 - 3hrs
Grade
Grade 5
What to
bring
Drinking water, hat, sunscreen
Please note
  • Protect against leeches and ticks with insect repellent
  • Please leave wildflowers and other plants as they are
  • Tall forest is best avoided when there are strong winds
  • Remember to take your binoculars if you want to birdwatch

For a varied and interesting walk, take the Clover Hill trail. This old logging route leads to Rainbow Falls and three smaller falls upstream on the Macquarie Rivulet. After walking in the dense shade of the forest, suddenly the landscape opens up at Clover Hill – these are the paddocks cleared by farmers over a century ago. High above, the massive cliffs of the escarpment glow yellow and orange in the sunlight.

Bushwalkers, birdwatchers and adventurers will love this walk, with its sharp contrast between rainforest and open fields. The huge rainforest trees, eucalypts, beefwood, Illawarra flame trees, cabbage tree palms and tree ferns, home to lyrebirds and goannas, give way to sunny plains where you will often see kangaroos hopping about.

Highlights include a spectacular view of the escarpment, and adventurers may wish to scramble upstream at the end of the track to access Rainbow Falls.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

 

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A family walk a boardwalk section of Bouddi coastal walk, Bouddi National Park. Photo: John Spencer/OEH.