King Fern walking track
Werrikimbe National Park
Overview
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.
- Where
- Werrikimbe National Park in North Coast, Country NSW
- Accessibility
- No wheelchair access
- Distance
- 2km loop
- Time suggested
- 30min - 1hr 30min
- Grade
- Grade 3
- What to
bring - Drinking water, sturdy shoes, suitable clothing
- Please note
- It's illegal to gather firewood, pick flowers, take vegetation or remove bush rock from NSW national parks. Please use barbecue facilities provided and help us preserve this World Heritage-listed forest by leaving it as you found it.
- Water is limited or not available in this area, so it's a good idea to bring your own for cooking and drinking.
Step from the open grass of Plateau Beech campground onto King Fern walking track and you'll immediately find yourself in cool, lush rainforest. Savour the deep scent of damp soil and the beauty of sunlight playing through trees.
The diversity of rainforest plants here is astonishing. Magnificent king ferns, crepe ferns, birds nest ferns and a variety of tree ferns are just some of the flora on display. If you look up you can see epiphytic orchids, liverworts and lichens adorning tree trunks and branches.
Part of the ancient World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, this area of Werrikimbe National Park also offers babbling streams, cascades and small waterfalls. Be sure to explore the short side tracks leading to King Fern Falls and Filmy Ferns Cascades.
Spring is a great time to visit as the trees burst into bloom, attracting insects and butterflies. This is also a fantastic opportunity to see some of the park's striking birdlife, including eastern yellow robins, crimson rosellas, olive whistlers and superb lyrebirds. In Autumn, after good rains, the park's waterfalls are at peak splendour and vibrant rainforest colours receive an extra boost from lush mosses and fungi.
Also see
-
Brushy Mountain campground
Brushy Mountain campground is set amid tall ribbon gum and blackbutt forest. Enjoy camping, campfires, short walks, fantastic birdwatching and scenic views near Wauchope.
-
Plateau Beech campground
Set among World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest, the peaceful Plateau Beech campground offers great picnicking, walking, nearby waterfalls and birdwatching to enjoy.
Map
Map legend
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/king-fern-walking-track/local-alerts
General enquiries
- National Parks Contact Centre
- 7am to 7pm daily
- 1300 072 757 (13000 PARKS) for the cost of a local call within Australia excluding mobiles
- parks.info@environment.nsw.gov.au
Park info
- in Werrikimbe National Park in the North Coast and Country NSW regions
Werrikimbe National Park is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about King Fern walking track.
Track grading
Features of this track
Distance
2km loop
Time
30min - 1hr 30min
Quality of markings
Clearly sign posted
Experience required
Some bushwalking experience recommended
Gradient
Gentle hills
Quality of path
Formed track, some obstacles: The track is 1m-wide and a mixture of hard-packed ground and gravel. Since most of the walk is in rainforest, the surface of the track is often wet and muddy.
There are points where the walk can narrow or be uneven due to plants, exposed rocks and tree roots.
Steps
Many steps: There are many steps along the walk, both natural and constructed. None of the steps have handrails.
Other barriers
Gates: There's a locked vehicle gate at the carpark near the start of this walk.
Getting there and parking
King Fern walking track starts from Plateau Beech campground in Werrikimbe National Park. To get there:
From Wauchope:
- Drive towards Beechwood on Beechwood Road for about 6.5km.
- Turn onto Bellangry Road and drive for about 18km.
- Continue straight onto Hastings Forest Way, an unsealed road.
- Drive 30km to the park boundary, then continue on Hastings Forest Way for another 8km.
- Turn left onto Cockerawombeeba Trail and drive for 7km.
- Turn right onto Plateau North Road and drive for 3km.
- Park at Plateau Beech campground.
Road quality
Please note 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.
- Mixture of sealed and unsealed roads
Vehicle access
- Most roads suitable for 2WD vehicles (no long vehicle access)
Weather restrictions
- 4WD required in wet weather
Parking
Parking is available in a gravel carpark at Plateau Beech campground where this walk begins.
Best times to visit
Autumn
In Autumn, after good rains, the park's waterfalls are at peak splendour and vibrant rainforest colours receive an extra boost from lush mosses and fungi.
Spring
Spring is a great time to visit as the trees burst into bloom, attracting insects and butterflies. This is also a fantastic opportunity to see some of the park's striking birdlife, including eastern yellow robins, crimson rosellas, olive whistlers and superb lyrebirds.
Facilities
There are picnic tables and non-flush toilets at Plateau Beech campground where this walk begins.
Water is limited or not available in this area, so it's a good idea to bring your own for cooking and drinking.
Carpark
Maps and downloads
Accessibility
Disability access level - no wheelchair access
King Fern walking track is a 1m-wide hard-packed ground and gravel track with gentle hills.
There are parts of the track that wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility may find difficult to navigate:
- There are many steps along this walk, both natural and constructed. The steps don't have handrails.
- Most of the walk is in rainforest, so the surface of the track is often wet and muddy.
- There may be points where the track becomes uneven or narrows due to natural features like rocks, tree roots and plants.
There are toilets and picnic tables at Plateau Beech campground where this walk begins, however the toilets are not accessible or ambulant.
The gravel carpark at the start of this walk has a slight incline where people with reduced mobility may need assistance.
Prohibited
Cycling
Gathering firewood
Generators
Horses
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
King Fern walking track is in Werrikimbe National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
Abundant landscapes
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
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
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
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.