The Waterfall Way was one of my favorite detours away from the coast on my road trip up the East Coast of Australia. This is a spectacularly scenic part of New South Wales, and definitely worth a few days of exploration! This is a tourist route, west of Coffs Harbour, that takes in a number of waterfalls in the area. You can start in Bellingen, and drive out on the B73 to Wollomombi – although the route actually continues all the way to Armidale. I recommend at least three days to do the Waterfall Way! Here are the best stops on this epic road trip.

Bellingen

This is a pretty small town, with a bit of a hippie vibe to it. The main drag is full of shops, many of which have historic-looking storefronts. The Federal Hotel is great for drinks and a bite to eat. You also have to stop at Bellingen Gelato Bar – the gelato was amazing here! – or HYDE Bellingen for a coffee. This is a popular place to visit as it’s close to the coast.

Dorrigo National Park

This is one of the most popular stops on the Waterfall Way. You can’t come here and not see the view from the scenic lookout at the national park center!

Crystal Shower Falls

Crystal Shower Falls is a beautiful waterfall in Dorrigo National Park. It’s a relatively easy walk from the park center. I did the Wonga track as a loop, which also took in Tristania Falls. The walk was approximately 6.6km and took me 1 hour and 40 minutes. The best part about this waterfall is that you can walk behind it – it gave me major Iceland vibes!

Red Cedar Falls

The starting point for this hike is down 7km of unsealed gravel road, but it’s worth it. The walk goes past huge redwood trees – they really are massive! I recommend taking the turn-off to hike down to see Red Cedar Falls itself. There are a lot of switchbacks, and it’s tough hiking back up – but the view of the waterfall from up close is worth it. The rest of the loop follows some creeks and you can see other small waterfalls too. The hike is approximately 8km and took me 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete.

Dangar Falls

Just outside the town of Dorrigo, Dangar Falls is a gorgeous waterfall with a huge pool. You can see the waterfall from the main viewpoint, but it’s only 10 minutes’ walk to get down to the base of the falls. Some brave people were going for a swim here! It was a bit too cold for me.

Ebor Falls

The walking trails around Ebor Falls were unfortunately under construction and closed off when I visited. While I can’t recommend any walks myself, you can still get a great view of the waterfall from the temporary car park. Make sure you stop here if you’re driving the Waterfall Way.

New England National Park

Like Ebor Falls, most of the hikes I wanted to do in New England National Park were closed (due to rockfall). It’s 15km on gravel roads to get to the heart of the park – but it’s absolutely worth it. Point Lookout is one of my favorite views I’ve seen in Australia so far! The scenery is breathtaking, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Hopefully the trails here reopen soon! I’d recommend the following ones:

• Wrights Lookout and Cascades Trail (5.7km, 2.5-3.5 hours)
• Eagle’s Nest (2.2km, 1-2 hours)
• Tea Tree Falls (4km, 1 hr 15 min to 1 hr 45 min)
• Lyrebird Walking Track (5.1km, 2.5-3.5 hours)

Wollomombi in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park

This is one of the best stops on the Waterfall Way. Wollomombi Gorge is simply magnificent – you feel so small standing here and looking out over the dramatic canyon walls. There are two main walks that start here; I recommend the Wollomombi Gorge Walk. This hike is approximately 4km and took me 1 hour. I also did the Chandler’s Track, but I didn’t feel like the walk or the views were particularly worthwhile.

Make sure to stop in at the village of Wollomombi, too. The general store here does excellent loaded fries! There’s also free overnight parking here. On Friday nights, apparently the store turns into a club which plays absolute bangers. I was too tired to invite myself to the party, but I kind of wish I would have!

Planning Your Trip on the Waterfall Way

You need a car to be able to access these spots on the Waterfall Way. There’s no public transport within the national parks – New England National Park is mainly gravel road access! The nearest big city is Coffs Harbour, which does have an airport. I use Skyscanner to book flights. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Where I Stayed on the Waterfall Way

I stayed at free campsites during my trip on the Waterfall Way. One night I stayed at Thora bush campsite. There was some road noise and a rather homeless-looking weird man with a chainsaw – but I met a lovely older couple who made me feel very safe being here on my own. The toilets were clean and adequate. Note that there was no Optus phone signal here. The second night, I stayed in the free camping area next to Wollomombi General Store. This was a great free camping spot, as there were clean toilets available all night at the Village Hall just next door. There was some noise from the partying, but besides that this would have been a perfect stay.

If you’re not camping, I’d recommend the following for overnight stops.

• Ebor Falls Hotel Motel – they apparently do great food here, too!
• Freida – Historic Farmhouse Bellingen
• Birdsong Bellingen Farm
• Lookout Mountain Retreat (Dorrigo)

You can search for more accommodation using the map below.

Booking.com

The Waterfall Way was one of my favorite coastal detours on the East Coast. The scenery is unbelievable – I had to pinch myself that yes, Australia really does look like this! Give yourself a few days to do this road trip; you won’t regret it. I hope this post helps planning your road trip on the Waterfall Way in New South Wales!

Would you road trip here to see these waterfalls? Which one is your favorite?

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