Waterfall Way

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Waterfall Way
General direction	West-East
From	New England Highway, Armidale, New South Wales
via	Wollomombi, Ebor, Dorrigo, Thora, Bellingen
To	Pacific Highway, 5km north of Urunga, New South Wales

The Waterfall Way is a road and State Highway 78 in New South Wales, Australia. It runs east-west from the Pacific highway to Armidale. The route passes through some of New South Wales' most scenic countryside and has become well known as a tourist drive. It also provides one of the few road links between coastal and inland New South Wales, and is therefore more heavily trafficked than its condition might otherwise suggest.

Starting from a junction with the Pacific Highway at Raleigh, midway between Urunga and Coffs Harbour, it follows the south bank of the Bellinger River, passing through Bellingen.

After crossing the Bellinger River the road swings north and climbs the escarpment of the Great Dividing Range, passing the two large and several smaller waterfalls for which the route is named, skirting the southern edge of the Dorrigo world heritage rainforest. At the top of the escarpment (elevation 750m) a short detour south leads to a lookout over the upper Bellinger valley, also a national park. A short way further on is the turnoff to the Dorrigo National Park visitor centre, known for its skywalk and walking tracks. Proceeding through the town of Dorrigo, the road continues through the pastoral upland of the Dorrigo Plateau to Ebor and close to the Ebor Falls situated near this village.

Between Dorrigo and Ebor the road crosses the Nymboida River and passes an intersection from where Point Lookout located 14 km east of Waterfall Way in the New England National Park can be accessed. Between Ebor and Wollomombi the route passes by the 8,839 ha Cathedral Rock National Park. Further on, the Wollomombi Falls are about 1 km south of the Waterfall Way. The 120,393 ha World Heritage listed Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is readily accessible from the Wollomombi Falls. From here the road passes close by the historical village of Hillgrove and the viewing platforms at Bakers Creek Falls and the Metz Gorge. There are also other more remote, interesting sites to visit on this Way to Armidale.

The road is sealed but relatively narrow and has steep, winding sections. In recent years storms and associated flash flooding have washed away sections of the roadway where it rises to the ranges, leading to traffic being limited to one lane until remedial work was completed.

[edit] See also

• Highways in Australia
• List of highways in New South Wales

[edit] References

• "National Parks of the Waterfall Way" by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
• "Waterfall Way" by Tourism Armidale; published by Cook, Green & Moore Advertising, Coffs Harbour.
• Bellinger Magic - the official visitor guide to the Bellinger region

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