Border Ranges National Park is a popular and highly scenic World Heritage Park which incorporates 30 000 ha of rainforest in an 85-km east-west span along the state's border with Queensland. It contains an extraordinary array of fauna and there are numerous walks.
Tweed Range Scenic Drive
The eastern plateau of the park is traversed by the excellent 64-km Tweed Range Scenic Drive, a well-maintained gravel road, suitable for cars and small buses, which mostly pursues the escarpment edge of the Mt Warning caldera (the mountain looms prominently to the south), offering outstanding views. It forms a rough semi-circle which can be joined from either end. However, it is probably best to take the Barkers Vale turnoff (signposted) from the Kyogle-Murwillumbah Rd at Lillian Rock (25 km from Kyogle).
From Kyogle, the first stop is the Bar Mountain Picnic Area (1000 m above sea-level), set amidst Antarctic beeches. There are two walking tracks. Another 3.5 km along the Tweed Drive there is a roadside stop with a view of Collins Creek Falls which drop 150 m.
It is less than a kilometre to Blackbutts Picnic Area which offers excellent views of the Tweed Valley and of Mt Warning, the remnant magma chamber of an extinct and enormous volcano which is set amidst a basin formed by the erosion of the volcano's solidified lava.
7.7 km north of Blackbutts is a 5-minute walk to the Pinnacle Lookout.
Proceed along Tweed Drive for another 4 km then turn left. After 4.3 km you can either turn right into a loop road or left to Forest Tops Camping Area (an overnight site with an all-weather cooking galley). 1.7 km along the loop road there are facilities and short loop walks along the creek. The three-hour walk to Antarctic Beech Picnic Area also starts here. Alternatively, you can drive along the loop road for 5 km to the latter destination where there are more short walks. Another 1.8 km along the loop road is the Tweed Valley Lookout.
At the next intersection turn right back onto the Tweed Drive. Further along is the Sheepstation Camping Area set amidst eucalypt forest. There are more walking trails.
The Drive next reaches a T-intersection. Turn right onto Symes Road which soon reaches an intersection with the Lions Road. Turn left and you will eventually reach a T-intersection with the Summerland Way - the sealed road which joins Kyogle to Woodenbong.
The central section can be accessed from Lions Rd (4.4 km of which are unsealed) which turns off the Summerland Way 22 km north of Kyogle en route to Woodenbong. The western section is remote and only accessible by experienced, well-supplied walkers with topographic maps.
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