The national parks of New England’s high country are on lands forged by violent geologic forces. These magnificent landscapes offer great bushwalking opportunities

Wollomombi Gorge Lookout is an easily accessible lookout overlooking the spectacular Wollomombi Falls. This is during the dry season, but the falls are most impressive after  heavy rains, when the flow transforms the gorge into an ethereal wonder.

The Green Gully Track in Oxley Wild Rivers NP is one of the best places in the world
to see brush-tailed rock-wallabies (Petrogale penicillata) bouncing about the rocky ­outcrops.

Sailsbury Waters plunges off the escarpment into Dangars Gorge. Salisbury Waters Track is a fantastic introduction to gorge bushwalking, great for wildlife and birdwatching with the option for overnight camping off the beaten track. Find the full story in the Jan/Feb issue of Australian Geographic (AG 124).

Gara River alongside Threlfall Track is the breath of fresh air you crave on a warm day, and also a great birdwatching location.

New England’s high-country national parks – New ­England, Cathedral Rock, Guy Fawkes River, Chaelundi and Oxley Wild Rivers – are home to a huge gorge wilderness, more than 500km of wild rivers, accessible picnic and camping grounds, accommodation and walking tracks from easy to challenging, short and long. 

Dawn light highlights the canopy from Dangars Falls Lookout at Oxley Wild River National Park in NSW.

Dangars Falls Lookout is the perfect vantage point for birdwatching and soaking up the morning sun as it rises above the valley.

Brush-tailed rock-wallabies were once common on outcrops of the Great Dividing Range, from eastern Victoria to southern Queensland. Today, they are in decline and colonies are sparsely distributed. Their primary habitat is north-eastern NSW, where 80 per cent of the population is found, much of it in regions of New England, such as the Oxley Wild Rivers NP.

Four-wheel-drive-accessible visitor areas and the famed Green Gully Track are for more serious explorers of the park’s remote heart; the track traverses elevations from 1100m down to 300m.

Tony Allison and Jess Wright, enjoying the warmth of the campsite fire at Dangars Falls campgrounds. The campground also has toilet facilities, picnic tables and barbecues for day trippers. Find the full story in the Jan/Feb issue of Australian Geographic (AG 124).

Wollomombi Falls in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park looking very dry after a long period without rain.

Threlfall Walking Track in Gara Gorge in the northern section of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, is a medium length track. The track traces the gorge ridge as it follows the route of the historic 1894 hydro-electric scheme, along weathered embarkments and ancient cuttings of granite.

Blackbutt and spotted gums reflect gracefully in Gara River in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.

Tony Allison photographing the wild gorge country from the edge of escarpment in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.

Springtime is the best time to visit Oxley, with an array of colourful flowers blooming to life.

Tony Allison and Jess Wright taking in the jaw-dropping views in Gara Gorge, the northern section of Oxley Wild Rivers National Park.

Threfall Walking Track offers walkers a variety of landscapes, ranging form subalpine forest to granite escarpments and lush rivers perfect for taking an afternoon swim. Find the full story in the Jan/Feb issue of Australian Geographic (AG 124).