Waterfall Way is a country road in the

Northern Tablelands The Northern Tablelands, also known as the New England Tableland, is a plateau and a region of the Great Dividing Range in northern New South Wales, Australia. It includes the New England Range, the narrow highlands area of the New England regio ...

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, linking

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

on the state's

North Coast North Coast or Northcoast may refer to : Antigua and Barbuda * Major Division of North Coast, a census division in Saint John Parish Australia *New South Wales North Coast, a region Canada *The British Columbia Coast, primarily the communiti ...

Armidale Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale had a population of 24,504 as of June 2018. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region. It ...

. The route passes through some of New South Wales' most scenic countryside and has become well known as its best and Australia's third most beautiful tourist drive. Seven national parks, of which three are listed as

World Heritage Area A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

s by UNESCO and form part of the

Gondwana Rainforests of Australia The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, formerly known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves, are the most extensive area of subtropical rainforest in the world. Collectively, the rainforests are a World Heritage Site with fifty separate res ...

(formerly the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves), are located on or close to the route.

Dorrigo National Park Dorrigo National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney on Dome Road off the Waterfall Way, east of the town of Dorrigo. History The park is part of the New England Group of the World Heritage Site Gondwana ...

encompasses the waterfalls that give the route its name. In addition to being a tourist route, the Waterfall Way is also an important link between coastal and inland New South Wales (specifically the population centres of Armidale and

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...

), and is therefore heavily trafficked.

Route

Starting just beyond the interchange with Pacific Highway at

, midway between Urunga and

, it follows the south bank of the

Bellinger River Bellinger River, an open and trained mature wave dominated, barrier estuary, is located in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features Bellinger River rises below Point Lookout within the Great Dividing Ra ...

, passing through Bellingen. After crossing the Bellinger River the road swings north and climbs the

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''escar ...

of the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

, skirting the southern edge of the Dorrigo world heritage rainforest and crossing the Newell and Sherrard waterfalls for which the route is named. Single lane traffic restrictions do not permit stopping at these falls, but the Newell Falls may be viewed at a rest area below the fall. At the top of the escarpment (elevation ) a short detour south leads to Griffith's Lookout with views over the Bellinger River National Park and valley. A short way further on is the turnoff to the visitor centre at the World Heritage Area,

, known for its skywalk and walking tracks. The pretty and readily accessible Dangar Falls are located north of the centre of Dorrigo on the Bielsdown River. Proceeding through the town of Dorrigo, the road continues through the pastoral upland of the

Dorrigo Plateau The Dorrigo Plateau is a plateau in the Northern Tablelands and New England regions of New South Wales, Australia. The plateau forms part of the Great Dividing Range and is sometimes referred to as the Dorrigo and Guy Fawkes Plateau. The highes ...

before crossing the headwaters of the

Nymboida River The Nymboida River, a perennial stream of the Clarence River catchment, is located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The Nymboida River rises in the northern foothills of the Barren Mountain, on t ...

. The

Bicentennial National Trail The Bicentennial National Trail (BNT), originally known as the National Horse Trail, is one of the longest multi-use, non-motorised, self-reliant trails in the world, stretching 5,330 kilometres from Cooktown, Queensland, through New South Wa ...

shares the route prior to reaching Ebor. About nine kilometres after turning left onto the Armidale Grafton road Ebor is passed. This village is close to the

Guy Fawkes River National Park Guy Fawkes River National Park, a national park comprising , is located on the eastern edge of the New England Tablelands and the western edge of the Dorrigo Plateau, in north eastern New South Wales, Australia. Access to the national park via ...

and

Ebor Falls Ebor Falls is a tiered waterfall on the Guy Fawkes River, located near Ebor and about north-east of Wollomombi on Waterfall Way in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Location and features The first lookout is on a sealed ...

. Between Ebor and

Wollomombi The Wollomombi Falls is a plunge waterfall on the Wollomombi River in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Location and features In the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park approximately due east of Armidale and off the Water ...

the route passes through the

Cathedral Rock National Park Cathedral Rock is a national park west of Waterfall Way in New South Wales, Australia, east of Armidale and about north of Sydney. This park is lying between the Guy Fawkes River and Macleay Range, and is about six kilometres west of Eb ...

. The National Heritage listed Yooroonah

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...

Barrier is approximately southwest of Ebor and near the route. After leaving Ebor the road passes an intersection, from where the Dutton Trout Hatchery, and Point Lookout are accessed about east of Waterfall Way in the

New England National Park The New England National Park is a protected national park located on the Northern Tablelands in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. The park was created in May 1935 and is situated approximately north of Sydney, and south ...

. Further on, the

Wollomombi Falls The Wollomombi Falls is a plunge waterfall on the Wollomombi River in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Location and features In the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park approximately due east of Armidale and off the Waterfa ...

are about south of the Waterfall Way. The

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

listed

Oxley Wild Rivers National Park The Oxley Wild Rivers National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia in the Port Macquarie-Hastings City Council and Walcha Shire councils. The park is situated north ...

is readily accessible from the Wollomombi Falls. From here the road passes north of the historical mining 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

. The Gara Gorge is south-east of Armidale along the Castledoyle Road leading off the Waterfall Way just east of Armidale. The road is sealed but relatively narrow and has a steep winding section. In recent years storms and associated

flash flooding A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

have washed away sections of the roadway where it rises to the ranges, leading to traffic being limited to one lane at the waterfalls on the Dorrigo Range.

History

The passing of the ''Main Roads Act of 1924'' through the

Parliament of New South Wales The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Eac ...

provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later the Department of Main Roads, and eventually

Transport for NSW Transport for NSW, sometimes abbreviated to TfNSW, and pronounced as Transport for New South Wales, is an agency of the New South Wales Government established on 1 November 2011, and is the leading transport and roads agency in New South Wales, ...

). Main Road No. 119 was declared from the intersection with North Coast Highway, today

Giinagay Way Giinagay Way is a road in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales linking the towns of Warrell Creek, Macksville, Nambucca Heads and Urunga to Pacific Highway. It runs along a former section of the highway between Eungai Creek and Ra ...

, at Raleigh via Bellingen to Dorrigo (and continuing northwards to Tyringham), Main Road No. 120 was declared from Dorrigo to Jock's Water south of Hernani (and continuing eastwards to Coramba), and Main Road No. 121 was declared from Jock's Water via Wollomombi to Armidale (and continuing northwards via Tyringham and Nymboida to the intersection with North Coast Highway, today

Big River Way Big River Way is a road in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales that connects the Pacific Highway to the city of . It runs along a former section of the Pacific Highway that was bypassed by a newer alignment in 2020. Route Big River W ...

, at South Grafton) on the same day, 8 August 1928. The Department of Main Roads, which had succeeded the MRB in 1932, declared Trunk Road 74 along this road, from Jock's Water via Wollomombi to Armidale (and continuing northwards via Tyringham and Nymboida to the intersection with Pacific Highway, today

, at South Grafton), subsuming Main Road 121, and Trunk Road 76, from the intersection with Pacific Highway at Raleigh via Bellingen and Dorrigo to the intersection with Trunk Road 74 near Jock's Water; the eastern end of Main Road 119 and western end of Main Road 120 were truncated to meet Trunk Road 76 at Dorrigo, on the same day, 16 March 1938. The passing of the ''Roads Act of 1993'' through the

updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Main Road 76 (formerly Trunk Road 76) was extended west on 2 February 1996 to end at the intersection with New England Highway in Armidale: the western end of Main Road 74 (formerly Trunk Road 74) was truncated to meet Main Road 76 at Jock's Water. The road today, as Main Road 76, still retains this declaration. Waterfall Way was later signed State Route 78 in 1974. With the conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in 2013, this was replaced with route B76.

Major intersections

This table does not show any bridges (see Major stream crossings below)

Major stream crossings

The accompanying diagram shows the crossings of all major streams by the Waterfall Way.

References

*"Waterfall Way" by Tourism Armidale; published by Cook, Green & Moore Advertising, Coffs Harbour.
Bellinger Magic - the official visitor guide to the Bellinger region

External links