58 Australian Geographic
The view is dominated by the double peak of
McGraths Hump, which is also known as Old Man
Dreaming. In Aboriginal Gumbaynggirr legend, it shows
the profile of a warrior’s face, Ngali. It was Ngali’s job
to protect women who came to give birth in the valley.
But he fell asleep, and for his punishment he was turned
to stone for all eternity.New England National Park
Some might say mid-winter is not the ideal time to
explore this high-country park. And on the surface they
may well be right. But, aside from the cold, it delivers
many gifts. For starters, there are no snakes.
The roaring fire in my accommodation, The Resi-
dence, is a lso the per fect f u l l stop to a d ay of bushwa l k ing
through incredible stands of ancient forest.
About an hour’s drive west of Dorrigo NP along
Waterfall Way, New England is a sprawling expanse
of tangled Gondwana rainforest, snow gums and spec-
tacular views.
Standing at Point Lookout, 500m or so from my
lodgings, watching the sun peek over the dawn hori-
zon is mesmerising. Pinks and purples paint the ranges,
which lie like sleeping giants before you, and the mistpushing through it all makes the panorama both eerie
and intoxicating.
The park’s altitudinal range, 150–1563m above sea
level, makes it suitable for many different animals. On
the drive in, there are eastern grey kangaroos grazing a
few hundred metres from the road and wallabies enjoy-
ing a sunbake in patches of cleared ground around the
ranger’s hut. I even see a spotted-tailed quoll: after
forgetfully leaving some fruit outside overnight I awoke
to gorging quoll sounds.
There are also more than 100 bird species in the park,
including eastern spinebills, Lewin’s honeyeaters, rufous
fantails and white-throated tree creepers. I don’t see
many of them on my day’s wanderings, but hear their
melodies bouncing off branches.
Perhaps most memorable is my walk to Weeping
Rock. A gargantuan slab of basalt, it looms large and
drips with water. I stand here, dwarfed by the 30m high
rock face, and imagine it’s a mother crying for her lost
child – tears that never cease.Standing at Point Lookout, 500m or so from my lodgings,
watching the sun peek over the dawn horizon is mesmerising.
Visit Point Lookout as the sun rises and be treated to a
spectacular and changing palette of colours creeping across
the heavily wooded ranges in New England NP. Hidden within
these hills are some of the world’s most ancient forests.