Mummel Forest Road

What were the anti-logging protesters trying to protect? Mummel Gulf National Park is notable for its wide variety of plant life, not to mention the animals which rely on the biodiversity. Your visit will expose you to everything from sclerophyll forests to warm temperate rainforests, and, if you're lucky, ant orchids and greenhoods - both threatened species.

The famous explorer John Oxley would have travelled in the vicinity of Mummel Gulf National Park on his crossing from Apsley Falls to the coast in 1818. Later, though little evidence remains, small-scale mining and grazing took place in the area. More notable are the logging trails - logging here ultimately caused a series of protests in the 1990s, which resulted in the creation of many national parks in the north-east of NSW.

The difficult terrain in Mummel Gulf National Park poses a challenge to more than just adventurous hikers. There are very few recorded Aboriginal sites in the area because of the complexities of surveying. This doesn't mean they don't exist, though: Aboriginal people may have moved through the area as they crossed between the tablelands and the coast. They may also have lived in the area permanently, drawing on the land and water biodiversity to inform their spiritual beliefs and cultural identity.