Rowleys Rock lookout

An impressive 20 different forest types have been mapped within the park, providing a fantastic variety of unique plants. The temperate, subtropical rainforest is dominated by corkwood, crabapple, sassafras and booyong with majestic yellow carabeen at higher altitudes. There’s also myrtle-dominated rainforest and viney scrub. This diverse flora habitat has several threatened plants species, such as the endangered climbing vine and a rare, vulnerable orchid. A variety of different eucalypts can be seen in Tapin Tops, including brushbox, tallowwood, blue gum, bloodwood, silvertop stringybark and grey gum.

Tapin Tops National Park is part of the traditional lands of the Biripi People and this incredible landscape has helped them form their identity and spirituality. The name, ‘Tapin’, means ‘dingo’ in their language, as the park provides habitat to native wild dingos.

Prior to becoming a national park, this area was part of Bulga and Dingo state forests, which were logged over the last 80 years. In the campground, you can see fascinating relics of road building and forestry operations that date back to pioneering days.

Birdwatchers will want to keep their eyes out for the black and gold regent bowerbird, the green catbird, and the topknot pigeons resting in the treetops. Three threatened species of owls have been recorded here (sooty, powerful and masked owls), although if you spot these rare creatures you are lucky indeed, as they are hardly ever seen. During the day, listen out for the superb lyrebird’s call. Other incredible animals you might be lucky enough to encounter here include the parma wallaby, the spotted-tailed quoll, or brush turkeys scratching on the forest floor. Koalas are present feeding at night, moving between trees in search of the succulent leaves from the eucalypt. They then spend most of the day sleeping in the extensive canopy.