King Fern walking track

King Fern walking track starts from Plateau Beech campground in Werrikimbe National Park. To get there:

From Wauchope:

• Drive towards Beechwood on Beechwood Road for about 6.5km.
• Turn onto Bellangry Road and drive for about 18km.
• Continue straight onto Hastings Forest Way, an unsealed road.
• Drive 30km to the park boundary, then continue on Hastings Forest Way for another 8km.
• Turn left onto Cockerawombeeba Trail and drive for 7km.
• Turn right onto Plateau North Road and drive for 3km.
• Park at Plateau Beech campground.

Road quality

Please note that access to Werrikimbe National Park is on roads managed by other land holders. Road conditions in these locations may not be suitable for 2WD vehicles.

• Mixture of sealed and unsealed roads

Vehicle access

• Most roads suitable for 2WD vehicles (no long vehicle access)

Weather restrictions

• 4WD required in wet weather

Parking

Parking is available in a gravel carpark at Plateau Beech campground where this walk begins.

Autumn

In Autumn, after good rains, the park's waterfalls are at peak splendour and vibrant rainforest colours receive an extra boost from lush mosses and fungi.

Spring

Spring is a great time to visit as the trees burst into bloom, attracting insects and butterflies. This is also a fantastic opportunity to see some of the park's striking birdlife, including eastern yellow robins, crimson rosellas, olive whistlers and superb lyrebirds.

There are picnic tables and non-flush toilets at Plateau Beech campground where this walk begins.

Water is limited or not available in this area, so it's a good idea to bring your own for cooking and drinking.

Carpark

• King Fern walking track factsheet
• King Fern walking track map (891.6KB pdf)

Disability access level - no wheelchair access

King Fern walking track is a 1m-wide hard-packed ground and gravel track with gentle hills.

There are parts of the track that wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility may find difficult to navigate:

• There are many steps along this walk, both natural and constructed. The steps don't have handrails.
• Most of the walk is in rainforest, so the surface of the track is often wet and muddy.
• There may be points where the track becomes uneven or narrows due to natural features like rocks, tree roots and plants.

There are toilets and picnic tables at Plateau Beech campground where this walk begins, however the toilets are not accessible or ambulant.

The gravel carpark at the start of this walk has a slight incline where people with reduced mobility may need assistance.