The Waterfall Way

I understand we need rain, but whenever we go away for more than a week, we usually have to leave in the rain and connect somewhere along the way.

This particular trip was no exception.

The "Waterfall Way" runs from just south of Coffs Harbour through Bellingen, Dorrigo, Ebor, and on to Armidale.

It's 30 km to Bellingen from our home in Sawtell. After leaving the Pacific Highway, it's a lovely drive westward, passing many rural properties before reaching Bellingen. Throughout the journey, the Great Dividing Range creates a scenic backdrop as we pass through Thora before beginning the climb up the range towards Dorrigo.

As we headed towards the range after passing Bellingen, we saw the mountains shrouded in mist, a sight that persisted for the next 100 km until just short of the small settlement of Ebor.

The road becomes steep and winding, but this only lasts for about 15 to 20 minutes, until we arrive at the northern tablelands, just east of Dorrigo.

It's usually a very scenic drive, passing through national parks, rainforests, beautiful valleys, lush green rolling hills, and, of course, numerous waterfalls, but today the thick mist completely obscured all these sights. Visibility dropped to under 100 metres, and so did our speed.

One of the most spectacular and easily accessible falls is just outside Ebor.

Here, the Guy Fawkes River plunges 100 metres over two waterfalls. There are viewing platforms offering wonderful views of the falls and the deep gorge carved by the river over the years.