Midwinter crazies!

Minyon falls is in the nightcap national park in northern nsw. It is a great place to include on any Byron bay itinerary and with Nimbin close by there is a great hippy feel to the place. You can camp in the national park for $10 each and there are BBQs and toilets at the campsite. The setting is magnificent. It is lush rainforest, with tropical palms set on a creek. There are lots of fireplaces but you will need to bring your own wood and kindling as you can’t collect it from the national park and it’s mostly soaking wet anyway!
The camp ground is technically in the Whian whian reserve and the campground is called Rummery Park and its located along Peates mountain road.

Thieves!

Keep your food wrapped and hidden inside your tent. Possums will enter your tent if its not totally zipped and eat your supplies. And the birds will steal anything:
I was cooking bacon and eggs and was sitting right next to the BBQ when I noticed two beautiful kookaburras looking at me from a nearby tree. I thought how lovely. 2 seconds later one swooped down and grabbed a big rasher of bacon straight off the BBQ. It proceeded to take the bacon to a tree and whacked it against the branches breaking it into pieces. It was joined by four of its compadres and they had a bacon party at my expense. So keep a watchful eye out.

At dusk the cockatoos and kookaburras are out in force and their screeches and laughter shatters the afternoon silence! It’s not for long though thankfully and soon the forest returns to a beautiful stillness not long after the sun goes down. If you like to sleep in I would recommend ear plugs as the crows wake up early and are extraordinarily loud so be warned!

The waterfall!

Minyon falls is amazing. The upper viewing platform can be reached from the minyon falls carpark which is a few kilometres drive from the campsite or alternatively you can walk down the boggy creek trail to the platform. It is a lovely walk and I recommend it if you have the time and inclination.
The boggy creek trail starts near the main camping facilities and is just an opening into the forest. I didn’t see any signs. You then follow the trail which hugs the creek out to minyon falls carpark which has plenty of signage.
The view from the platform is nice but not epic. The real treat is seeing minyon from the forest floor but this requires some decent stamina as the trail is quite steep!
It is well worth it though. And pack a towel and swim wear as there is a big waterhole you can swim in at the base of the falls.

Three walking options:

If you have time and you are a keen walker you can do the entire loop. Now this is confusing and the maps make it more confusing. The minyon loop walk is more like two misshapen loops that make up one big strange loop.
This loop is 7.5kms and will take about 4 hours. It is a pleasant walk through the forest and if you haven’t done many rainforest walks then I would recommend it. If however you have done a lot of rainforest treks then I would recommend the shorter track from the Minyon picnic area.

Minyon grass picnic area.

Drive to the minyon grass picnic area and head down to the base of the falls from here and return back the way you came. It is 4km return and takes about 2 hours. This is my preferred route as the big loop can be tedious and includes a long walk on the road.

All in all it’s a great location and the campground is in a spectacular setting.

Enjoy