Pack you pjs and tent to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Oxley Wild Rivers ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Park’s inclusion on the World Heritage List as part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, with special overnight tours running in March and November.
The ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will run overnight four-wheel drive ‘Tagalong Tours’ to the Carrai Plateau for nature-lovers to experience the diversity of rainforest within 6 national parks in the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, World Heritage Area near Armidale.
“The Gondwana Rainforests are an environmental treasure and protect the most extensive areas of subtropical rainforest in the world, including nearly all of Australia’s remaining Antarctic Beech cool temperate rainforest and large areas of temperate and pockets of dry rainforest”, Mr Simmon said.
“These ancient forests are relics of Australia’s place in the supercontinent Gondwana and renowned for their important international and ecological value, which the global community agrees must be conserved for all time”, he said.
“Oxley Wild Rivers ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Park has been included in the Gondwana Rainforests because the rainforests represent a concentration of rainforest distribution and contain species with fascinating links to the 40 national parks and reserves in north-east NSW and south-east Queensland within the Gondwana Rainforests”, NPWS New England Area Manager Aaron Simmon said.
“These tours will take visitors through a labyrinth of lush parks and rivers including Oxley Wild Rivers, Werrikimbe, Willi Willi and Carrai ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Parks and the Castles Nature Reserve, with an overnight camp at historic Daisy Plains Huts.
“People will also have the chance to spot an abundance of precious wildlife from wallabies and bandicoots to eastern water dragons, and eastern yellow robins and rufous fantails.
“On these tours, people can expect to travel through rarely visited parts of these parks and see three different types of World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest, as well as experience the remote but spectacular Marys View and Hoppys Lookout with stunning gorges and views over the New England high country.
“We invite everyone to join this adventure which will be led by our rangers and give people a rare chance to learn about our ancient rainforests”, Mr Simmon said.
NPWS will run 2 Tagalong Tours from Saturday 16 to Sunday 17 March, and Saturday 2 to Sunday 3 November. The tours commence from Armidale at 7am Saturday and return by 7pm Sunday.
“Those enjoying the tours will need to bring their own food and camping gear, and of course a low range and high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle,” Mr Simmon said.
“Bookings are essential and early bookings are recommended as only 6 vehicles are permitted per tour”.
