CONSTRUCTION on the Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk is officially underway.
The Great Walk is part of a $56.4 million investment by the NSW Government to redevelop the iconic Dorrigo Rainforest Centre and deliver the Dorrigo Escarpment multi-day walk.
The project aims to position Dorrigo and the World Heritage-listed Dorrigo National Park as a major nature tourism destination.
Importantly, it will create around 270 new jobs on the Mid North Coast.
The State Government says visitation to national parks across the North Coast is booming, with 6.81 million visits to North Coast parks in 2024/25.
National parks in north-east NSW inject around $4.4 billion into the regional economy and support about 14,000 regional jobs.
The redeveloped Dorrigo Rainforest Centre is projected to attract 200,000 visitors to the region each year.
Design of the Rainforest Centre includes community feedback and is progressing to carefully manage visitor experience and environmental protection.
The new centre will be a low-profile building which will sit lightly in the landscape to create an educational walk from arrival through to the Skywalk elevated walkway and surrounding rainforest.
The Dorrigo Escarpment Great Walk will be a new multi-day walking experience, showcasing the very best of Dorrigo and Bindarri National Parks on Gumbaynggirr Country.
Traversing Gondwana Rainforests, the 46-kilometre, four-day walk will invite visitors to immerse themselves in koala country and discover the cultural heritage of the Gumbaynggirr people.
It will include three new purpose-built camps featuring bunk huts, tent platforms and communal shelters, offering a comfortable and memorable way to connect with nature.
Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe said, “Our national parks are where families make memories, children get outside and communities welcome visitors.
“The Dorrigo Rainforest is one of our most loved and visited national parks.
“Connecting people to nature supports tens of thousands of jobs and drives economic development, especially in regional NSW.
“The redevelopment of the Rainforest Centre and construction of a multi-day walk will support more visitors to the region, get more people into nature and create 270 local jobs.”
Russell Madeley, from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), said the redevelopment of the walk will enable people to experience the rainforest from the top of the canopy down to the forest floor.
He said a local contractor has been engaged, who has employed seven others.
“They’ve only been a couple of weeks into the project, they’re already making amazing progress,” Mr. Madeley said.
“It really is providing the opportunities for local people, getting local employment, they’ll be here for months.
“It’s great for the local economy as well.”
By Andrew VIVIAN
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