Historic Nightcap Track

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An 18-19km one-way NPWS track running from Mount Nardi to Rummery Park campground via Nightcap Bluff, confirmed on the NSW National Parks and NSW government tourism pages.

☰ Trail details

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Distance

16.89 km

Est. time

5 hr 5 min

Elevation gain

516 m

Route type

Point to point

✦ Plan route

Steepest stretch: +91m over ~300m (around the 6.5km mark)

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In an emergency

Call 000 for police, fire or ambulance — Australia's emergency number works even with a weak signal, and without a SIM if any carrier has coverage.

You're in Nightcap National Park / Whian Whian State Conservation Area, Northern Rivers. Mobile reception in this area is not guaranteed — this is exactly why the offline map and GPS position on this page work without signal.

Tell someone your plan and expected return time before you set off. A PLB is the most reliable backup where there's no reception at all.

Tracks & plans

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Species to look for on this trail

Ancient trees and rare flora confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

Coachwood

Ceratopetalum apetalum

Defines Washpool's Gondwana rainforest canopy▾

Defines Washpool's Gondwana rainforest canopy

Washpool National Park protects the world's largest stand of coachwood trees, a defining feature of the coachwood-sassafras rainforest community that characterises NSW's Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage reserves.

How to spot it

Smooth, greyish, fragrant bark marked with distinctive horizontal scars encircling the trunk; grows to around 25m (exceptional specimens to 40m) with pale pink to pinkish-brown timber that carries a caramel-like scent when cut. Common canopy associate of sassafras in cool, moist rainforest gullies.

Family Cunoniaceae · Source: Wikipedia: Ceratopetalum apetalum; NSW National Parks — Washpool National Park

Photo: Poyt448 (Peter Woodard) (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons

Sassafras

Doryphora sassafras

Coachwood's rainforest partner species▾

Coachwood's rainforest partner species

A common mid-to-upper storey tree of NSW's Gondwana Rainforests, pairing with coachwood to form the coachwood-sassafras rainforest community found across the state's northern escarpment reserves. All parts of the tree carry a spicy smell but contain a poisonous alkaloid, so it's for smelling, not chewing.

How to spot it

Opposite, glossy, toothed leaves 30-110mm long; white six-tepalled flowers from May to October. Grows on basalt and sedimentary soils in temperate rainforest gullies, typically found growing alongside coachwood.

Family Atherospermataceae · Source: Wikipedia: Doryphora sassafras

Photo: Murray Fagg (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Minyon Quandong

Elaeocarpus sedentarius

Endangered — a handful of wild trees near Minyon Falls▾

Endangered — a handful of wild trees near Minyon Falls

Named for Minyon Falls in the heart of the Nightcap Range, this warm-temperate rainforest tree is known from only a small area on the southern side of the Mount Warning caldera, with historical records also from Rocky Creek and Whian Whian. A national Recovery Plan has been developed for its critically restricted population.

How to spot it

Medium-to-large tree to 30m; elliptic to egg-shaped leaves 70-150mm long; white flowers with around fifteen slender petal lobes, followed by blue spherical fruit 20-35mm across. Grows in brush box ecotone and warm temperate rainforest.

Family Elaeocarpaceae · Source: Wikipedia: Elaeocarpus sedentarius

Photo: Poyt448 (Peter Woodard) (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons

Peach Myrtle

Uromyrtus australis

Endangered — restricted entirely to Nightcap National Park▾

Endangered — restricted entirely to Nightcap National Park

With roughly 800 plants left in the wild, peach myrtle is found nowhere on Earth outside Nightcap National Park, growing in high-rainfall warm temperate rainforest between 400-770m alongside coachwood.

How to spot it

Small tree to 12m with flaky brown bark on a crooked trunk; opposite leaves 2.5-4.5cm long, shiny above with bright red new growth; white flowers turning deep pink from November to December, followed by black globular berries.

Family Myrtaceae · Source: Wikipedia: Uromyrtus australis

Photo: Peter Woodard (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons

Onion Cedar

Owenia cepiodora

Vulnerable — AUS: Vulnerable, NSW: Vulnerable, QLD: Vulnerable▾

Vulnerable — AUS: Vulnerable, NSW: Vulnerable, QLD: Vulnerable

Owenia cepiodora is a medium to large Australian tree in the family Meliaceae. It occurs in the rainforests of north eastern New South Wales and adjacent areas in Queensland. The habitat is mostly the drier hoop pine rainforests along the state border. Only small regrowth trees remain, as it was heavily logged in earlier times. Its status is now considered vulnerable with a ROTAP rating of 2VCi.

How to spot it

Real occurrence confirmed near Nightcap National Park (Atlas of Living Australia, 2019) — no separate physical description was available on Wikipedia for this species, see the source link for more.

Family Meliaceae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Owenia cepiodora

Wildlife you might see on this trail

Animals confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

Black-breasted Buttonquail

Turnix melanogaster

Vulnerable (IUCN & EPBC Act)▾

Vulnerable (IUCN & EPBC Act)

A plump, ground-dwelling quail restricted to fragmented pockets of dry rainforest from Hervey Bay south to north-eastern New South Wales. Main Range National Park's fauna section lists it among the threatened species recorded in the park, where it depends on deep leaf-litter for foraging.

How to spot it

17-19cm, marbled black, rufous and pale brown plumage with prominent white spots and stripes and pale eyes. Females are larger and more boldly coloured than males, reversing the usual pattern. Look for distinctive circular 'platelets' of scratched-bare leaf litter on the forest floor, a reliable sign of feeding activity even when the bird itself stays hidden.

Family Turnicidae · Source: Wikipedia - Black-breasted buttonquail; Wikipedia - Main Range National Park

Aviceda, CC BY-SA 3.0

Rufous Scrub-bird

Atrichornis rufescens

Endangered (IUCN)▾

Endangered (IUCN)

A secretive, ground-dwelling songbird endemic to isolated pockets of rainforest and wet eucalypt forest in north-eastern NSW and south-eastern Queensland. Population estimated at 1,850–2,960 mature birds, with the Border Ranges/Lamington Plateau area holding the largest subpopulations.

How to spot it

Almost never seen — listen instead for its extremely loud, mimicking call from dense leaf litter above 600m elevation. Brown plumage with a rufous breast and lightly barred back; males have a white streak on the neck that females lack.

Family Atrichornithidae · Source: Wikipedia: Rufous scrub-bird; Wikipedia: Nightcap National Park; Wikipedia: Gibraltar Range National Park

Joshua Bergmark (Ornis Birding Expeditions), CC BY 4.0

Fleay's Barred Frog

Mixophyes fleayi

Endangered (IUCN)▾

Endangered (IUCN)

A moderately large rainforest frog found in fragmented, high-elevation populations from the Conondale Range in Queensland south to Yabbra Scrub in northern NSW. It has vanished from parts of its former range, including Mount Tamborine, since the 1970s.

How to spot it

Light brown with darker blotches and a dark band running from behind the eyes down the back; the top third of the iris is pale silvery-blue, the bottom two-thirds brown. Found near clear rainforest streams above 400m.

Family Myobatrachidae · Source: Wikipedia: Fleay's barred frog; Wikipedia: Nightcap National Park; Wikipedia: Washpool National Park

Froggydarb, CC BY-SA 3.0

Parma Wallaby

Notamacropus parma

Near Threatened (IUCN)▾

Near Threatened (IUCN)

The smallest wallaby in its genus, restricted to wet sclerophyll forest along the Great Dividing Range in north-eastern NSW near the Queensland border — including Nightcap National Park, where it is listed as vulnerable in NSW.

How to spot it

Small (3.2–5.8 kg) with reddish-to-greyish brown fur above, pale grey underside, and a long, sparsely-furred dark tail roughly equal to its body length. Shy and mostly nocturnal — look at dusk along dense forest edges.

Family Macropodidae · Source: Wikipedia: Parma wallaby; Wikipedia: Nightcap National Park

John Gould (1804–1881), public domain

Stephens's Banded Snake

Hoplocephalus stephensii

Near Threatened (IUCN); Vulnerable in NSW▾

Near Threatened (IUCN); Vulnerable in NSW

An arboreal, highly venomous snake restricted to high-rainfall forest remnants from south-eastern Queensland to the Gosford area of NSW, listed as vulnerable in NSW and present in Nightcap National Park. Threatened by habitat fragmentation and illegal collection for the pet trade.

How to spot it

Alternating grey-or-black and dirty-white bands along the body, dark brown head with pale lip markings. Arboreal and nocturnal — found up to 20m high in canopy trees, so rarely encountered on trails.

Family Elapidae · Source: Wikipedia: Stephens's banded snake; Wikipedia: Nightcap National Park

Aviceda, CC BY-SA 3.0

Eastern Freetail-Bat

Micronomus norfolkensis

Vulnerable — NSW: Vulnerable▾

Vulnerable — NSW: Vulnerable

Micronomus norfolkensis is a species of molossid bat, a family of flying mammals. The bat is endemic to Australia, where it occurs from southeastern Queensland to eastern New South Wales. They are the sole species of genus Micronomus and referred to by variations on east-coast free-tailed bat.

How to spot it

Real occurrence confirmed near Nightcap National Park (Atlas of Living Australia, 1995) — no separate physical description was available on Wikipedia for this species, see the source link for more.

Family Molossidae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Micronomus norfolkensis

Barred Cuckoo-Shrike

Coracina lineata

Vulnerable — NSW: Vulnerable▾

Vulnerable — NSW: Vulnerable

The barred cuckooshrike, also called the yellow-eyed cuckooshrike, is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found in eastern Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands.

How to spot it

Real occurrence confirmed near Nightcap National Park (Atlas of Living Australia, 2011) — no separate physical description was available on Wikipedia for this species, see the source link for more.

Family Campephagidae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Coracina lineata

Square-Tailed Kite

Lophoictinia isura

Endangered — NSW: Vulnerable, VIC: Vulnerable, SA: Endangered▾

Endangered — NSW: Vulnerable, VIC: Vulnerable, SA: Endangered

The square-tailed kite is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, eagles and harriers.

How to spot it

As an adult the square-tailed kite is a medium-sized raptor, with the following features: Length: 50–56 cm (tail is about half the length of bird) Wingspan: 130–145 cm Weight: Male-501g, Female-650g

Family Accipitridae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Lophoictinia isura

Greater Sooty Owl

Tyto tenebricosa

Endangered — NSW: Vulnerable, VIC: Endangered▾

Endangered — NSW: Vulnerable, VIC: Endangered

The sooty owl or greater sooty owl is a medium to large owl found in south-eastern Australia, Montane rainforests of New Guinea and have been seen on Flinders Island in the Bass Strait. The lesser sooty owl, is sometimes considered to be conspecific with this species, in which case they are then together referred to as sooty owls. It is substantially smaller and occurs in the wet tropics region of North Queensland, Australia.

How to spot it

Greater sooty owls have a finely white spotted head with scattered white spots on the wings. The females are lighter colored than the males. They appear to be the heaviest of the living species in the barn owl family, however the Tasmanian subspecies of the Australian masked owl is larger still. The females' length is 41 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) and weighs 750 to 1,200 g (1.65 to 2.65 lb). The smaller male has a length of 37 to 43 cm (15 to 17 in) and weighs 500 to 700 g (1.1 to 1.5 lb). The wing

Family Tytonidae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Tyto tenebricosa

Marbled Frogmouth

Podargus ocellatus

Vulnerable — NSW: Vulnerable▾

Vulnerable — NSW: Vulnerable

The marbled frogmouth is a bird in the family Podargidae. The species was first described by Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1830. It is found in the Aru Islands, New Guinea and Queensland. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

How to spot it

Real occurrence confirmed near Nightcap National Park (Atlas of Living Australia, 1993) — no separate physical description was available on Wikipedia for this species, see the source link for more.

Family Podargidae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Podargus ocellatus