In the Australian state of New South Wales, Sarah Reid hits a long-awaited new trail that connects her to the world’s oldest and largest subtropical rainforest—in more ways than one.
With its sweeping views across Wanganui Gorge to Goonengerry Falls from its cliffside yarning circle, the third-night Weeun Weeun Campground is a place I could happily spend a lazy afternoon swapping leech stories—if it wasn’t pouring with rain.
Tim and I instead press on to the end of the trail at the top of Minyon Falls, extending the third leg of our walk to a total of 12.2 miles (19.6 kilometers) by our calculations. Compressing the experience like this makes it tricky to extend further to include the epic eight-mile (13-kimometer) return hike to the base of the 328-feet-high (100-meter) Minyon Falls—which I highly recommend if you have the time and stamina.
As you cool off in the natural pool at the base of the falls, where sheer rhyolite cliffs shoot up above the rainforest canopy, it’s easy to appreciate both the ecological and spiritual significance of this ancient ecosystem. Having hiked this extension many times before, we head home a day early instead to a warm, dry bed—and a significantly reduced risk of another leech attack.
