A free weekend of activities at Mooraback Cabin will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Werrikimbe National Park in northern NSW.
Hosted by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), the event on 14–15 March will feature guided bird walks, informal talks, and activities showcasing the park’s birdlife, biodiversity, and cultural history.
The celebrations will run from 7pm on Saturday to 3pm on Sunday at Mooraback Campground, within the World Heritage-listed park between Port Macquarie and Walcha.
NPWS New England Area Manager Mike Greig said the anniversary marked an important milestone for the park.
“Reaching 50 years is a significant milestone for Werrikimbe National Park,” he said.
“We welcome everyone to come along to celebrate and reflect on the Park’s incredible natural values and the important role it plays in conserving World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest for future generations.”
“Werrikimbe National Park is one of NSW’s great wilderness areas. Its ancient rainforest to the relatively modern eucalypt forests and spectacular landform give rise to its remarkable wildlife.”
“We’re excited to welcome the community to Mooraback Cabin for a weekend of guided walks, birdwatching, and celebration.”
The Mooraback area was among the earliest European settlement sites in the Falls Country east of Walcha, with grazing beginning in the 1850s.
Today, the park protects more than 20 threatened species and is known as the site where the Hastings River mouse – previously presumed extinct and known only from a single specimen in the British Museum – was rediscovered in 1981.
Werrikimbe is home to a wide range of birdlife, including flame and pale-yellow robins, paradise riflebirds, green catbirds, regent bowerbirds, and Australian logrunners. The park also contains one of only five known populations of rufous scrub-birds.
Visitors can experience ancient Gondwana rainforest alongside towering eucalypt forests, waterfalls, rugged escarpments, and deep forested gullies. In spring, forests and heathlands are filled with wildflowers.
Those looking to spend more time in the park can camp under the stars, enjoy picnic areas, or explore scenic drives and four-wheel-drive trails.
The milestone celebrations will begin with a free nocturnal guided bird walk at 7pm on Saturday. Another guided bird walk, at 8am on Sunday, will offer visitors the chance to learn more about the park’s biodiversity and history.
People are encouraged to RSVP to the NPWS Walcha office to assist with planning for catering and the guided walks.
More information is available at the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service website.
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