Wallumarra Track and Forest Path Circuit

Wallumarra Track and Forest Path Circuit is an approximately 12.5 km (7.8-mile) loop from the Wallumarra Track–Sir Bertram Stevens Drive junction. Allow about 4.5 hours. It drops from ridge heath to Bola Creek, circles Forest Island on the shaded Forest Path, then retraces the Wallumarra approach; the route climbs about 388 m. It is a half-day walk for anyone happy to repeat the ridge approach to reach the creek forest.

Start on the broad ridge service track through heath, then take the narrower Wallumarra footpath downhill through woodland. The creek marks a clear change from exposed, drier ridge walking to a shaded, close-sided valley. Expect small crossings and uneven footing as the path follows the water; the route reaches a picnic area at Bola Creek before the Forest Path circuit.

A short section of Lady Carrington Drive links the Wallumarra descent to Forest Path, which curves around the lower slopes of Forest Island beside Bola Creek and the Hacking River. The island is almost surrounded by the two waterways. The path dates to 1886; community protest helped protect this rainforest from logging. Look for cabbage tree palms, tall eucalypts and casuarinas, and winter-flowering Gymea lilies. There are no sweeping lookouts here: the creek and enclosed rainforest are the payoff.

For a route-specific photo, frame the creek with its leafy banks and palms so the water and rainforest sit together in the shot.

The combined outing is a moderate Grade 3 walk, with around 388 m of climbing over the full circuit. Forest Path is gentler, but the approach and the return climb out of the valley add the work; rocky steps and rough patches are noted on the ascent. Leeches are a recurring wet-weather nuisance. Track junctions can be confusing and phone reception may be patchy, so an offline map is useful.

Roadside parking is reported near the Wallumarra Track and Sir Bertram Stevens Drive junction; a vehicle entry fee applies to the park. Bola Creek picnic area is on the route, though picnic spaces are limited. The route information does not identify a drinking-water source, toilets or food seller, so carry water and food. Domestic pets are not permitted, except certified assistance animals.

If the full circuit is too long, the separate Forest Path walk is a 4.4 km loop from the stone gates at Sir Bertram Stevens Drive, usually 1 to 1.5 hours. It skips the Wallumarra ridge descent and the repeated approach.