Allyn River
Twenty minutes of buttress roots and hanging vines, and a granite swimming hole around the corner.
Visit tara hill
Highlights
- A 20-minute rainforest loop from Peach Tree car park.
- Ladies Well, a granite swimming hole on the river.
- Buttress roots, hanging vines and mossy rock, at eye level.
- Shade and toilets at White Rock, further upstream.
Where: Allyn River Road, Upper Allyn NSW 2311, Chichester State Forest. Opening Hours: Always open and free
The walk: A 20 to 30 minute loop from Peach Tree picnic area.
Facilities: Picnic spots, toilets at White Rock. Limited mobile reception.
From Tara Hill: About 50 minutes via Dungog and East Gresford.
What is the Allyn River rainforest walk?
The Allyn River Rainforest Walking Track is a short looped walk starting at Peach Tree picnic area in Chichester State Forest, near Upper Allyn. It runs about 20 to 30 minutes through a rainforest of towering trees, huge buttress roots, hanging vines and mossy rock, with the Allyn River in view for much of it. Mostly even ground, with some steps.
It is a walk you can do in sandals with a three-year-old, and still find worth doing without one.
The water is the point
Ladies Well is the swimming hole everyone comes back for: clear water held between granite boulders, cold enough in November to make a noise about and perfect in February. The Allyn River Forest Rest Area sits nearby for a longer stay, and White Rock, further upstream, is flat, shaded and has toilets.
Do the loop first while everyone is dry, then swim. Doing it the other way around means walking a rainforest track in wet clothes, which nobody enjoys twice.
- Take your shoes off at the halfway point and stand in the river for a minute. It is the coldest, clearest water within an hour of the property, and it is the part of the day your kids will describe when they get home.
A forest that has grown back
Chichester is a working state forest, and it has been cut over many times across more than 150 years. Almost everything standing here is regrowth. Knowing that changes what you notice: the size gap between the old survivors and the rest, the straightness of some stands, the way the rainforest gullies were left alone because nobody could get machinery into them.
It is the same timber industry you can see boxed up in glass cases at the Dungog Museum; it’s still going on outside. The valley made its money from these hills, and the forest has spent a century quietly taking them back.
Where to stop along the river
Peach Tree
Small picnic area, start of the rainforest loop
The walk
Allyn River Forest Rest Area
Larger day-use area across the river
A long lunch
Ladies Well
Granite-lined swimming hole
Hot afternoons
White Rock
Flat, shaded, toilets, walk-in camping
Families who need facilities
Pademelon
Large secluded campsites among trees
Groups
They sit within a few minutes of each other along Allyn River Road, so you can move between them all afternoon without committing to any of them. Park, look, drive another two minutes if it is busy.
Questions before you go
Can you swim in the Allyn River?
Yes. Ladies Well is the best-known spot, a clear pool held between granite boulders, and the river is swimmable at several points along Allyn River Road. It is unpatrolled bush swimming with no lifeguards, so check depth before anyone jumps, and keep children close after heavy rain when the flow picks up.
When is the best time of year to go?
December to March for swimming, when the pools are the point, and the water is cold enough to be worth it. April to September for the walk, when the rainforest is at its greenest, the leeches have eased off, and you get the track largely to yourself. Avoid the days after heavy rain.
What is the road in like?
Sealed most of the way, then gravel through the forest, and a 2WD handles it in dry conditions. Coming via Gresford, the road crosses several causeways that can become impassable during heavy rain. Check the forecast, and if it has poured in the previous day or two, choose a different outing.
Is there phone reception?
Limited to none in the Allyn River area. Download your maps before you leave Gresford or Dungog, and let someone at the property know roughly when to expect you back. Treat it as a proper bush outing rather than a park with bars on your phone.
The best kind of half day
Leave after a slow breakfast, swim, walk, and be back at Tara Hill with the afternoon still ahead of you. That is the shape of this one.
Come home to 25 acres above the valley, a private pool for rinsing the river off, a fire pit for later, and a veranda facing the last of the light. Wet towels on the rail, everyone tired in the right way.