Road trip to find NSW's biggest trees

Bulahdelah is typical of towns bypassed by freeways (in Bula’s case, the M1) and in search of a new identity beyond a friendly refuel and snack stopover. The surrounding National Parks are inspiring and beautiful, with Myall Lakes offering great fishing and kayaking (it is also terrific area to explore in a houseboat).

But on arrival to Bulahdelah, this ‘road trip rapture’ begins to evaporate like a giant bluegum shedding its bark. Why? Because I’ve hired a four-wheel-drive hybrid, and forgot to tick the off-road insurance option, only to realise big trees are found off road.

So I’m at Bulahdelah Tourism Centre, pacing. How can we see the biggest tree in NSW if we can’t drive there insured!? My son plays with his phone. My wife looks anxious.

Joe and Val, smiling septuagenarians manning the information desk flag us over. “Did you say you’d like to see the Grandis?” In a flash, we are bouncing around their brown LandCruiser to see our first big tree.

The Grandis Tree – a spectacular Flooded Gum – is the tallest tree in NSW and over 400 years old. With its ghostly trunk touched by the low afternoon light, it stands like a lighthouse amongst its lesser brethren. It’s over 70 metres. We are awestruck. This is bush whale watching. And it’s cleverly framed, as if walking into a shrine.

To get there I suggest coming in from Lakes Way to reach it as signage is not ideal. At Grandis you’ll find tables to enjoy a picnic and and there’s a toilet (a long drop that leads straight to hell). Finally, remember, you are in nature so listen to the chiming birds and smell the bouquet of the rainforest.

We depart for our accommodation at Diamond Waters Treehouse Retreat at Dunbogan (not Dumb Bogan as Siri insists). My son loves the accommodation as it’s like sleeping in a giant treehouse, only with Netflix.

The following morning, we leave Dunbogan, heading for the unofficial most mispronounced town in NSW, Wauchope (waw-hope?!).

In 1836, Captain Robert Andrew Wauch (he dropped 'ope' due to a family quarrel) purchased 760 acres on King Creek, calling the station ‘Wauchope’. From this seed a settlement grew. Encircled by verdant national parks, state forests and towering trees, it was an important timber town (it’s home to Australia’s largest Blackbutt forest) and was a vital dairy producer. Moreover, opened in 1976, Timbertown Pioneer Village (which we visit) underscores the district's 19th century timber origins.

At Wauchope we travel south on the Bago Road to our next old tree. Over 200 years old, the famous Old Bottlebutt is the largest Red Bloodwood tree in the Southern Hemisphere. Its unique shape, with its large flared ‘butt’, gives the tree its moniker.

Seeing it up close takes your breath away. A large, sheltered area and picnic table invites us to have a cuppa and an egg sandwich (we love egg sandwiches on road trips for some reason) before exploring the pretty 600-metre looped walking track, beginning and ending at the picnic area.

It’s all accessible via the Old Bottlebutt Walking Track. There are toilets here, too. Yep, long drop. We leave the tree to visit Timbertown.

From Wauchope, we head up to Dorrigo. I always assumed Dorrigo was an aboriginal name, but Major Parke – who explored the Dorrigo Plateau and fought in the Peninsula Wars under a Spanish General, Don Dorrigo – is said to have named the town after his friend. Though, it’s more likely that, like numerous NSW towns which are variations of indigenous names, the derivation of 'Don Dorrigo' is Dundurriga (Gumbaynggirr for the Stringybark).

Famed for its stunning waterfalls and bushwalks, I describe Dorrigo to Sydney chums as the ‘Blue Mountains of Bellingen’, and in keeping with our timber theme, most of the streets in Dorrigo are named after trees: Myrtle, Cypress, Rosewood, Mahogany, Tallowwood, Kurrajong, Ash, etc.

It’s a pretty – if not anxious – drive up the escapement to Dorrigo, with hairpin bends and surprise logging trucks (hey, don’t take any big trees, fellas). It takes us some time to find the Jack Feeney Tree on Coramba Rd, Dorrigo. The council needs to signpost it better as even the locals aren’t sure exactly where it is. But what a beauty! This stately tallowwood stands at 58 metres.

It’s humbling to stand beneath its wide belly and gaze skywards. Our son stands in the trunk for a photo to give the tree perspective. The following day we walk amongst treetops at the fabulous Dorrigo Rainforest Centre. The centre is run by passionate tree-folk going out of their way to help you engage with these woody leviathans.

Moreover, flanking the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre is the brillo Skywalk Lookout, which offers killer views over Dorrigo National Park and encompasses the Bellinger Valley to the coast. Bring the binoculars!