Crystal Shower Falls
Crystal Shower Falls
From the towering canopy of ancient rainforest to the creatures that call it home, from lookouts stretching out across distant valleys to a suspension bridge hanging in front of a picture-perfect waterfall. This is a place where the track weaves between what’s natural and what’s been built around it. This is Crystal Shower Falls.
Quick Details
Total Length: 6.5km
Elevation: Around 250m
Grade: Easy
Best season: Year-round
Suitable for kids: Yes
Starting the Trail
It’s 10am, and the carpark at the Dorrigo Rainforest Centre is already almost full. This is one of those tourist hikes that always draws a crowd — and for good reason. It’s one of the prettiest waterfalls in New South Wales — at least we think it is anyway. While most people will do the shorter out and back trail to the falls, we always like doing the full Wonga Walk Circuit.
After paying a small donation in the gift shop, I headed down a steep walkway and into the rainforest. A lot of the track around here is paved — it’s steep in a few places but there’s lots of benches to rest on along the way making it a great track for families or anyone after a more leisurely rainforest walk.
One of the things I really love about this track is the way they’ve installed animal sculptures — rather than just information boards. It turns the walk into a bit of a treasure hunt. It’s not long on the track before you reach a viewing platform and high up in the tree tops is a large bird sculpture.
They blend in surprisingly well, which makes it kinda fun when you catch sight of a silver snail, or gecko hiding amongst the rocks.
Soon I reach the only junction on the track and head to the left — this is the long way round to reach Crystal Shower Falls. The track can be a little rougher on this side than the other, but you get to take in an extra waterfall, and a lot more forest.
Almost immediately the sounds of people along the other track disappear — swallowed up by the forest around me. The trees get bigger the deeper into the forest I go. While it’s not quite as dense as some of the forests I’ve hiked through on this trip, it’s still incredibly beautiful.
I think the strangler fig trees are one of the things I love most about these kinds of rainforests — and to see them in different stages of their life cycle is really eye-opening. From thin tendrils slowly reaching down to the ground — wholly reliant on the tree beneath them. To the all-encompassing giants standing on their own — knitted together into thick wooden forms strong enough to carry their own weight.
Trail Tails
As I was walking along, enjoying the sights of the forest around me, I caught sight of a snake on the side of the track. I didn’t know which species it was, but thanks to my friendship with The Reptile Bloke, I now have a curiosity and appreciation for snakes that I never used to have. A couple of people appeared on the trail behind me, and what followed was one of the most bizarre conversations I think I’ve had on a hiking trail.
Me: “Hey, just letting you know there’s a small snake over here.”
Her: “What kind of snake is it?”
Me: “I don’t know actually. It’s all black with a gold face.”
Her: “Well it wouldn’t be black, it would be green.”
Me: “… I’m looking right at it. And it’s definitely black.”
Her: “No, because it would be a tree snake, and those are green.”
Me: “… Not green. Also, not in a tree.”
They walked up beside me.
Her: “Oh! That’s not a tree snake!”
Me: “Yeah… it’s not green either is it?”
Tristania Falls
I left the couple behind me to continue their reptile taxonomy debate, and continued on through the forest to the first waterfall of my day. It’s not long before I hear the sounds of running water drifting through the trees, and the trail carries me over a bridge suspended above the creek, just in front of Tristania Falls.
While it may not be the main waterfall attraction, Tristania Falls is still beautiful in its own right. The water fans out and tumbles over rocks that look almost like children’s building blocks, creating a beautiful contrast between the soft movement of the water and the sharp geometry of the rock.
Back to the Trail
The trail turns sharply uphill and for a few metres it’s pretty rough. It somewhat smooths out though and continues through the rainforest, and past the Hardwood Lookout. So if you’ve struggled with the hill to get up here, there’s a bench to rest on and take in some wide valley views while you catch your breath.
As I walked along admiring the trees, I spotted a small lizard — the most brilliant shade of orange — perched on the base of a stump. He held so perfectly still for a photo, even giving me what looked suspiciously like a smile. After taking the picture, I tried to gently poke him with a stick just to make sure he was real and not one of the animal statues scattered along the track. He was not a statue… and he was not impressed with my method of testing either.
Crystal Shower Falls
The sounds of running water and excited children drift through the trees as I spot the suspension bridge over the creek, and behind it, the main star of the track — Crystal Shower Falls. The bridge gives a great overall view of the falls, but there’s nothing quite like the experience of walking behind a waterfall.
The space under the overhang is high enough to comfortably stand, and the view downstream is one of those picture-perfect rainforest scenes. With the water gently falling, framed by delicate vines and leaves hanging from the wall above. The round, rock-lined pool surrounded by so much greenery, with the suspension bridge hanging high above. It feels like you’re in the jungle.
It’s also from here that you can really take in the full view of the suspension bridge, bouncing gently as kids run across it and disappear somewhere into the trees high above. The suspension bridge is really the best viewpoint to see the full waterfall uninterrupted. It does make photography a little interesting though when people are walking across it — a tripod may hold a camera steady, but when the surface beneath the tripod is bouncing up and down, sharp photos become somewhat aspirational.
For a few brief minutes I had the falls to myself. Just me, a gentle breeze, and the steady sound of water dropping into the pool below. Then the sun slipped through a gap in the clouds and caught the spray as it fell. Every droplet lit up in the air — a glittering shower of crystals drifting through the rainforest.
Up the Hill
A large group emerged at the base of the falls as the clouds covered the sun once more. So I packed up my things and made my way over to the far side of the bridge and up the trail towards the Rainforest Centre.
The trail from here is wide and paved the whole way — with the exception of one small detour on a boardwalk through the trees. I always take this detour — I couldn’t even tell you what’s on the main path because if it’s a choice between a paved track and a boardwalk suspended in the air amongst the trees, I’m taking the boardwalk. It’s only short, but it’s beautiful.
The Skywalk
Back up at the Rainforest Centre there’s one last viewing platform I haven’t been on yet, the Skywalk — a wooden boardwalk suspended in the air that takes you out past the trees to see the valley. I’ve visited this trail a few times over the years, and every time it’s been too foggy to see anything from the Skywalk. But if you manage to visit without fog, the views are pretty great — at least so I’m told.
P.S. Later that day, I messaged The Reptile Bloke and he let me know it was a marsh snake that I saw — which is not a form of tree snake!
Getting There
The Dorrigo Rainforest Centre can be found just off Dome Road, outside of Dorrigo, on Waterfall Way.
Tips and Tricks
Entry to Crystal Shower Falls trail is by donation at The Dorrigo Rainforest Centre.
Go early in the day or during the week for a chance at less people being on the trail.
Doing the full Wonga Walk, if you’re able, is really worth the extra distance.