This 3-Day Barrington Tops Hike Brings Gondwana Rainforests, Leeches, and Icy River Crossings

Please note! Williams Top Road which leads to the start of the trail should only be accessed by 4WD in wet weather. Check the NPWS alerts page for the park before heading out.

 

Matt’s always piecing together his own routes and this time he’s spun together four tracks in Barrington Tops National Park to create the 30km, three-day, Barrington Tops Circuit.

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Biripi, Worimi, Guringai, Geawegal, and Wonaruah people who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

If you’ve done a lot of hiking in NSW, or even Australia, it’s fair to say that one trail can start to look a lot like the next trail. This can’t be said for Barrington Tops National Park. One trail here doesn’t even look the same just ten minutes later.

It’s 765km² of moss-draped forest, alpine plateaus, and ancient rainforest. Barrington Tops is home to the majority of the world’s Antarctic beech trees. That’s right, Antarctic. It’s not a typo.

Just 30 minutes into the hike, and you’ll step into a prehistoric slice of Gondwana and wonder whether they filmed The Land Before Time just over the next ridge.

Barrington Tops Circuit Facts

Distance: 29.5km
Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
Elevation gain: 1100m
Nearest town: Dungog
Start/Finish: Lagoon Pinch Picnic Area, Barrington Tops National Park
Best for: Ancient trees, alpine meadows, secluded huts, wild swimming, and (not) running into wild brumbies

About the Barrington Tops Circuit

This three-day, 30km loop offers just enough uphill to impress your colleagues after a long weekend, but is easy enough to give you plenty of time to enjoy the alpine air and ice-cold trout streams à la Wim Hof.

You can choose where you want to set up camp based on how you’re feeling (and also whether you booked somewhere). During our hike over an April long weekend, we encountered other groups out for a single-day, two-day, or three-day hike, so you can do as much or as little of this loop as you like. The entire loop is well-marked and follows a mix of fire trails and quiet bush paths.

Read more: Remember to leave no trace

History & Geography of the Barrington Tops

Barrington Tops National Park forms the southern end of the Gondwana rainforests of Australia, which received World Heritage Area status in 1986.

Given its size and altitudinal range, there’s a seriously diverse amount of flora and fauna to be found here. Just 20 minutes into our hike, a lyrebird danced across the trail in front of us. Later, we encountered Swamp wallabies and, in the alpine grasses, a Bare-nosed wombat.

The circuit passes Careys Hut, a weathered mountain hut built in 1934 when there was a pipe dream to turn the region into a ski resort. In hindsight, the fact that this didn’t happen was a smart business decision.

The area also holds cultural significance for the Wonnarua, Worimi, and the Biripi people, Traditional Custodians of this land for tens of thousands of years.

How to Get to Barrington Tops

From Sydney, it’s around 3 hours and 45 minutes to the Lagoon Pinch Picnic Area where the hike begins. I recommend a final pit stop in Dungog (we hit The Barn Dungog Pastry House for brekky and one last flushing toilet).

Getting to the trailhead from Dungog (about 1.5 hours):

• Take Chichester Dam Road for about 10km
• Turn left onto Salisbury Road
• Follow for around 40km via Williams Top Road until you reach Lagoon Pinch Picnic Area

It’s worth noting that after rain, the final stretch may require a 4WD, so it’s best to check conditions via NSW National Parks before setting off.

Where to Stay Along the Barrington Tops Hike

There are several designated campsites along this circuit where you can pitch your tent, and you can book them through NSW National Parks.

Popular picks include Careys Hut, which sits around 1,500m in elevation and is a short walk from Careys Peak Lookout.

The view from Careys Peak Lookout

Alternatively, there’s Wombat Creek Campground, which is 1.5km before Careys Hut. It’s less scenic but boasts a drop toilet and access to water from the creek. 

Last but not least, Junction Pools Campground was our favourite of the bunch, but you should expect to share this campsite with day-trippers, trout fishers, and those accessing the park with 4WDs.

Essential Gear for the Barrington Tops Hike

Aside from the usual mandatory gear for an overnight hike, consider throwing in the following to take your hike to new heights.

• Down booties – quickly becoming my favourite camp kit, my North Face Thermoball Traction Mules thrived in the high mountain air. They’re cosy enough to keep your feet warm and durable enough to bush bash a few hundred metres to a sunset lookout
• Book – I didn’t bring one. But, with several hours to kill at camp two, you should learn from my mistake
• Hiking pack rain cover. It can get moist up here
• Snake bandage (already should be in your mandatory gear)
• PLB
• First aid kit

Skill Level

Intermediate

The tracks are wide and clear* and follow fire trails for the duration of the circuit, so this one is suitable for beginner/intermediate overnight hikers.

The only catch is being able to handle the 900m of elevation on the first day. Once through that, it’s all, or mostly, downhill from there.

*clear, with the exception of a few fallen trees when we were there…

What It’s Like to Walk the Barrington Tops Circuit

Day 1 – Climb to Careys Hut into the Clouds — Via The Corker Trail & Careys Peak Trail

Distance: 10-11km
Elevation: 900m vert
Moving time: 3.5 hours
Elapsed time: 4.5 hours

Before your (hopefully) Gore-Tex boots hit the trail, you’ll get a look at what day one has in store during the steeeeeep drive up to Lagoon Pinch Picnic area.

Nestled deep in the Williams River precinct of Barrington Tops, prepare to spend the final 30-40 minutes of the drive on a bumpy dirt fire trail that winds its way up the mountain. I do not recommend drinking from a wide-mouthed Nalgene during this part of the trip.

The parking lot at Lagoon Pinch fits a dozen or so cars, so expect to run into fellow hikers.

You might want to do a few calf raises in the car park, because once you hit the Corker Trail, you’re basically on a stair master (without the stairs) for the first 6km.

The reward for the steep incline and leg burn is a trip back in time to the ancient Gondwana rainforest. Despite us not getting moving until midday when the sun was at its highest, there are stretches along this trail where the sunlight never touched the ground.

Think moss-draped trees, massive ferns, and ancient beech trees.

At 7.5km, a sign points right toward Wombat Creek Campground, a solid option to spend the night if you’re running low on steam. But it’s a darker and damper campground than Careys Hut, another 1.5km further uphill, so we decided the extra leg burn was worth the avoidance of leeches, of which there are many.

There’s no running water (or drop toilets) at Careys Hut, so make sure you fill up (or empty out) before pressing onwards.

Read more: How To Poo in The Bush

Once at Careys, ditch the pack, grab a snack, and wander 200m further to Careys Peak Lookout – one of the highest points in the park at 1,544m. From here, you can see the wild, rolling beauty of the tops stretching to the horizon, as well as the ridge you just spent all day climbing up.

Read more: How To Purify Water in the Bush

Day 2 – A Short, Swampy Day Towards Junction Pools — Via Edwards Swamp Trail

Distance: 7km
Elevation: 165m vert
Moving time: 1.5 hours
Elapsed time: 2.5 hours

Day two is about as cruisy as they come. We slept in, read (one of us at least), and rolled out of camp after 10am.

From the campsite, head back along Careys Peak Trail, then swing right onto Edwards Swamp Trail. This trail meanders gently through a landscape that resembles Kosciuszko National Park due to the altitude.

Expect wildflowers, tangled scrub, spongey streams, wombats, and the feral brumbies that supposedly live there that we didn’t see.

As you near Junction Pools, the trail becomes 4WD accessible, and you’ll probably pass a few day hikers.

Prepare to take your socks and shoes off around three times due to some inconveniently placed rivers. Or, try your hand at the long jump and relive memories of setting the record at Avalon Primary School in Year 6. Unfortunately, I faulted and fell in a puddle.

These rivers will later become your friends as they converge and snake through Junction Pools Campground, offering up a free ice bath if you’re game and need to recover from your long jump injuries.

Read more: Staying Safe Around Swimming Holes and Waterfalls

At Junction Pools, you’ll find a drop toilet and plenty of excellent places to pitch your tent. Just be mindful of snakes; we saw two in April and heard tales of plenty more during summertime.

Day 3 – Descending Back Through Rainforest — Via Aeroplane Hill Trail & Corker Trail

Distance: 13km
Elevation: 220m vert
Moving time: 3.5 hours
Elapsed time: 4 hours

The final day kicks off with a river crossing, followed by a steady 200m climb over about 3km along the Aeroplane Hill Trail. Named after a 1930s plane crash in the area, this hill is Barrington Tops’ version of the Bermuda Triangle.

The grassy patch in the background was where we pitched our tent the night before

Next, you’ll pass Black Swamp, another option for overnight camping if you want something quieter, but as the name suggests, it’s not as pretty as Junction Pools.

After 4km, things started to look familiar as we rejoined the Corker Trail and began the descent back to the car.

We enjoyed one last lap through the Jurassic Park-esque landscape on the way down and checked each other for leeches. We encountered a total of five squirmy lads during our lap.

Read more: Leeches: How To Remove, Avoid, and Appreciate Them

That was tops!

Barrington Tops has a bit of everything: mossy forest, open grassland, alpine air, and trails that feel like they’ve been there forever.

This three-day loop requires just enough effort to keep you honest, but you’ll be fresh enough not to need another weekend immediately afterwards. That is, assuming you don’t hit the Tinshed Brewery in Dungog too hard on the way home.

Barrington Tops Circuit Tips

• Make sure you know how to deal with leeches if you come across them
• Keep your eyes peeled for possible feral brumbies
• Don’t do what I did and attempt to jump across the river crossings

FAQs Barrington Tops Circuit

Which trails does the Barrington Tops Circuit include?

This 30km loop through Barrington Tops National Park includes parts of the Corker Trail, Careys Peak Trail, Edwards Swamp Trail, and Aeroplane Hill Trail.

Is the Barrington Tops Circuit good for beginners?

The Barrington Tops Circuit is easy enough to navigate and walk, as much of the trail follows fire trails. However, there’s decent elevation gain on the first day, so a good level of fitness and experience carrying a pack is ideal.

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