When you first lay eyes on Rawson Falls, it’s hard to believe that it’s not one of the more well known waterfalls in NSW. The huge cascade thunders over a sheer rock face and the surrounding dense rainforest only adds to the magic.
It’s a phenomenal sight and reminded me of Minyon Falls, but without the crowds. In fact we didn’t see another soul on the whole trail, and that was on a public holiday! The walk to get there is fairly easy and a spectacular trail in its own right.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Rawson Falls, one of our favourite places to visit near Port Macquarie.
The walk to Rawson Falls
The stats
Distance: 4.8km return
Elevation gained: 230m
Difficulty: Easy - moderate
The walk to Rawson Falls is all on a fairly well maintained track. It is predominantly downhill on the way and then obviously a bit of a climb on the way back up - but it actually doesn’t take very long and is never overly steep.
There is a lookout 1km before the base of the falls, but it doesn’t offer a great view of the waterfall, so it is better to do the the full walk to the bottom.
After heavy rain, sections of the track become very muddy, especially near the base of the falls. You’ll experience the waterfall at its best after rain, but if it’s too powerful you won’t be able to swim, so it’s a trade off. The walk to the base of the falls took us 1.5 hours return and that was probably a bit slow due to the mud factor!
Starting the trail: into the rainforest
I had no idea before starting this walk that the trail itself was going to blow me away. I hoped the waterfall would be pretty, but had no expectations for the track.
From the very first steps, when you enter the dense rainforest, it is an absolute delight.
There are so many hanging vines, trees with giant buttress roots, spiky epiphytes and lots of fungi. Its stunning and the huge array of birdlife made it even more special.
The eerie call of the Catbirds gave it atmosphere and I imagine it’s especially glorious on misty days.
The path is well formed and in good condition, taking you gently downhill under the full shade of the forest canopy.
At first you can hear a little road noise, but it slowly melts away the further down you go.
Descending to the lookout
After 600m the path flattens and narrows before it begins descending again, this time on switchbacks.
After a couple of hundred metres, you will come to a small creek and the path does get a little slippery if wet, but it’s only brief.
You’ll pass plenty of boulders and then the trail improves - unless that is, you’re walking after really heavy rain as we were, when the track gets very muddy.
It’s not the kind of mud you sink into and lose a boot, but it is a bit slippery. We managed by just taking it really slowly and carefully in the worst sections.
After you’ve been walking for 1.5km (from the car park) you’ll reach a junction with the lookout and the base of the falls. It’s just 20m along a boardwalk to the viewpoint.
You can’t see much as the bush is dense, but it’s worth taking a quick look anyway.
To the base of the falls
I thought the walk to the bottom of the falls - which is 1km away - would be less well maintained than the section to the lookout, but happily it’s fairly similar.
If it weren’t muddy it would be nice and easy, but with mud it requires a little more care. The forest continues to be gorgeous with many giant strangler figs which really reminded me of Dorrigo National Park.
I still can’t believe we didn’t see anyone else on a trail this beautiful!
After a few hundred metres there is a short section of steeper track which is a little slippery, but it’s not far at all and would probably not even be noticeable in drier conditions.
You’ll continue descending for another 500m before you reach a boulder field. You will have been able to hear the waterfall for quite some time by this point, but beside the boulders it is positively roaring!
All the moss and tangled vines give it real jungle vibes and you are now just minutes away from the base of the falls.
The bottom of Rawson Falls
The last few metres to the falls are on a rockier stretch of track but it’s still fairly easy going. Unfortunately the very last bit of the walk becomes really boggy after heavy rain.
The mud was pretty full on and very slippery, I am not sure if it’s clay, but it felt a bit like it.
We tentatively walked to the large log you can see in the photos, but didn’t descend the final few steps to the falls, which requires climbing over a couple of rocks and then traversing yet more mud.
Normally it would be straightforward enough, but it had become a slip and slide and therefore we decided not to risk it.
Getting to the pool at the base would have been the cherry on top, but just seeing the tremendous force of the falls was incredible. It is truly jaw-dropping.
Before realising how much flow there was I had intended to swim in the pool at the base, but there was obviously no chance.
I definitely feel like we saw the waterfall at its most dramatic, but if you’d like to swim underneath the falls you’ll need to visit when there is less water.
There is a bit of a trade off between seeing the waterfall at its most powerful and getting to experience it a little more close up.
We also saw there was a path leading away from the falls, down river, which probably has a few more areas you can swim if the flow is low.
Overall, Rawson Falls is utterly spectacular - both the waterfall and the rainforest. I will never get over the fact there are places this stunning in NSW and you can still get them to yourself!
Heading back up
The walk back up is actually not too bad considering what a huge waterfall you were standing at the base of. It’s a fairly constant climb but it doesn’t have any really steep bits.
If you’re walking when it’s super muddy, you’ll also notice it’s so much easier going uphill and you can keep up a good pace. I never felt like it was slippery on the ascent which was great after a few dubious bits coming down.
Getting to Rawson Falls
Rawson Falls is located around an hours drive from Port Macquarie (approximately 63km). It’s just over four hours from Sydney. There are two access points for the falls, one is via Lorne (the route Google maps will take if coming from Sydney) and one is via Wauchope (the route Google maps will take you if coming from Port Macquarie).
The route via Lorne has has a fairly long unsealed section of road, but at time of writing it’s in good condition and doesn’t require any special clearance. The other route is sealed until the final turning to the falls.
We recommend checking for road closures, as twice we’ve had to divert in this area as one of the roads was closed.
Facilities at Rawson Falls
There is a long drop toilet at the car park and a picnic area. Please remember to take all your rubbish with you and note there are no facilities along the trail.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, that we will earn a small commission if you click through and decide to make a purchase. This helps towards the costs of running our website. Thanks for your support!
