Victoria Park Nature Reserve, in the Northern Rivers of NSW, provides a short rainforest boardwalk, wildlife, accessible picnicking facilities and unique Aboriginal heritage. The reserve has over 150 tree species, including White Booyong, Red Bean, Moreton Bay Fig, and Strangler Fig.
The reserve is a tiny fragment of the once significant sub-tropical rainforest that once covered over 75,000 hectares, from Lismore to Ballina, Byron Bay, and Mullumbimby. Discovery of valuable Red Cedar trees in the 1840s resulted in almost the entire rainforest being cleared within 60 years.
Victoria Park Nature Reserve is one of only 11 major remnants of the sub-tropical rainforest surviving, around 0.1% of its original size. A project to double the size of Victoria Park’s rainforest began in 1975 and regeneration of the rainforest continues.
The walking trail is an easy boardwalk the entire way. There are no steep gradients, so it is suitable for wheelchairs and those who are not able to go on longer walks. Information signs along the way provide details of the species of trees and animals found in the reserve, and how they relate to the Aboriginal people of the area.
The picnic area has decent facilities for what you would expect for a national park. There are no bins so what you bring in you must take out, which is common at national parks. There is a sheltered picnic table and a couple of others without shelters. There is plenty of grass to throw out a picnic blanket as well. The space has a lot of trees surrounding it providing plenty of shade, although there may be less shade during the summer months.
The toilets are accessible and there are paths between the some of the picnic tables, BBQs and toilets.
Links
https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/victoria-park-nature-reserve
