Macquarie Pass

Macquarie Pass National Park is a spectacular escarpment park on the Illawarra coast of New South Wales, protecting the gorge and rainforest of the Macquarie Rivulet as it descends from the Southern Highlands to the coastal plain near Albion Park. Covering approximately 1,050 hectares, the park encompasses one of the most accessible and spectacular subtropical rainforest experiences on the south coast, with a short walking track leading through lush rainforest to a beautiful waterfall. The park's warm temperate and subtropical rainforest communities are outstanding and attract numerous visitors from the Wollongong and Shellharbour region.

Macquarie Pass National Park's moist rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest support diverse wildlife. The superb lyrebird is abundant, and its extraordinary vocal mimicry fills the rainforest with complex song. Common ringtail possums inhabit the forest canopy. The platypus occurs in the Macquarie Rivulet in the more permanent pools. Yellow-tailed black-cockatoos feed on banksia seeds in the upper escarpment sections. The rainforest supports diverse insectivorous birds, and the dawn chorus is spectacular. Eastern water dragons are common at creek crossings. Microbat species roost in rocky overhangs and hollow trees.

The vegetation of Macquarie Pass is dominated by warm temperate rainforest featuring coachwood, sassafras, and lilly pilly in the sheltered gorge, with pockets of subtropical rainforest species including bangalow palm and native tamarind on the lower slopes. Tree ferns, mosses, and epiphytic orchids colonise every available surface in the moist gorge environment. The upper escarpment supports dry sclerophyll heath and woodland on the sandstone, with a diverse understorey typical of the Illawarra sandstone flora. The transition from the moist gorge to the dry heath on the escarpment rim is remarkably sharp.

Macquarie Pass cuts through the Illawarra Escarpment where the Macquarie Rivulet has exploited geological weaknesses in the Triassic Hawkesbury Sandstone and underlying Permian shale and coal measures to carve a gorge descending to the coastal plain. The pass has been an important route between the coast and the Southern Highlands since European settlement. The waterfall within the park marks a resistant sandstone bed in the gorge profile. The moist, sheltered gorge environment creates the conditions for the luxuriant rainforest community.

Macquarie Pass National Park has a humid temperate climate strongly influenced by the orographic effects of the escarpment. The gorge receives approximately 1,400 to 1,600 millimetres of rain annually, with the moist gorge maintaining high humidity year round. Summer temperatures in the gorge are moderated by the canopy and moist microclimate, typically 22 to 28°C. Winters are mild at the gorge base but cool on the upper escarpment. The waterfall is at its most spectacular following heavy rainfall, typically in late winter and spring.

The Dharawal people are the traditional custodians of the Illawarra region, and the pass through the escarpment would have been a significant travel route between the coast and the highland country. European exploration identified Macquarie Pass as an important route between Wollongong and the Southern Highlands, and a road was constructed through the pass in the 19th century. The gorge and waterfall were recognised as scenic attractions from an early date.

Macquarie Pass National Park was gazetted in 1969, protecting the rainforest gorge and escarpment from development on the increasingly developed Illawarra coast. The park's establishment preserved one of the finest accessible subtropical rainforest walks in the south coast region. Management focuses on weed control in the rainforest and on managing visitor access to the popular waterfall walk.

The Macquarie Pass waterfall walk is a short, popular track from the car park through lush subtropical rainforest to a beautiful cascade on the Macquarie Rivulet. The walk provides an excellent introduction to the warm temperate rainforest communities of the Illawarra escarpment. Birdwatching is excellent, with the lyrebird's mimicry a constant feature. The upper escarpment provides views over the Illawarra coastal plain.

Macquarie Pass National Park is accessed from the Macquarie Pass Road off the Illawarra Highway between Albion Park and Robertson. The car park and picnic area provide day use facilities with toilets. There are no campgrounds. The park is approximately 100 kilometres south of Sydney via the Princes Highway through Wollongong. Albion Park and Robertson provide visitor services. A national parks pass applies.

Weed control in the rainforest, particularly targeting lantana, fishbone fern, and exotic vines, is the primary management activity. The moist gorge environment is susceptible to invasive plant establishment in disturbed areas. Managing visitor numbers and preventing erosion on the popular waterfall track are important. The park's rainforest communities are monitored for the effects of climate change, including potential drying of the gorge microclimate.