Waterfall Way

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Waterfall Way
78
Length 159 kilometres
General direction: West-East
From: Armidale, NSW
To: 5 km north of Urunga, NSW
Towns along highway: Wollomombi, Dorrigo, Bellingen

The Waterfall Way is a road and State Highway 78 in New South Wales, Australia. It runs east-west from the Pacific coast to Armidale. The route passes through some of New South Wales' most scenic countryside and has become known as a tourist drive. It also provides one of the few road links between coastal and inland New South Wales, and is therefore more heavily trafficked than its condition might otherwise suggest.

Starting from a junction with the Pacific Highway at Raleigh, midway between Urunga and Coffs Harbour, it follows the south bank of the Bellinger River, passing through Bellingen. After crossing the Bellinger River the road swings north and climbs the escarpment of the Great Dividing Range, passing the two large and several smaller waterfalls for which the route is named, skirting the southern edge of the Dorrigo world heritage rainforest. At the top of the escarpment (elevation 750m) a short detour south leads to a lookout over the upper Bellinger valley, also a national park. A short way further on is the turnoff to the Dorrigo National Park visitor centre, known for its skywalk and walking tracks. Proceeding through the town of Dorrigo, the road continues through the pastoral upland of the Dorrigo plateau to Armidale, passing through the small townships of Ebor and Wollomombi with their nearby waterfalls.

The road is sealed but relatively narrow and has steep, winding sections. In recent years storms and associated flash flooding have washed away sections of the roadway where it rises to the ranges, leading to traffic being limited to one lane until remedial work was completed.

Bellinger Magic - the official visitor guide to the Bellinger region