Victoria’s biggest stand of cool temperate rainforest has a facilities list that’s one word long.
Errinundra National Park holds Victoria’s largest remaining stand of cool temperate rainforest, and few people make the trip
Errinundra covers more than 43,000 hectares of far east Victoria, and its dirt roads turn impassable most winters. Up on the Errinundra Plateau in Far East Gippsland, more than 1,000 metres above sea level, Errinundra National Park holds the largest remaining stand of cool temperate rainforest in the state. The park dates to 1988 and has been extended four times since, most recently in 2020. Its tourism listing runs the facilities to a single word: carpark. Plenty of the forest roads threading through it have seen very few visitors.
Errinundra National Park
- What: Errinundra National Park, more than 43,000 hectares of rainforest, tall wet eucalypt forest and granite
- Where: Errinundra Road, Club Terrace, Far East Gippsland
- When: The drier months, as most of the park is inaccessible in winter
- Rules: No dogs, fires, camping or horses at the Errinundra Rainforest Boardwalk
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What they’re missing starts with a self-guided rainforest walk at Errinundra Saddle and the granite tors of Goonmirk Rocks. Forests of plum pine grow up there too, and shining gums line the nearby Errinundra Old Growth Walk, a 5km return stroll. One scenic drive closely follows a route taken by an early explorer, while the lookouts at Mount Morris, Ellery View and Ocean View give you the plateau from above. Pick your season carefully. Rain and snow generally make the unsealed roads impassable in winter, leaving most of the park reachable only in the drier months.
The neighbouring Bendoc district grew out of gold finds in the 1850s, then farming, timber harvesting and sawmilling. Commercial native timber harvesting in Victoria’s state forests ended on 1 January 2024.
Orbost operator Snowy River Cycling now offers another way in: the Errinundra Wilderness Journey, a four-day, three-night supported ride that starts in Delegate, just over the NSW border, and beds down at Bendoc’s historic pub. Stops include the Delegate River Diversion Tunnel, which local legend credits to Chinese miners in the 1860s, though the Victorian Heritage Database puts it down to the Delegate River Gold Sluicing Company, formed in 1889. The last day climbs into the park’s old-growth forest. Departures run from November 2026 into 2027, starting at $2,150, and four were booked before the first had left.
Deer stalking is allowed in the park until 15 December each year, so wear something bright.
For more information, head here.
