Rainforest Ridges and Creek-Fed Forests of Mount Jerusalem

Overview

Mount Jerusalem National Park sits in the hinterland between Byron Bay, Mullumbimby and Uki, where steep ridges, sheltered creek lines and pockets of rainforest shape the country. The park is known for its mix of tall eucalypt forest, subtropical rainforest and warm temperate rainforest, with wetter gullies and creeks giving it a greener, softer feel than many inland parks.

It is also part of a biologically rich corner of northern New South Wales. Alongside the broader forested landscape, the park protects habitat for a large number of threatened plants and animals, which gives it importance well beyond its size.

Highlights

The character of Mount Jerusalem comes from the contrast between forested ridgelines and the cooler, more sheltered creek flats below. Rainforest fills many of the drainage lines, while higher ground opens into tall eucalypt forest with longer views across the surrounding ranges.

Water is a big part of the scenery here. After decent rain, the park’s creeks and waterfalls are at their best, and even in drier spells the combination of rocky watercourses, dense foliage and shaded gullies gives the landscape its distinctive feel.

Best Time to Visit

Spring is a particularly good time to see Mount Jerusalem with water moving through the creeks and waterfalls after rain. Summer also suits the park well, especially in the cooler, shaded sections beside creeks where the rainforest canopy helps keep the heat down.

Rather than aiming for one fixed season, it makes more sense to visit when the district has had good rainfall, because that is when the park’s watercourses and lush forest scenery really show themselves.

Plants and Animals

Mount Jerusalem supports several different ecosystems, including subtropical rainforest, and provides refuge for many threatened species. Among the better known animals recorded here are Albert’s lyrebird and the red-legged pademelon, while birdlife also includes species such as the wompoo fruit-dove and yellow-tailed black cockatoo.

The plant life shifts with the terrain. Bangalow palms are a familiar sight in the wetter forest, and warm temperate rainforest in the park includes species such as coachwood. The park also protects important habitat for peach myrtle, an endangered shrub or small tree that grows in warm temperate rainforest on less fertile soils derived from rhyolite rock.

Culture and Heritage

Mount Jerusalem National Park is within the Country of the Widjabul Wia-bal and Minjungbal People of the Bundjalung Nation. This connection is recognised directly in park material for the area, including the Old People’s Track route that passes through the park.