Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, Nature reserve in New South Wales, Australia

Oxley Wild Rivers National Park covers 145,223 hectares along the Great Escarpment, with the Apsley, Macleay, Wollomombi and Chandler rivers cutting deep gorges. At least fourteen waterfalls lie within its boundaries, including Wollomombi Falls, the highest in New South Wales. The park protects extensive dry rainforest and is part of the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Site.

The area became a protected national park in 1986, following the earlier expedition of explorer John Oxley who traveled through the region in 1818. This historical journey opened the New England area to European exploration and discovery.

The Dangaddi Aboriginal people held the Northern Tablelands and these valleys as tribal lands for thousands of years; their descendants now live mainly along the lower Macleay River. Marked trees have been found and a limestone cave shelter excavated near Kunderang Brook. Cedar-getters followed John Oxley's 1818 route, felling Australian red cedar (Toona ciliata) and floating it down-river to Kempsey.

You need day use vehicle permits for certain areas such as Halls Peak campground and Riverside campground, which you can arrange through the National Parks Contact Centre. Planning ahead helps ensure smooth access to the different sections you want to explore.

The park holds about 10,000 brush-tailed rock wallabies, the largest known population of the species. It also records 55 mammal, 173 bird, 38 reptile and 19 amphibian species, and around 950 plant species, about 35 of them rare or threatened.