Border Ranges Yowie Sightings: Tweed Range Scenic Drive Stories

Border Ranges National Park sits on the rim of an ancient volcano in far northern NSW: cloud forest, Antarctic beech and sheer drops into the Wollumbin (Mount Warning) caldera. For decades, timber workers, night drivers and campers have reported "hairy man" and Yowie encounters here, from deep calls rising out of the rainforest to silent figures stepping into the mist.

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It's one of the most spectacular drives in the state, and a World Heritage-listed part of the Gondwana Rainforests. We cover the park's reported hotspots in our Supernatural Sydney guide. Here's a taste, and how to visit.

The History of Yowie Reports in the Border Ranges

This is high, wet rainforest on Bundjalung Country, where the Tweed Range curls around the Wollumbin caldera. On the NSW side, steep fern-filled gullies like Brindle Creek and Sheepstation Creek sit below knife-edge ridges draped in beech, and the Tweed Range Scenic Drive skirts sheer drop-offs. Mist rolls in fast and sound travels strangely across the basin. The canopy drips even on clear days, and lyrebirds mimic everything in the fog.

The Yowie Sightings

From the late 1970s onward, drivers heading toward The Pinnacle have described a tall silhouette stepping off the verge near Bar Mountain in drizzle, turning its head toward the high beams, then slipping into lawyer vine almost without a sound. Several mention an earthy, wet-dog smell drifting into the car when they wound down the windows to listen.

In the 1990s, two walkers staying at Sheepstation Creek campground said they heard three wooden knocks answered from across Brindle Creek, then heavy steps pacing them out of sight for several minutes. When they stopped, a low exhale came from the bank below.

In 2011, a road crew doing dawn debris checks on the Tweed Range Scenic Drive reported something crossing between cuttings in two strides, clearing the ditch without breaking pace. They later found limbs wedged at chest height along a game trail, and a sharp, musky smell in the still air.

The same pattern repeats: a knock, a smell, then a brief and silent departure, usually in mist or light rain.

How to Get to Border Ranges National Park

From Kyogle, NPWS directions are 15 km north on the Summerland Way to Wiangaree, then right onto Lynchs Creek Road. From Murwillumbah (about 50 km), follow Kyogle Road west to Lillian Rock and turn right onto Williams Road. Both routes include unsealed sections, and NPWS says 4WD is required in wet weather. Key stops along the Tweed Range Scenic Drive include Bar Mountain, The Pinnacle Lookout, Antarctic Beech, Brindle Creek, Forest Tops and Sheepstation Creek.

Know Before You Go

• Park entry fees apply: NPWS lists $8 per vehicle per day.
• This is Bundjalung Country, including sacred Wollumbin. Show respect and leave no trace.
• Roads are narrow, steep and often wet, with debris after storms and fog to ground level. Check NPWS alerts and drive slowly.
• Camp only at Sheepstation Creek or Forest Tops campgrounds, and stay on marked tracks. Leeches are common.
• Keep the forest quiet after dark: no calling, playback or spotlighting. Tell someone your plans; reception is limited.

Border Ranges Yowie FAQs

Have Yowies been reported in the Border Ranges?

Yes. Reported accounts include sightings near Bar Mountain since the late 1970s, knocks at Brindle Creek in the 1990s and a 2011 road crossing on the Tweed Range Scenic Drive. None have been proven.

Is there a fee to enter Border Ranges National Park?

Yes, NPWS lists a vehicle entry fee of $8 per day.

Do you need a 4WD?

Access roads include unsealed sections. NPWS says 4WD is required in wet weather.

Where can you camp?

At Sheepstation Creek and Forest Tops campgrounds, both with toilets, picnic tables and barbecues.

More Northern Rivers Mysteries

• Yowie Sightings in NSW: Where the Legends Come From
• Cape Byron Lighthouse UFO sightings
• Killen Falls: the cave waterfall near Byron Bay
• Hidden Gems Hunter Valley & North Coast