Fishing in Nymboi-Binderay National Park

Nymboi-Binderay sits on the Dorrigo plateau about 60 kilometres west of Coffs Harbour, in deep gorge country carved by the Nymboida River and its tributaries.

The park's 172 square kilometres take in granite gorges, old-growth forest, and the kind of remote river terrain that demands preparation before you arrive. The Nymboida River is the main water here.

It runs hard through the park — granite-walled rapids that draw white-water rafters — and most of it is not casual wading country.

The calmer sections, including the area around Cod Hole and The Junction, are where anglers realistically get access to the river. Cod Hole has a boat ramp and six campsites, making it the practical base for anyone fishing the Nymboida.

The Little Nymboida River also runs through the park and provides additional freshwater access. Eastern freshwater cod are present in the Nymboida system, and the park takes their status seriously.

If you catch one, you are obliged to release it — this is a park rule, not a suggestion.

Seasonal fishing closures and other restrictions aimed at protecting eastern freshwater cod apply in the park; check current rules with NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service before you go, as these can change.

Access roads are 4WD recommended, there is no phone service in the gorge, and conditions can shift fast after rain. The unsealed roads that reach Cod Hole are not the place to test an unprepared vehicle. This is remote water.

The fishing is secondary to the logistics for most visitors, but for those willing to get in there, the Nymboida gorge is genuinely wild river country — the kind that hasn't been smoothed out for convenience.