The reserve is situated north-west of the rural locality of Limpinwood, and north of Tyalgum and defines part of the state border between New South Wales and Queensland.

The reserve is part of the Shield Volcano group of the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia inscribed in 1986 and added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2007.

Flora Reserve is the highest protected status for forest areas in the Australian National Parks system.

The reserve is composed of virgin old growth sub-tropical rain forest and hardwood species - flooded gum, tallowwood, ironbark and white mahogany.

It includes an area of escarpment rising to over 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level that forms part of the state border.