Bet You Haven’t Heard of All 5 of These Epic NSW National Parks

Pack the car and take a long weekend drive out to one of these five lesser-known national parks in New South Wales. Each one is epic and truly flies under the radar, your mates will be begging you for the intel. You get bragging rights if you can say you’ve visited them all.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife service reckon they have 850 national parks and reserves under their belt. With three days (or four if you were looking a bit sniffly on Thursday arvo) there’s heaps of time to venture further afield.

Set your sights on these five National Parks that are more than a stone’s throw from the big smoke.

5 Epic NSW National Parks You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

1. Mt Kaputar National Park

Time from Sydney: 7 hours

Rising out of the plains around Narrabri and forming a key part of the Nandewar Range, Mt Kaputar National Park, is an elevated bushland oasis. Mount Kaputar itself is 1,489m above sea level and with most of the park over a kilometre up, temperatures in the park are generally up to 10 degrees cooler than on the plains below. You might even see some snow!

You can set up a basecamp at Dawsons Spring or Bark Hut campgrounds before you hit the trails. The lookout at the end of the Governor track is particularly stimulating at sunset, but bring a head torch to avoid falling all the way back down to your tent.

Read more: Best Head Torches in Australia

Mt Kaputar is also the perfect place to nerd out on nature – creep around the Dawson’s Spring nature trail at night in search of wildlife or take a day-trip out to Sawn Rocks, one of Australia’s best examples of ‘organ-piping’, a geological phenomenon that occurs as basaltic lava cools.

2. Nymboi-Binderay National Park

Time from Sydney: 7.5 hours

Deep in the wilds behind Coffs Harbour there’s a rain-forested gorge-fest just begging to be relaxed in. Split by the Nymboida River, Nymboi-Binderay National Park is a subtropical nirvana featuring soaring eucalyptus trees, platypus infested rivers (damn) and frothing whitewater.

In fact the Nymboida River forms part of Australia’s longest white water river trail and many guided tours begin here.

If you’re looking to slow everything right down you can explore the calmer sections of the river by paddleboard, saunter beneath the gums on the Coachwood loop track or just chill at one of three remote campsites.

Read more: 5 Best Paddle Boarding Places Near Sydney

3. Warrumbungle National Park

Time from Sydney: 6.5 hours

Warrumbungle National Park, just out of Coonabarabran in country NSW, serves up a tantalising combination of starry skies and downright wacky rock formations.

The Warrumbungle Range, which everyone just calls ‘The Warrumbungles’, feature the rocky remains of an eroded shield volcano. The formations have metal names like ‘Split Rock’, ‘Fans Horizon’, ‘Crater Bluff’ and ‘The Breadknife’, you can walk beneath them and throw up your horns on the Grand High Tops walk.

It’s also a gold star Dark Sky Park, this means it officially gets dark enough to see ‘the full array of visible sky phenomena’ when the moon isn’t out. It’s no mistake the Sliding Springs Observatory is just down the road.

Split Rock – @harrisoncandlin

4. Wadbilliga National Park

Time from Sydney: 6 hours

If you’re looking for a real wilderness weekender head into Wadbilliga National Park. Nestled between the Snowy Mountains and the South Coast, Wadbilliga features a range of habitats from alpine to coastal with rugged gorges straight out of the Northern Territory.

The Tuross River runs throughout the park and eventually leaps off a series of jagged granite cliffs at the Tuross Falls. The Cascades campground is situated on the river and the cascades produce the purest, all-natural, organic white noise around. It’s the perfect starting point for the Tuross Falls and Cascades walking tracks (had fun naming this place didn’t they?) but be quick, bookings are essential.

Tuross Falls – @woodfiredlettuce

5. Deua National Park

Time from Sydney: 4.5 hours

‘A perfect location, between Canberra and the sea’ – sounds like a dodgy real-estate agent on full bore, but there’s some truth to it thanks to Deua National Park. Beneath the delicate ferns and tranquil rivers lies a band of everyone’s favourite cave-maker (limestone) which is responsible for some incredible geological formations within the park.

Top of the list is The Big Hole, a 100m metre deep, open-roofed cave. As the name suggests, it’s effin’ huge and from the viewing platform you can gaze directly into its yawning mouth (hell). From here you can continue on to see the stalactites hanging under the Marble Arch and explore some cheeky slot canyons.

Finish up at Berlang campground with a cold one or take a paddle on the Shoalhaven, you could even combine the two, but you didn’t hear that from me.

Read more: Find Your Next Adventure in the Shoalhaven

@sharkmavies

FAQs NSW National Parks

What’s the best time of year to visit these lesser-known NSW National Parks?

Autumn and spring are ideal for most of these parks – the weather’s mild, the waterfalls are flowing, and there’s less chance of either freezing or frying. Summer’s great for higher altitude spots like Mt Kaputar, while winter is prime for stargazing in the Warrumbungles (just bring a beanie, or three).

Can I camp in these National Parks?

Absolutely – in fact, camping is often the best way to soak in the serenity. Most of these parks offer low-key, scenic campgrounds (some with booking required), so you can snooze under the stars with only the wombats to keep you company!

Do I need a 4WD to access these National Parks?

Not necessarily! Some areas do have rugged access roads better suits to a 4WD. Most areas of Mt Kaputar and Warrumbungle National Parks have sealed roads to campgrounds and walking trails. Make sure to always check the NSW Parks alerts before heading off to check up on road conditions before you head out – it’s better than reversing 6km up a rutted track!

Are dogs allowed in these National Parks?

Nope – NSW National Parks are doggo-free zones to help protect native wildlife. Fortunately there are plenty of dog-friendly campgrounds and state forests in NSW worth checking out.

Shot by @evadavisboermans

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Table of contents image by @evadavisboermans