New South Wales has more than 200 national parks. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing weekend getaway or an adventurous vacation, there is a wealth of natural beauty and wildlife to be explored in the national parks of NSW. Below is a list and description of 6 must-visit national parks in NSW. You can visit some of them on a day trip from Sydney, while others are more remote. The national parks on my must-visit list are blessed with diverse landscapes: dramatic coastlines, mountain ranges, rainforests, extinct volcanoes, bizarre rock formations and barren desert lands.
Blue Mountains National Park
The Blue Mountains is an absolute must-visit national park if you come to Sydney. The name of the park comes from the famous blue haze emitted by eucalyptus trees. The scenery is spectacular, and you will find everything here: lush rainforest, waterfalls, deep gorges and vast valleys.
The Blue Mountains is a great place for hiking and has many hiking options ranging from short walks to multi-day hikes. You can also do rock climbing, abseiling, mountain biking, and more.
Here are my personal favourites in the Blue Mountains
Hanging Rock (Baltzer Lookout)
To get here to Baltzer Lookout and Hanging Rock it is about a 5km hike along Burramoko Ridge trail which itself is quite boring, but the view at the lookout is well worth it. The view of the Hanging Rock and the Grose Valley is spectacular.
Butterbox Point Track
Butterbox Point Track is a short track that you can combine with Mount Hay Track making it around 5km in total. The views over the Grose Valley are absolutely gorgeous. Moreover, you will see incredible rock formations that create a surrealistic otherworldly landscape.
Lockley Pylon Track
Lockley Pylon Track is a 7 km return trail near Leura leading to Lockleys Pylon peak overlooking Govetts Gorge and Grose Valley.
McMahons Point Lookout is less than 1 km walk from the car park and you are rewarded with an amazing view of Lake Burragorang.
The Three Sisters Lookout
Of course, I cannot miss these iconic sandstone rock formations, because this view is just stunning.
Location: about 65 km west of Sydney.
Entry fee: $8 per vehicle per day (only in the Glenbrook area)
Kosciuszko National Park
The best national parks of NSW list is not complete without Kosciuszko National Park. it is the largest national park in NSW and is home to Australia’s highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko. It offers a variety of hikes for all levels of experience, and in winter it turns into a snow sports playground.
The most popular hike in the park is Mount Kosciuszko Summit walk (18km return) which starts at Charlottes Pass. Alternatively, you can start at Thredbo for a 13 km return walk.
Main Range Track is a bit more challenging. It is a 22 km loop across the alpine high country including summitting Mount Kosciuszko. Read my post on Australia’s Eleven Highest Peaks Track. This track follows Main Range Track with detours to summit the peaks.
Location: about 500 km from Sydney
Entry fee: $17 per vehicle per day, in winter $29 per vehicle per day.
Royal National Park
Royal National Park is Australia’s oldest and one of the best national parks in Australia. It is easily accessible from Sydney and offers great opportunities for hiking, boating, swimming, and other activities.
Below are the most popular sites in the park:
Figure 8 Pools: amazing naturally-formed round-shaped pools one of which has a shape of a figure ‘8’. You can only visit the pools during low tide, so plan your trip before you go. Visit NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service website to check tide level.
Curracurrong Falls: a unique coastal waterfall that plunges directly into the ocean. There are only 3 waterfalls like this in Australia.
Eagle Rock: overhang rock that looks like an eagle beak
Wedding Cake Rock: an iconic white colour rock formation that looks like a slice of cake.
Coast Walk Track: a 2-day hike that covers 25km and takes in Wedding Cake Rock.
Location: 32km south of the Sydney CBD
Park Entry: $12 per vehicle per day
Mungo National Park
Mungo National Park is located in South Western New South Wales about a 1,000km drive from Sydney. It is a part of the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area.
The otherworldly desert landscapes of Mungo National Park are like nowhere in Australia. The park’s main feature is weather-eroded dune formations known as the Walls of China. You can take a 70km self-guided drive around the area. To get close to the dunes and rock formations and learn about the indigenous history of the area take a guided tour that can be organised through Mungo Lodge.
A visit to Mungo National Park will truly take you back in time. The area is rich in indigenous history and is of great archaeological significance. It’s home to Mungo Man and Mungo Lady which are estimated to be 42,000 years old. It makes Mungo National Park the site of some of the world’s oldest human remains outside of Africa.
Location: 120 km north of Mildura, 1000 km from Sydney.
Entry fee: $12 per vehicle per day
Warrumbungle National Park
Warrumbungle National Park is the best national park for stargazing in NSW. It’s the only Dark Sky Park in the Southern Hemisphere.
Warrumbungle has spectacular volcanic landscapes with domes and spires surrounded by plains and tablelands. It’s undoubtedly one of the must-visit national parks in NSW and a perfect place for hiking and camping.
Breadknife and Grand High Tops Walk (12.5km loop) is one of the best walks in NSW. It takes you close to iconic rock formations: Breadknife, Belougery Spire, Crater Bluff, etc.
The Breadknife rock is one of the most recognisable features of the park and is one of the most striking volcanic formations in Australia. It is about 90 metres tall but is only 4 metres thick in many places.⠀
Read my posts on Best hikes in Warrumbungle National Park and Grand High Tops Extended Loop in Warrumbungle National Park.
Location: 490km from Sydney.
Entry fee: $8 per vehicle per day
Mount Kaputar National Park
Mount Kaputar National Park is located in north-western NSW, 570km from Sydney. It has plenty of walking trails options, including short ones, with great lookout points.
The park is known for its spectacular scenery and amazing rock formations created by erupting volcanoes. One example of incredible rock formations is Sawn Rocks which look like a wall of giant organ pipes.
Location: 58km from Narrabri, 570 km from Sydney.
Only Sawn Rocks alone make Mount Kaputar one of the must-visit national parks in NSW, but it has so much more to offer: amazing hikes and spectacular lookouts. You can easily spend several days exploring this national park. Read my post on Hikes in Mount Kaputar National Park.
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