Sandstone Gorges and River Country on the Western Edge of the Hunter

Overview

Goulburn River National Park stretches along about 90km of the Goulburn River between Mudgee and Sandy Hollow, around 300km north-west of Sydney. This is a big park, covering a little over 70,000 hectares, and much of its character comes from the way the river cuts through sandstone country before opening onto broad flats and sandy banks.

What makes the park feel different from many better-known NSW parks is its position in a meeting place between inland and tableland environments. The landscape sits in the western extremity of the Hunter Valley, and that transition shows up in both the scenery and the plant life, with species from western New South Wales mixing with plants more typical of the sandstone country further east.

Highlights

The defining feature here is the Goulburn River itself. Over time it has carved a wide gorge flanked by cliffs and caves, while the floodplain below stays broad and open. That contrast between steep sandstone walls and flat river country gives the park its strong sense of scale.

There is also a distinctly preserved forest character to the place. Much of the park remains as continuous bushland surrounded by pastoral country, so the look and feel is less about dramatic alpine peaks or dense coastal scrub and more about long ridgelines, dry forest, river bends and big open skies.

Best Time to Visit

Summer suits anyone who wants to enjoy the river setting at its most inviting, while the cooler months are often better for walking and taking in the open country without the heat. Birdwatching is rewarding across the year, and spring adds extra interest when grevilleas, bottlebrush and other flowering plants bring colour into the sandstone bush.

Plants and Animals

Goulburn River National Park is particularly rich in wildlife because of its riverbanks, floodplain and extensive forest. Eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, wallaroos and wombats are all part of the park’s everyday wildlife, and emus are also a notable presence in this landscape.

The plant life reflects the park’s position between different botanical regions. Eucalypt forest is a constant, with river oak along the water and shrubs such as grevilleas and callistemon adding to the mix. Those habitats support a strong birdlife, including glossy black-cockatoos, lyrebirds and species such as the turquoise parrot and painted honeyeater. The park also plays an important role in conserving the nationally threatened brush-tailed rock-wallaby.

Culture and Heritage

Goulburn River National Park lies within lands traditionally occupied by Aboriginal people of the Wiradjuri, Gamileroi and Wonnarua language groups, and it remains an area of contemporary significance to Aboriginal people. The river valley also holds a large number of recorded Aboriginal sites, reflecting a long history of living in and moving through this country.