Outback NSW

Must do

• Sturt National Park
• Mungo National Park
• Gundabooka National Park
• Culgoa National Park
• Yanga National Park

Highlights

Nature in Outback NSW

There are some breathtaking nature experiences in Outback NSW. Go bush camping by a river in an outback national park or hike through rugged gorge country and see remarkable Aboriginal rock art in a remote cave. Explore areas of the Riverina's famous red gum forests and the Murrumbidgee River on a kayaking or cycling tour with local guides.

Outback NSW

Harsh but fragile, the rugged natural beauty of Outback NSW has been appreciated for millennia by the region’s Aboriginal inhabitants. Today, you can see astonishing Aboriginal rock art, some 30,000 years old, at sites in Mutawintji National Park. Similarly, the remains of Mungo Man and Mungo Woman, dating back 40,000 years, can be found at Mungo National Park, situated within Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area.

Some of the most remote towns in NSW are here – Lightning Ridge, Broken Hill, White Cliffs and Tibooburra. They also offer some unique attractions including the Royal Flying Doctor Base at Broken Hill, underground hotels at White Cliffs and the Living Desert Sculptures, a group of impressive sandstone sculptures located in the Living Desert Reserve, 10 km from Broken Hill. The Back O’ Bourke Exhibition Centre is also well worth a visit.

In Outback NSW, you’ll find comfortable places to stay, great food and a warm welcome wherever you go, whether you’re on a camping safari or a caravan tour, or staying overnight at motels and lodges along the way.

In outback national parks, you’ll discover sun-baked sand dunes as well as lush wetlands teeming with wildlife. Spend some time exploring the back roads and walking tracks of these parks to discover the fascinating story of the plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh environment as well as the history of some of the earliest humans on earth in Mungo National Park.

See the rolling red sand dunes and flat-topped mesas of Sturt National Park that provide a habitat for wedge-tailed eagles and thousands of noisy corellas or explore the waterways of the Paroo-Darling National Park, home to vast numbers of waterbirds including black swans and brolgas. Learn about Australia’s pastoral heritage in Yanga National Park with its 1860s-built homestead gardens and woolshed. Find out more on Discovery Tours run by National Parks and Wildlife Service during NSW school holidays in autumn, winter and spring.

Best of outback camping

Discover the rich history of Kinchega National Park with an overnight stay at the Kinchega Woolshed. Another great experience is bush camping at Coach and Horses campground in Paroo-Darling National Park, beside the Darling River.  Find out more about where to stay in the national parks of Outback NSW.

Outback NSW deals

It’s the perfect time of the year to go exploring in the Outback. Enjoy the best of Outback NSW with these great tours and packages.

Keep in touch

Want to keep up-to-date with all the news on national parks and nature experiences in Outback NSW? Sign up here for Naturescapes from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Outback travel tips

Take a journey through Outback NSW – you’ve got 527,648kms to explore. Plan your journey using these helpful itineraries created by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.