Winangabaa – Information Bay
Deriah Aboriginal Area
Overview
Ideal for school and educational groups, wheelchair-accessible Winangabaa (win-ung-ar-bar) – Information Bay, near Narrabri, offers insight into local Gamilaraay culture and history.
- Type
- Education centres
- Where
- Deriah Aboriginal Area in Country NSW
- Accessibility
- Easy
- What to
bring - Sunscreen, hat, drinking water
- Please note
- There is limited/no mobile reception in this park
- Remember to take your binoculars if you want to go bird watching
Winangabaa – Information Bay is a great introduction to the unique Deriah Aboriginal Area, near Narrabri in north-west NSW. It highlights the natural, cultural and historic heritage of this fascinating region and its importance to the Gamilaraay People. With wheelchair access and seating, it’s ideally-suited for school groups, school excursions and cultural activities for all ages.
With a series of interpretive signs offering a cultural and historic overview, learn the traditional uses of local native plants as well as local language. Or just sit back and listen to the wind blowing through the ancient dry rainforest as it has for eons. Adapting to the arid climate, this unique rainforest once covered vast tracts of Australia when the megafauna roamed the landscape.
Round off your visit with a drive to Biruu gaba lookout walking track for superb mountain scenery and enjoy a barbecue picnic lunch at Wagun picnic area.
Map
Map legend
Map
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://uat.nswparks.cloud/things-to-do/education-centres/winangabaa-information-bay/local-alerts
Park info
- in Deriah Aboriginal Area in the Country NSW region
Deriah Aboriginal Area is always open but may have to close at times due to severe weather or extreme fire danger.
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about Winangabaa – Information Bay.
Maps and downloads
Learn more
Winangabaa – Information Bay is in Deriah Aboriginal Area. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
Ancient volcanic landscape
The region offers spectacular scenery of steep volcanic rock cliff lines and soft sandstone that has eroded over time into unique formations. The volcanic rocks were created by eruptions that formed the Nandewar Range shield volcano, around 19-21 million years ago. Lava flows were pushed out from beneath the earth’s surface and spread across the land. The lava cooled when it was exposed to the air and hardened to make new rocks.
Bird watching paradise
The Deriah forest region protects a huge and diverse range of bird species, including numerous threatened and significant bird populations. Take your binoculars for a chance to see spotted harrier, little eagle, little lorikeet, black-chinned honeyeater, rainbow bee-eater and hooded robin. A number of species, including the superb parrot, turquoise parrot and speckled warbler, are listed as vulnerable.
Education in the forest
An innovative education package is available for Deriah Aboriginal Area. It aims to incorporate Aboriginal cultural heritage into all aspects of the curriculum. The package provides teachers with excursion options and activities within Deriah forest for stage 1-3 of the NSW Syllabus.
Gamilaraay country – Gamilaraay culture
Deriah Aboriginal Area is of high cultural value to the local Aboriginal community and contains important evidence of their lives in the area, with a large number of significant sites recorded including scarred trees and grinding grooves. The exact origin of the name ‘Deriah’ is unknown, although it may have come from the Gamilaraay word ‘dhiriya’, meaning ‘old’. Deriah Aboriginal Area Co-management Committee was formed in 2008 to work in partnership with NPWS to help guide management of the reserve and encourage connection with country. This committee consists of Aboriginal community members from Narrabri who represent Gamilaraay families with a historical connection to the area.