Type

Picnic areas

Where

Karuah National Park in North Coast

Accessibility

Hard

What to
bring

Hat, drinking water, sunscreen

Please note

There is limited mobile reception in this park.

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle for the day, you couldn’t find a more peaceful picnic spot than Double Wharf picnic area. On the banks of Karuah River, it’s a picturesque spot to just sit back and relax – yet there’s also plenty to see and do.

With easy access to the river, it’s a great place to launch your kayak or canoe and head off paddling up the river. The mangroves areas along Deep Creek, Limeburners Creek and Karuah River make this area an important fish habitat and a popular fishing destination, so don’t forget your fishing tackle.

Keen birdwatchers will find plenty to feast their eyes on with the abundance of birdlife in the area. Watch the magnificent yellow-tailed black cockatoos going about their early morning feeding routines in the casuarinas along the river’s edge, or go for a short bushwalk and see if you can see one of the local koalas in the eucalypts.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

Ancient connections

Karuah National Park is part of the traditional lands of the Worimi Nation. Before European settlement, the Worimi People lived in an area from Port Stephens to Forster and as far west as Gloucester. There are a number of recorded Aboriginal sites in the reserve, particularly along Karuah River, such as modified trees, artefacts, earth mounds, shell middens and a burial site. The Worimi people continue to have a strong connection with the animals, land and waterways of Karuah.

Bird watching retreat

You'll find an abundance of birdlife to watch at Karuah. Vulnerable species such as the square-tailed kite, swift parrot and masked owl find their home in eucalyptus woodlands. Glossy black cockatoos can be seen feeding on the casuarina stands along the river's edge. You might also see one of the 8 vulnerable bat species found here, including little bent-wing bats and greater broad-nosed bats. Karuah is also home to plenty of native animals. You'll most likely share your camping spot with locals like bandicoots and ring-tailed and brush-tailed possums. There's also a local koala population at Karuah, so keep your eyes peeled when you're walking through the eucalypt forest.

Rich in heritage sites

As well as being a place of natural beauty and tranquillity, Karuah has many historic sites to remind you of the forestry industry that once thrived in this region. Driving through the forest, you'll be driving along a road network built by the timber industry and see timber loading ramps on the banks of the river at Double Wharf. Other historic sites to discover are a set of yards at Witt Road and the Hunter Jetty on Claybank Road.