Type

Picnic areas

Where

Paroo-Darling National Park in Outback NSW

Accessibility

Medium

Please note

• Paroo-Darling Visitor Centre is a good place to pick up maps and information about the park
• The closest towns are White Cliffs (55km south-west) and Wilcannia (110km south)
• Peery Lake is in an isolated part of the region and you should have provisions for yourself and passengers for at least a full-day.
• Your vehicle should be in good condition and fuel up before departure from the last town.

If you’re looking for a peaceful spot to unwind on your outback adventure, cook up a barbecue and stretch your feet at Peery Lake picnic area. You’ll have a view of Peery Lake, and maybe a surprise visit from local kangaroos and emus enjoying a feed.

When Peery Lake is full, it transforms into a spectacular inland playground for water birds, and you can take a canoe out for a paddle. Even when it’s dry, the lake bed is home to freshwater plants and animals. Hear the calls of pink cockatoos, mulga parrots and red-backed kingfishers, and you might even spot the elusive grey falcon if you’re lucky.

May to November is the best time to visit, especially when winter rains bring a wonderful show of wildflowers in spring.

Peery Lake is a significant place to the Barkandki Aboriginal Traditional Owners, and you'll find Aboriginal sites are scattered all around the lake's edge and surrounding cliffs.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

A unique and diverse ecosystem

The Paroo Overflow and its associated wetlands sustain a unique ecosystem, including such threatened species as the freckled duck and blue-billed duck. You may also see black-breasted buzzards, pink cockatoos, pied honeyeaters and any one of 55 bird species that visit the lakes. Peery Lake, a major part of the system, is part of an internationally significant wetland and protected under the Ramsar Convention.

Aboriginal heritage

The Paakantyi and Ngiyeempaa People have traditionally made this area their home. The park is a historically and culturally important site: with its hearths, quarries and specialised microblade occupation sites, the area provides significant information about changing technologies and ways of life over the last 10,000 years.

European history

Pastoralists were also attracted to the banks of the Darling River. As well as water, it provided a major transport corridor. Riverboats began navigating the system in the 1850s, and Cobb and Co also ran several routes through this important pastoral region.

Plants and animals protected in this park