Type

Picnic areas

Where

Cocoparra National Park in Murray-Riverina

What to
bring

Hat, sunscreen, drinking water

Please note

• There is limited mobile reception in this park
• Remember to take your binoculars if you want to go birdwatching

When the heavy rains fall over Cocoparra, Store Creek fills up in a scenic rush of fresh water. But Store Creek picnic area is beautiful even when the bed is dry, attracting families and day visitors throughout the year.

Although a popular stop in Cocoparra National Park, it’s still easy to find privacy to enjoy a relaxing lunch in open woodland. Between April and October, when the weather is milder, beautiful sprays of wildflowers can be seen all around, including wattles, daisies, ground orchids, and tea-trees.

If you want to spend the afternoon stretching your legs and seeing some of the local wilderness, Store Creek walking track begins at the picnic area and threads through cypress pines and bimble box, all the way to a stunning natural amphitheatre formed by the junction of two creeks. It’s quite a sight, and definitely worth the trip. Don’t forget your camera either: birds like the fairy-wren like to frolic in the area, making birdwatching a treat.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

A haven for birds

This is a mecca for birdwatchers, with many resident and migratory species recorded here. Look out for the locally-threatened glossy-black cockatoo drinking from dams at dusk or quietly feeding on the seeds of the drooping she-oak. You may also see the many endangered woodland birds such as the hooded robin, speckled warbler, varied sittella, grey-crowned babbler, diamond firetail or shy heathwren. You can also visit the nesting grounds of the peregrine falcon at Falcon Falls.

Ancient Aboriginal sites

This is Wiradjuri country, and the many Aboriginal sites within Cocoparra National Park suggest intensive use during winter and spring when food resources became scarce along rivers, with surface water available in the protected valleys of the range. The name 'Cocoparra' comes from the Aboriginal 'cocupara', or kookaburra.

Dramatic rock formations

Conserving an important area of native vegetation, Cocoparra National Park stands out amid the surrounding plains and farmlands with its rugged ranges and spectacular scenery. Deep narrow valleys, folded and eroded rock faces and delightful waterfalls mean that the view is always changing. For a dramatic overview of the plains, take Jacks Creek or Mount Brogden walking tracks. The rugged, craggy landscape of the Cocoparra Range produces a great variety of habitats. You’ll find woodlands and forests occupied by white cypress pine, Dwyer’s mallee gum, kurrajong, yellow box and many more during your bushwalks. If you’re a budding botanist, you’ll love the delicate orchids and spring wildflowers.