Kinchega Visitor Centre

Kinchega National Park

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Overview

Find useful tourist information at Kinchega Visitor Centre. Get details on birdwatching and touring the Darling River and Menindee Lakes near Broken Hill in outback NSW.

Type
Visitor centres
Where
673 Woolshed Drive, Menindee, NSW, 2879 - in Kinchega National Park in Outback NSW
Accessibility
Medium
Entry fees
Park entry fees apply
Opening times

Kinchega Visitor Centre is always open but it's unstaffed (self service). 

Please note
  • The weather in this area can be extreme and unpredictable, so please ensure you’re well-prepared for your visit.
  • There is limited mobile reception in this park

A visit to Kinchega Visitor Centre gives fascinating insight into this beautifully untamed part of outback NSW, including its Aboriginal heritage and colonial and pastoral history.

You’ll find the centre in the heart of Kinchega National Park, where it occupies a 1950s-era building in the old shearers’ quarters. Though small, it’s packed with tourist information on the park, the Darling River, Menindee Lakes and surrounds. Grab some leaflets and check out the great interpretive panels, which lead you through the park’s natural, pastoral and Aboriginal history.

The centre is usually unstaffed, so you’re free to help yourself to its offerings and move through the exhibit at your own pace. Bring your binoculars for birdwatching, and see if you can spot a kangaroo enjoying the shade beneath the neighbouring Kinchega Woolshed.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Map


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Current alerts in this area

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Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://uat.nswparks.cloud/things-to-do/visitor-centres/kinchega-visitor-centre/local-alerts

Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about Kinchega Visitor Centre.

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Visitor centre

  • Kinchega Visitor Centre
    673 Woolshed Drive, Menindee NSW 2879
  • Kinchega Visitor Centre is always open but it's unstaffed (self service)

Learn more

Kinchega Visitor Centre is in Kinchega National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

    Aboriginal cultural heritage

    River Drive campground, Kinchega National Park. Photo: David Finnegan

    This is the traditional land of the Paakantji nation who came together to share the bounty of the flood. These river people caught fish by spearing from a canoe or while diving and used nets and fish traps made from baskets. Artefacts and special sites in the area date back an incredible 35,000 years. Many of the staff at Kinchega are of Aboriginal descent and can provide a wealth of information and knowledge about the area. You could also participate in a Discovery tour to find out more about the Aboriginal culture and history of the park.

    • Games and fun activities at Kinchega This is a program of fun games and activities we can play together in Kinchega National Park or Discovery rangers can visit your school. Designed for Stage 2 (Years 3-4) students with a focus on History, Geography and science, choose from some of these games: the Aboriginal site game, tracks and traces, Barkindji bush foods or the threatened species game.
    • Kinchega Visitor Centre Find useful tourist information at Kinchega Visitor Centre. Get details on birdwatching and touring the Darling River and Menindee Lakes near Broken Hill in outback NSW.

    Life in all its splendour

    Emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) in Kinchega National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    Lace monitors patrol the banks when it's warm, the Peron's tree frog sends out a call like laughter in the night and flocks of pink and black cockatoos use tree hollows to nest. Remember not to collect firewood - fallen timber is the home of the kultarr, a small, mouse-sized marsupial with large ears, long delicate legs and a thin tail tipped with a dark tuft.

    • Kinchega National Park field study Join a ranger in sampling abiotic factors and use these to assess the abundance and distribution of plants and animals on the floodplain sand dune interface, as part of the Preliminary Biology or Senior Science field studies.

    Pastoral heritage

    Kinchega Woolshed, Kinchega National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    Encounter Australia's pastoral history at the classic, colonial historic Kinchega Woolshed and Old Kinchega Homestead, and learn of the trials and tribulations of early settlers. Kinchega is the location where Burke and Wills picked up William Wright, manager of Kinchega Station. His failure to meet Burke and Wills at the assigned time sealed the doomed expedition's fate.

    • Geography of Homestead Bend Immerse yourself in the Geography of Homestead Bend. Visit Aboriginal occupation sites in Kinchega National Park, and the ruins of the Old Kinchega Homestead, and investigate how and why both Aboriginal people and early pastoralists lived in the area.
    • Kinchega Visitor Centre Find useful tourist information at Kinchega Visitor Centre. Get details on birdwatching and touring the Darling River and Menindee Lakes near Broken Hill in outback NSW.
    • Kinchega Woolshed Visit the beautiful historic Kinchega Woolshed for a glimpse into Australian pastoral history and imagine the heyday of this place, where six million sheep were sheared.
    • Menindee Lakes and Kinchega guided tours Sign up for this wide-ranging tour of Kinchega National Park and other scenic Outback highlights with the experienced guides of Broken Hill City Sights and Heritage Tours.
    • Old Kinchega Homestead tour Explore Old Kinchega Homestead precinct within Kinchega National Park on our Stage 2 (year 3-4) Geography excursion. Take a walk around the Old Kinchega Homestead ruins with a NSW National Parks Ranger to gain insight into life on a pastoral station during the pioneer days.
    • PS Providence historic site Step back in time at the historic site of the explosion of the PS Providence on the banks of the Darling River in Kinchega National Park.
    • Woolly tales tour On this school excursion in Kinchega National Park, Stage 2 (Years 3-4) Science students will learn about Kinchega's vast pastoral history and woolshed operations while taking a guided tour of the historic Kinchega Woolshed. 
    Show more

    The colourful beauty of the floodplains

    Pigface on the floodplains of Kinchega National Park. Photo. Julieanne Doyle

    When the Darling river fills, majestic river red gums break the surface and birdlife flocks to the lake system by the thousand. When it empties, the land is a beautiful bright green. In spring you'll see vibrant splashes of purple as the Darling river pea begins to flower. Sitting outside your tent just before nightfall is a special time - the sunsets at Kinchega are out of this world.

    • Menindee Lakes and Kinchega guided tours Sign up for this wide-ranging tour of Kinchega National Park and other scenic Outback highlights with the experienced guides of Broken Hill City Sights and Heritage Tours.
    • Morton Boulka picnic area This remote lakeside picnic area buzzes with birdlife, offers the chance to paddle and swim, as well as explore unique Aboriginal Heritage in Kinchega National Park.

    Plants and animals protected in this park

    Animals

    • Wedge-tailed eagle. Photo: Kelly Nowak

      Wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax)

      With a wingspan of up to 2.5m, the wedge-tailed eagle is Australia’s largest bird of prey. These Australian animals are found in woodlands across NSW, and have the ability to soar to heights of over 2km. If you’re bird watching, look out for the distinctive diamond-shaped tail of the eagle.

    • Emu, Paroo Darling National Park. Photo: John Spencer

      Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)

      The largest of Australian birds, the emu stands up to 2m high and is the second largest bird in the world, after the ostrich. Emus live in pairs or family groups. The male emu incubates and rears the young, which will stay with the adult emus for up to 2 years.

    • Red kangaroo, Sturt National Park. Photo: John Spencer

      Red kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

      The red kangaroo is one of the most iconic Australian animals and the largest marsupial in the world. Large males have reddish fur and can reach a height of 2m, while females are considerably smaller and have blue-grey fur. Red kangaroos are herbivores and mainly eat grass.

    Plants

    • Saltbush. Photo: Jaime Plaza

      Saltbush (Atriplex nummularia)

      A hardy Australian native plant, the saltbush is a small spreading shrub that can withstand dry salty soils such as those found in the desert plains of western NSW. It is grey-white in colour and has small spear-shaped succulent leaves. It flowers from December to April.

    • Sturt's desert pea. Photo: Jaime Plaza

      Sturt's desert pea (Swainsona formosa)

      One of Australia’s most famous desert wildflowers, Sturt’s desert pea is found across inland arid regions of Australia, including far west NSW. One of the most easily-recognised Australian native plants, Sturt’s desert pea thrives in red sandy soil, or loam, and has vibrant red leaf-shaped flowers with a black centre, known as a ‘boss’.

    Environments in this park

    Education resources (1)

    School excursions (6)

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    Park info

    • in Kinchega National Park in the Outback NSW region

    • Kinchega National Park is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.

    • Park entry fees:

      $8 per vehicle per day. The park has a pay and display envelope payment system - please bring correct coins.

      Buy annual pass
    See more visitor info

    What's nearby:

    Things to do (7)

    Tours (1)

    Camping and accommodation (4)

    School excursions (6)