Where

Culgoa National Park in Outback NSW

Distance

10km loop

Time suggested

3 - 4hrs

Grade

Grade 4

What to
bring

Hat, sunscreen, drinking water

Please note

• There is no mobile reception in this park.
• Remember to take your binoculars if you want to birdwatch.

Yuwura Yurun, also known as Sandhill track, crosses sandhills and open cypress pine woodlands, taking you into the scrublands of the national park. Yuwura Yurun turns away from Culgoa - unlike Mirri Mirru Yurun (River Bank walk), which sticks closely to Culgoa River - and traverses a wide variety of environments, offering the best glimpse of why Culgoa National Park is a special place.

There is coolabah woodland, Brigalow-gidgee woodland, mulga forests and wide grassland areas, not to mention claypans and sand dunes. Culgoa is remarkable not only for its solitude but its diversity, including its birds and animals too.

Yuwura Yurun is a longer walk, at 10km, but not particularly difficult, so it’s suitable for moderate fitness. Take your time, perhaps stopping when you find a place to picnic, or there are the tables and barbecue facilities at Culgoa River campground when you’re done.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

Historic heritage

Charles Sturt was the first European explorer to venture here, in 1829, but colonial pastoralists were not far behind. By the 1860s, settlements were established right across the region, with large properties like Byerawering, Cawwell and Burban Grange, where Culgoa River campground can be found today. Culgoa National Park is committed to conserving the pastoral history of the area.

Iconic plants and animals

Culgoa has enough animals to keep even the most knowledgable naturalist glued to their binoculars: 24 mammals, 170 species of bird, 29 lizards, seven types of snake, and 15 types of frog. If you're lucky, you might spot a long-necked tortoise - there are many varieties in the park. Even more special, Culgoa has one of the largest koala populations in northern NSW. 

Rich cultural life

Aboriginal Australians have a long relationship with Culgoa. Murrawarri people, from the Gandugari group, consider it traditional land and it has significant archaeological and cultural value. Other tribal groups include the Ngemba, Ngaampaa, Paakandji, Morawari and Budjiti, who work with the NPWS in discussions of land management. Today, Murrawarri descendants reside in the area around the park, including the townships of Weilmoringle, Brewarrina, Goodooga, Bourke and Enngonia. These people retain a strong oral history of the region, expressed as traditional knowledge, beliefs, personal history and attachment to the landscape.

Under the shade of a coolabah tree

Culgoa is the only national park in NSW with Brigalow-gidgee woodland. It also has the largest continuous tract of coolabah woodland left in the state, meaning plenty of opportunities to settle down in the afternoon 'under the shade of a coolabah tree'.