Short side trips from the Golden Highway will take you to many magnificent National Parks, Nature Reserves, Wilderness Areas and State Forests.   

Just scroll down the page for a very brief outline of each park 

OR 

click on the park name for a more detailed description including features, location, facilities, walks etc

Barrington Tops 

National Park

Experience World Heritage listed rainforests, wilderness and wild scenic rivers in the Barrington Tops National Park. You can explore the extensive system of walking tracks and camp in a range of places, whether you like modern conveniences or striking out into the bush. This park is huge (74000 hectares) and the variety and beauty of the landscape will take your breath away.

Barrington Tops State Conservation Area  (8440 hectares) adjoins the National Park and is also managed by NPWS

Forming a continuum with the Barrington Tops National Park are the Chichester, Barrington Tops, Masseys Creek and Stewarts Brook State Forests.

Burning Mountain Nature reserve

Early explorers assumed Burning Mountain's billowing smoke and peak of grey, smoldering ash was an active volcano. In fact, the mountain's naturally-burning coal seam, unique in Australia, is thought to have been smoking away for over 5500 years. 

Coolah Tops National Park

Waterfalls plunge from the plateau heights.  Giant grass trees and tall, open forest with stands of huge snow gums shelter abundant wildlife, including gliders, wallabies, eagles and rare owls.  The higher altitude offers cool walks throughout the year and amazing views northward towards the Liverpool Plains, the Warrumbungles and Mt Kaputar. 

12117 hectares

Goulburn River National Park

Goulburn River National Park extends along approximately 90 kilometres of the Goulburn River as it winds between sandstone cliffs honeycombed with caves, providing unusually easy access to a variety of recreational opportunities.  The wide, sandy riverbanks offer easy walking and spectacular camping sites.

70000 hectares

Mt. Royal National Park

A tranquil and scenic place to enjoy the bush all year round; with its high altitude and cool temperate weather patterns.  Adjoins the SW edge of Barrington Tops NP. Just under  half the park is in the Barrington Wilderness Area.  

Towarri National Park

Towarri NationalPark, Wingen Maid and Cedar Brush Nature Reserves, cover a rugged part of the Liverpool Range and contain an amazing variety of landforms, plants and wildlife

Sandstone outcrops and scenic outlooks feature in a rugged landscape harbouring rainforests, snow gums and large grass tree stands.

Wollemi National Park

A vast 487,500 hectare area, 100–250 km north-west of Sydney

 This is the largest wilderness area in NSW and forms part of the recently declared Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area — a maze of canyons, cliffs and undisturbed forest.

It is a great place for sightseeing, bushwalking, camping and wilderness adventure.

There are few access points to the park and few trails in it

Northern access  from Upper Hunter Country is through Widden Valley, Baerami, Martindale, Doyles Creek and Jerrys Plains

On the Western Side is Dunn Swamp (through Rylestone)  Glen Davis (Capertee) and Newnes (Lithgow)

Southern access is through Bilpin, Mountain Lagoon, and Colo

The Eastern Boundary is the Putty Road (Windsor-Singleton)