Polblue campground and picnic area

Barrington Tops National Park

Affected by closures, check current alerts 

Overview

Head to Polblue campground in Barrington Tops National Park for a weekend getaway. Nearby walks and picnic areas make this a great location for family camping. Caravan spots are also available.

Accommodation Details
Number of campsites 45
Camping type Tent, Camper trailer site, Caravan site, Camping beside my vehicle
Where Polblue Camping Area Road, Moonan Brook, NSW, 2337 - in Barrington Tops National Park
Facilities Picnic tables, barbecue facilities, toilets
What to bring Drinking water, cooking water, fuel stove, firewood
Group bookings Bookings for up to 5 sites and 20 people can be made online. School groups and commercial tour operators can submit a group booking enquiry form.
Please note
  • There are no marked sites at this campground.
  • Feral horses move through this campground day and night. Aggressive horse behaviour can pose a safety risk for visitors and should be reported to NPWS. Read our alert for more information.

Escape to the Polblue campground, set high up in subalpine woodland. It’s a spacious campground centred around a grassy picnic area, and set away from the main road so it’s perfect for camping with children. The campground has caravan and camper trailer sites, as well as scenic tent sites.

A great place for a weekend getaway, there’s easy access to some of the attractions in Barrington Tops National Park, including the easy Polblue Swamp walking track, a short one that the children will love.

If you do walk the Polblue Swamp track, you’re likely to see a kangaroo or wombat hanging out along the track. The best time to see them is early in the morning as they graze for some brekkie in the forest. Four-wheelers should also try the nearby Barrington trail.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Also see

  • Polblue Swamp Track, Barrington Tops National Park. Photo © Peter Beard

    Polblue Swamp track

    Walk the easy Polblue Swamp track through high altitude wetlands of Barrington Tops National Park. It’s a short walk with picnic and barbecue facilities nearby.

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Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/camping-and-accommodation/campgrounds/polblue-campground-picnic-area/local-alerts

Operated by

Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about the Polblue campground and picnic area.

Getting there and parking

Polblue campground and picnic area is in the Polblue precinct of Barrington Tops National Park.

From Gloucester:

  • Take Thunderbolts Way. This road becomes Scone Road and Barrington Tops Forest Road.
  • The campground is located on the left after passing Devils Hole

From Scone:

  • Take the Hunter Road from Scone
  • Turn right onto Moonan Brook Road, then turn left on Barrington Tops Forest Road.
  • Polblue campground and picnic area is located 7km on the right after the Dingo Gate

Road quality

  • Unsealed roads

Vehicle access

  • 2WD vehicles

Weather restrictions

  • All weather

Parking

There is an informal parking area at Polblue campground and picnic area.

Best times to visit

There are lots of great things waiting for you in Barrington Tops National Park. Here are some of the highlights.

Autumn

Take to the park's walking tracks to make the most of cooler and drier daytime weather.

Spring

Look out for ground orchids and other wildflowers along the Polblue Swamp walking track.

Summer

Look out for the eastern water dragon basking on rocks around the streams.

Facilities

  • Water is not available at this campground
  • Visitors are encouraged to bring gas or fuel stoves, especially in summer during the fire season.

Toilets

There are 2 accessible toilets at the campground; one is on flat ground with entry straight into the toilet block and the other is accessible via a ramp.

There's also an accessible toilet at the picnic area, which can be reached via a ramp.

  • Non-flush toilets

Picnic tables

  • The picnic tables are set on concrete slabs, with a small lip from the ground onto the concrete.
  • There's a section of grass between the path and one picnic table. The other picnic table can be reached by crossing hard-packed gravel. 

Barbecue facilities

  • Wood barbecues (bring your own firewood)
  • Gas/electric barbecues (free)

Step-free access

There are hard-packed ground pathways around the campground but you may need to cross over grass to reach some of the facilities.

The campground is mostly flat. Ramps and slopes have a maximum gradient of 1:14.

  • Step-free outdoor pathways

Seats and resting points

There's 1 seat with a backrest between the campground and picnic area.

Maps and downloads

Safety messages

Camping safety

Whether you're pitching your tent on the coast or up on the mountains, there are many things to consider when camping in NSW national parks. Find out how to stay safe when camping.

This is a remote, high altitude site and very cold weather can be experienced at any time of the year. Snowfalls are possible throughout cooler months. Make sure you arrive well prepared.

Fire safety

During periods of fire weather, the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service may declare a total fire ban for particular NSW fire areas, or statewide. Learn more about total fire bans and fire safety.

Mobile safety

Dial Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Download the Emergency Plus app before you visit, it helps emergency services locate you using your smartphone's GPS. Please note there is limited mobile phone reception in this park and you’ll need mobile reception to call Triple Zero (000).

Accessibility

Disability access level - easy

  • There's step-free access around the campground and picnic area, with hard-packed ground pathways and flat grassy areas.
  • There are 2 accessible toilets at the campground and 1 accessible toilet at the picnic area
  • There are accessible picnic tables at the picnic area
  • There's 1 bench seat with a backrest between the campground and picnic area
  • Ramps or slopes at the campground have a maximum gradient of 1:14.

Prohibited

Gathering firewood

Pets

Pets and domestic animals (other than certified assistance animals) are not permitted. Find out which regional parks allow dog walking and see the pets in parks policy for more information.

Smoking

NSW national parks are no smoking areas.

Learn more

Polblue campground and picnic area is in Barrington Tops National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

World Heritage-listed rainforests

Rocky crossing, Barrington Tops National Park. Photo: John Spencer

The rainforests in Barrington Tops National Park are part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area; the most extensive strip of diverse rainforest anywhere on earth. The World Heritage Area is a direct window into the past and the future, providing a link to the ancient pre-human world and a stunning and irreplaceable record of life on our planet. You can explore the rainforest on one of the park's many walking tracks, like the Honeysuckle Forest track, the Rocky Crossing walk or the Antarctic Beech Forest track. Listen out for the lyrebird whose mimicking calls ring out through the rainforest.

  • Antarctic Beech Forest walking track Antarctic Beech Forest walking track offers rainforest, cascades, scenic views, and birdwatching in Barrington Tops National Park, near Gloucester.
  • Careys Peak walking track Easy Careys Peak walking track offers picnicking, scenic views, birdwatching, and historic heritage in the sub-alpine region of Barrington National Park, near Scone.
  • Cobark Park picnic area Take a break at Cobark Park picnic area to plan your adventures in the plateau region of Barrington Tops National Park—1 hour from Gloucester.

An ancient landscape

Thunderbolts lookout, Barrington Tops National Park. Photo: John Spencer

Barrington Tops National Park and the adjoining State Conservation Area are the traditional land of several Aboriginal groups, including the Worimi and Biripi people, the Gringai clan of the Worimi people and Wonnarua people. The rainforests of Barrington Tops offered a wealth of resources for Aboriginal people, including many edible fruits, like the native cherry, lilly pilly and figs. Today, the history of Aboriginal people in Barrington Tops is recorded in oral history and in the presence of Aboriginal sites. Barrington Tops National Park protects ancient campsites, scarred trees and sacred ceremonial places.

A dramatic wilderness

Barrington Tops National Park. Photo: John Spencer

Most of Barrington Tops National Park is declared wilderness; large, natural areas of land that, together with their native plants and animal communities, remain essentially unchanged by modern human activity. Wilderness areas in NSW represent the largest, most pristine natural areas within NSW - the last of Australia's wild and untamed places. The edges of the wilderness area of Barrington Tops are easily accessible; some of the most spectacular views in the park are from Careys Peak and Devils Hole and Thunderbolts lookouts. You'll notice the varied textures of the forest below you, with the ranges of the Barrington Wilderness running east and south from the plateau like the fingers of an outstretched hand.

  • Barrington Tops and beyond tag-a-long 4WD tour Get off the beaten track with As the Crow Flies 4WD Tours for an exciting tag-along adventure in Barrington Tops National Park, near Gloucester.
  • Barrington trail Take the challenge of the Barrington trail, a 4WD trail in Barrington Tops National Park. Open between October and May every year, plan your 4WD camping holiday now.
  • Gloucester Tops circuit Walk through snow gum woodland and ancient rainforest to lookouts and waterfalls, along the Gloucester Tops circuit. This 8km loop combines 3 popular and scenic walks in Barrington Tops National Park.
  • Majestic Barrington mountain bike tours Enjoy spectacular scenery as you cycle through Barrington Tops National Park and beyond on this supported mountain bike tour with Aussie Bike or Hike, near Gloucester.
  • Rocky Crossing walk Rocky Crossing walk along Williams River offers scenic rainforest views, wildlife and birdwatching on a long easy track in Barrington Tops National Park, near Dungog.

Plants and animals protected in this park

Animals

  •  Superb lyrebird, Minnamurra Rainforest, Budderoo National Park. Photo: David Finnegan

    Superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae)

    With a complex mimicking call and an elaborate courtship dance to match, the superb lyrebird is one of the most spectacular Australian animals. A bird watching must-see, the superb lyrebird can be found in rainforests and wet woodlands across eastern NSW and Victoria.

  • Swamp wallaby in Murramarang National Park. Photo: David Finnegan

    Swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)

    The swamp wallaby, also known as the black wallaby or black pademelon, lives in the dense understorey of rainforests, woodlands and dry sclerophyll forest along eastern Australia. This unique Australian macropod has a dark black-grey coat with a distinctive light-coloured cheek stripe.

  • Bare-nosed wombat. Photo: Keith Gillett

    Bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus)

    A large, squat marsupial, the Australian bare-nosed wombat is a burrowing mammal found in coastal forests and mountain ranges across NSW and Victoria. The only other remaining species of wombat in NSW, the endangered southern hairy-nosed wombat, was considered extinct until relatively recently.

  • Australian brush turkey, Dorrigo National Park. Photo: Rob Cleary

    Australian brush turkey (Alectura lathami)

    The Australian brush turkey, also known as bush or scrub turkey, can be found in rainforests along eastern NSW. With a striking red head, blue-black plumage and booming call, these distinctive Australian birds are easy to spot while bird watching in several NSW national parks.

  • Eastern common ringtail possum. Photo: Ken Stepnell

    Common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)

    Commonly found in forests, woodlands and leafy gardens across eastern NSW, the Australian ringtail possum is a tree-dwelling marsupial. With a powerful tail perfectly adapted to grasp objects, it forages in trees for eucalypt leaves, flowers and fruit.

  • Profile view of a rufous scrub-bird (Atrichornis rufescens) standing on a mossy rock. Glen Trelfo © Glen Trelfo

    Rufous scrub-bird (Atrichornis rufescens)

    The vulnerable rufous scrub-bird is a small, ground-foraging bird that lives only in isolated rainforest areas of south-eastern Australia.

Environments in this park

Education resources (1)