Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre
Pilliga National Park
Overview
The Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre is the best place for visitors and tourists to collect information about the Pilliga Forest before setting off on their adventure.
- Type
- Visitor centres
- Where
- Pilliga National Park in Country NSW
- Accessibility
- Easy
- Opening times
9am to 4pm daily. Closed Christmas Day.
- Please note
- You can fill in a trip intention form and hire a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) for free at Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre.
- It’s a good idea to check road conditions with Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre before setting out.
Start your exploration of Pilliga Forest at the award-winning and wheelchair accessible Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre. Located in Baradine, known as the gateway to Pilliga Forest, the Discovery Centre is an ideal place to drop in.
Pilliga Forest is a large and diverse outback landscape. To make the most of your visit, it’s a great idea to drop by the Centre to pick up maps, seek advice from friendly staff, and find out about guided tours, as well as which are the best birdwatching routes.
Interactive displays will give you your first taste of this dramatic landscape and inspire you to get out there and explore. This first ‘walk in the forest’ will reveal plants and animals, and Aboriginal cultural heritage - Pilliga like you’ve never seen it before. You’ll often find art exhibitions from local artists and other cultural contributions to the community taking place here.
The centre is architecturally designed and environmentally sustainable, making it the tourism centrepiece of the region. It boasts a conference room which is open to the public for hire, making it a great place if you’re looking for somewhere unique for a private function.
Map
Map legend
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/visitor-centres/pilliga-forest-discovery-centre/local-alerts
Park info
- in Pilliga National Park in the Country NSW region
Pilliga Forest is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre.
Getting there and parking
Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre is located at 50-58 Wellington Street, Baradine.
To get there from Narrabri:
- Travel south on the Newell Highway for 71km
- Turn right at the Baradine exit onto No.1 Break Road and travel 30km (unsealed road, 2WD accessible weather permitting)
- Turn left onto Indians Lane Road and continue to Baradine
- Arriving in Baradine, cross the bridge and turn left onto Narren Street towards Coonabarabran
- Following the signage to the Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre, turn right onto Wellington Street. The Discovery Centre is 320m on your left.
To get there from Coonabarabran:
- Take the Baradine Road from the intersection at the Poplars Motel and travel 45km
- When you reach Baradine, continue past the oval and school then turn left onto Wellington Street
- The Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre is 320m on your left.
Road quality
- Sealed roads
Vehicle access
- 2WD vehicles
Weather restrictions
- All weather
Weather, temperature and rainfall
You may experience a great range of temperatures on any day in the park. In summer it's generally hot in the daytime and temperatures often exceed 40C. In winter nights can be very cold, but you can enjoy clear sunny days. Rainfall is also highly variable, ranging from drought to prolonged wet periods, with the average annual rainfall around 600mm. Creeks may quickly become impassable after heavy rain.
Summer temperature
Average
15°C and 35°C
Highest recorded
45°C
Winter temperature
Average
2°C and 21°C
Lowest recorded
-6.1°C
Rainfall
Wettest month
January
Driest month
June to September
Facilities
Toilets
- Flush toilets
Carpark
Drinking water
Maps and downloads
Accessibility
Disability access level - easy
- This area is fully wheelchair accessible
- Specially designed accessible ramps and toilets
- Street access for wheelchairs
Prohibited
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.
Visitor centre
-
Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre
50-58 Wellington St, Baradine NSW 2396 - 9am to 4pm daily. Closed Christmas Day.
- 02 6843 4011
Learn more
Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre is in Pilliga National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
A bird watcher’s paradise
Pilliga Forest is a mixture of eastern and western climates, making it very attractive to birds – more than 230 species have been recorded. You’re bound to see some of that range during your time at the park, and if you keep a close eye out and bring some binoculars, you’re definitely see even more. Pilliga is one of the few places left in NSW where you can catch sight of the grey-crowned babbler. It’s a bird that lives in family groups and roost together in domed nests of sticks. Other birds you may see include glossy black cockatoos, brown treecreepers, regent honeyeaters, barking owls, and red-capped robins. For more information about great bird watching opportunities in Pilliga, be sure to pick up a copy of Bird Routes of Baradine from Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre.
- Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre The Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre is the best place for visitors and tourists to collect information about the Pilliga Forest before setting off on their adventure.
Aboriginal culture
Pilliga is traditional Country of the Gamilaraay People and much evidence of their ancient connection to the land exists in the park today. On your exploration of the park, you may see stone tools, grinding grooves, modified trees, and rock art. Find out more about the Gamilaraay People and their ancient culture on a guided tour of Sandstone Caves, a place containing Aboriginal rock art and engravings.
Koala territory
Pilliga Forest supports a vast number of mammals, including swamp wallabies, eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, and eastern pygmy possums. Pilliga also has the largest koala population in NSW to the west of the Great Dividing Range – look for them in the forest’s red gums and the Pilliga box. If you are lucky enough to spot a koala, please report your sighting to the Baradine NPWS office.
- Pilliga rambles tag-along tour Come along on this fun tag-a-long tour in Timmallallie National Park. You'll walk alongside NPWS Discovery Ranger, Bevan, who'll share his experience and stories of the Pilliga Scrub.
Plants and animals protected in this park
Animals
-
Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)
One of the most renowned Australian animals, the tree-dwelling marsupial koala can be found in gum tree forests and woodlands across eastern NSW, Victoria and Queensland, as well as in isolated regions in South Australia. With a vice-like grip, this perhaps most iconic but endangered Australian animal lives in tall eucalypts within a home range of several hectares.