Boonoo Boonoo National Park
Overview
Only 27km from Tenterfield, Boonoo Boonoo National Park has a stunning waterfall, secluded swimming holes, hiking tracks, camping areas, accommodation and picnic spots.
Read more about Boonoo Boonoo National Park
After Banjo Patterson proposed to his sweetheart, Alice Walker, at Boonoo Boonoo Falls lookout, there was movement at Tenterfield cattle station. Word had passed around that the station owner’s daughter had got away. Presumably she loved the guy, but it’s possible that his charming choice of setting in which to pop the question might have helped sway her answer. Alice didn’t have a chance and she and Banjo married in 1903.
Today, Boonoo Boonoo (pronounced bunna-bunoo) is still the ultimate romantic setting, especially after a good rainfall. From the lookout is an uninterrupted view of the Boonoo Boonoo River cascading over the granite cliff edge to become a spectacular waterfall that plunges 210m into the gorge below. Nearby, you’ll find walking tracks and shady places to picnic. Secluded rock pools along the river, lined by wildflower-filled bushland, are the perfect way to cool off on a hot day.
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/boonoo-boonoo-national-park/local-alerts
Contact
- in the Country NSW region
Boonoo Boonoo National Park is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.
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Park entry fees:
$8 per vehicle per day. The park uses a self-registration fee collection system. Please bring the correct change.
Buy annual pass. -
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Glen Innes office
02 6739 0700
Contact hours: Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm. - 68 Church Street, Glen Innes NSW 2370
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Email: npws.ntab@environment.nsw.gov.au
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Glen Innes office
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about Boonoo Boonoo National Park.
Map
Map legend
Getting there and parking
Get driving directions
From Tenterfield:
- Follow the sealed Mount Lindesay (Woodenbong) Road for about 24km
- Turn right onto Boonoo Boonoo Falls Road and follow this unsealed road for 4km to the park entrance
- Travel for a further 9km to Boonoo Boonoo picnic area
From Stanthorpe:
- Take Amosfield Road and follow the signs to Bald Rock National Park along unsealed roads
- At the bitumen, travel past the turnoff to Bald Rock National Park and continue for 5km, then follow signs to Boonoo Boonoo National Park.
Parking
- Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area See on map
By bike
Check out the Bicycle information for NSW website for more information.
Best times to visit
There are lots of great things waiting for you in Boonoo Boonoo National Park. Here are some of the highlights.
Spring
This is the season for wildflowers. The mild weather at this time of year is also particularly good for camping.
Summer
The water in the large secluded rock pools along the river will give sweet relief from the summer heat.
Winter
Temperatures can plunge overnight and mornings are often frosty at this time of year, so be well-prepared if you're camping. Though winter days are often sunny, cloudless and warm enough to enjoy a picnic or a long hike.
Weather, temperature and rainfall
Summer temperature
Average
14°C and 27°C
Highest recorded
38.3°C
Winter temperature
Average
2°C and 14°C
Lowest recorded
-10°C
Rainfall
Wettest month
January
Driest month
August
The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day
228.6mm
Facilities
Toilets
Picnic tables
Barbecue facilities
Drinking water
Showers
Electric power
Maps and downloads
Fees and passes
Park entry fees:
$8 per vehicle per day. The park uses a self-registration fee collection system. Please bring the correct change.
- All Parks Pass - For all parks in NSW (including Kosciuszko NP) $190 (1 year) / $335 (2 years)
- Multi Parks Pass - For all parks in NSW (except Kosciuszko) $65 (1 year) / $115 (2 years)
- Country Parks Pass - For all parks in Country NSW (except Kosciuszko) $45 (1 year) / $75 (2 years)
- Single Country Park Pass - For entry to a single park in country NSW (except Kosciuszko). $22 (1 year) / $40 (2 years)
Annual passes and entry fees (https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/passes-and-fees)
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.
Nearby towns
Tenterfield (27 km)
Sir Henry Parkes delivered his famous "birth of our nation" speech in the Tenterfield School of Arts in 1889. His rousing speech is credited with being the decisive moment that set the country on its path toward Federation in 1901.
Glen Innes (119 km)
Set in the most prolific sapphire region of Country NSW, Glen Innes hosts the annual Minerama Fossicking and Gem Show and the annual Australian Celtic Festival, and is home to the Australian Standing Stones.
Casino (154 km)
Casino is a thriving rural centre in the heart of rich agricultural country. It's set in lush pastures on the banks of the Richmond River.
Learn more
Boonoo Boonoo National Park is a special place. Here are just some of the reasons why:
Have you seen the wildlife?
Boonoo Boonoo is an Aboriginal name meaning 'poor country with no animals to provide food'. Since that name came about, before European settlement, the environment has significantly changed. Now kangaroos and wallabies visit Cypress Pine campground and the park's picnic areas at dawn and dusk. The wariest wallaby of them all, the threatened brush-tailed rock wallaby, can even be seen if you're very quiet and patient. Spotted-tailed quolls, also a threatened species, sometimes visit Cypress Pine campground at night and platypuses live and frolic in Boonoo Boonoo River.
- Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area is not only a great place to eat and rest, it teems with wildlife, wildflowers and is close to Falls lookout, rock pools and River track.
- Boonoo Boonoo Falls walking track Boonoo Boonoo Falls walking track allows a short stroll between Boonoo Boonoo picnic area and the scenic lookout onto the magnificent Boonoo Boonoo Falls.
- Morgans Gully picnic area Visit Morgans Gully for a relaxing picnic, and investigate gold mining historic heritage surrounded by wildflowers and embellished with a waterfall and geological formations.
Gold fever
Morgans Gully and Ropers Gully are two sites in the park where alluvial gold was discovered in the late nineteenth century. As a result, there was a huge influx of European and Asian prospectors to the area. As well as giving the nearby town of Tenterfield a massive economic boost at the time, the village of Boonoo Boonoo temporarily flourished but is now ruins. Though nature has reclaimed these gullies too, imagine what the areas might have looked, sounded and smelt like when they were teeming with men from here and all over the world, half-crazy with gold fever.
Fabulous falls
The park's jewel is Boonoo Boonoo Falls. If you'd like to see what this feature is really made of, then visit during the wetter months of summer. Even if the falls aren't pumping, though, they're still beautiful and there will always be rock pools along the river to swim in, walking tracks to follow and riverside picnics to indulge in.
Education resources (1)
What we're doing
Boonoo Boonoo National Park has management strategies in place to protect and conserve the values of this park. Visit the OEH website for detailed park and fire management documents.