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Gorge Loop Road drive

Sturt National Park

Affected by closures, check current alerts 

Overview

Tracing Sturt National Park, Gorge Loop Road drive is a great introduction to the area and its rich pastoral heritage, offering camping and bushwalking opportunities along the way.

Time suggested
3hrs
Entry fees
Park entry fees apply
Opening times

This road is always open, but may be closed at times due to bad weather conditions.

What to
bring
Hat, sunscreen, drinking water
Please note
  • Remember to take your binoculars if you want to go birdwatching.
  • This park or attraction is in a remote location, so please ensure you’re well-prepared, bring appropriate clothing and equipment and advise a family member or friend of your travel plans.
  • There is limited reception in this park.
  • Check the weather before you set out as Gorge Loop Road can become boggy when it rains.

As one of the largest national parks in NSW, Sturt National Park can seem so vast as to be almost impenetrable. But a terrific way to tackle its size is by driving Gorge Loop Road, a 100km round-trip that offers numerous places to stop and soak up the atmosphere. Plan on 2-3 hours driving time, and a few more for breaks and bushwalking opportunities. Be sure to pack a pair of binoculars for birdwatching, perhaps at Gorge lookout, and a big picnic for lunch somewhere like Mount Wood campground.

Sturt National Park has an incredibly rich pastoral heritage, and this is where Gorge Loop Road really shines. Kick things off with a visit to Outdoor Pastoral Museum, at the turn-off from Wanaaring Road. The museum offers a terrific introduction to the area and plenty of artefacts to intrigue the kids. Not much further along is Mount Wood Homestead complex, which dates back to 1886. Now award-winning accommodation, it was once the centre of a 500,000-acre sheep station. Other old landmarks along the way include the Horton Park ruins, right as you turn off from Gorge Loop Road at the very end.

If nature is more your thing, keep an eye out for numerous emus and four different types of kangaroo racing across the gibber plains. As the drive twists into small rocky gorges, you might even spot euro kangaroos sheltering beneath rocky overhangs and gidgee trees.

Don’t forget to stop, get out of the car, and enjoy the tranquil solitude, fossicking in dry creek beds, wandering through the trees, or following the 4km Mount Wood Summit walking track, which reaches 120m above the surrounding plans. Charles Sturt, the iconic explorer, named this place in 1845 as he searched for a mythical ‘Great Inland Sea’. The sea doesn’t exist, of course, but the scenic view is a spectacular discovery.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

 

Google Street View Trekker

Using Google Street View Trekker, we've captured imagery across a range of NSW national parks and attractions. Get a bird's eye view of these incredible landscapes before setting off on your own adventure.

Google Trekker at Cape Byron State Conservation Area. Photo: J Spencer/OEH.

General enquiries

Operated by

Park info

  • in Sturt National Park in the Outback NSW region
  • Sturt National Park is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.

  • Park entry fees:

    $8 per vehicle per day. The park has coin-operated pay and display machines - please bring correct coins.

    Buy annual pass
See more visitor info

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