Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area
Boonoo Boonoo National Park
Overview
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.
- Type
- Picnic areas
- Where
- Boonoo Boonoo National Park in Country NSW
- Accessibility
- Easy
- Entry fees
- Park entry fees apply
- Please note
- Check the weather before you set out as the road to Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area can become flooded during heavy rain
- The weather can be extreme and unpredictable, so please ensure you’re well-prepared for your visit.
- You'll need to bring drinking and cooking water
If Boonoo Boonoo National Park were a house, then Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area would be its living room. Not only is it an ideal place for a picnic or barbecue breakfast, lunch or dinner, but most other park attractions can be accessed from here.
So meet up with friends, family, your birdwatching group or hiking crew and make the most of this great spot. From the picnic area, it’s only a short easy bushwalk along Boonoo Boonoo Falls walking track to the lookout. Here, you can gaze across the gorge to the awesome sight of Boonoo Boonoo River falling 210 metres down the side of the granite cliff face. Further on are swimming holes, the beginning of River track and access to other hiking trails.
Look out for wallabies and kangaroos around the picnic area, especially at either end of the day. Bring along your binoculars for a spot of birdwatching; woodland birds are often seen grazing in the overhead canopy.
Also see
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Boonoo Boonoo Falls lookout
Boonoo Boonnoo Falls lookout is in Boonoo Boonnoo National Park. You can reach this dramatic waterfall by making a short stroll down Boonoo Boonoo Falls walking track.
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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.
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Rockpool Ramble track
Rockpool Ramble track is in Boonoo Boonoo National Park, near Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area. Use this short side track to see the falls and enjoy cool rockpools at the bottom.
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/picnic-areas/boonoo-boonoo-falls-picnic-area/local-alerts
General enquiries
- National Parks Contact Centre
- 7am to 7pm daily
- 1300 072 757 (13000 PARKS) for the cost of a local call within Australia excluding mobiles
- parks.info@environment.nsw.gov.au
Park info
- in Boonoo Boonoo National Park 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.
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about the Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area.
Getting there and parking
On entering Boonoo Boonoo National Park:
- Follow the unsealed Boonoo Boonoo Falls Road for 4km to the park entrance
- Continue for a further 9km to Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area
Road quality
- Unsealed roads
Vehicle access
- 2WD vehicles
Weather restrictions
- All weather
Parking
Parking is available at Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area, including several designated disabled spots. Bus parking is available.
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
- Non-flush toilets
Picnic tables
Barbecue facilities
- Gas/electric barbecues (free)
- Wood barbecues (bring your own firewood)
Carpark
Drinking water
Maps and downloads
Accessibility
Disability access level - easy
This area is fully wheelchair accessible
Permitted
Fishing
Fishing from a boat, the beach or by the river is a popular activity for many national park visitors. If you’re planning a day out fishing, check out these fishing safety tips.
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.
Learn more
Boonoo Boonoo Falls picnic area is in Boonoo Boonoo National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
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.
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.
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.