Cobark Park picnic area
Barrington Tops National Park
Overview
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.
- Type
- Picnic areas
- Accessibility
- Hard
- What to
bring - Drinking water, hat, sunscreen, raincoat, snacks, clothes for all weather conditions
- Please note
- There are no toilet facilities here. You can find toilets at Honeysuckle (10min drive) and Devils Hole (20min drive) picnic areas.
- Check the weather before you set out because the road to Cobark Park picnic area can be affected by snow and ice.
On your Barrington Tops day trip, stop at the tranquil Cobark Park picnic area to get your bearings before exploring the northern part of the wild, untamed Barrington wilderness.
Located at the northernmost entrance to the park, you'll find plenty of parking near this cool, shady picnic spot which is set back from the road. Pull out your lunch at one of the covered picnic tables and breathe in the crisp, high plateau air.
Look for the bright flutter of king parrots and crimson rosellas and listen for superb lyrebirds mimicking other birds around them in the dense eucalypt forest. You might even be lucky enough to see a koala in the canopy.
It's a great jumping off point for other adventures in this park, with its World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests. If you're after spectacular views, drive 5min to Thunderbolts lookout or Devils Hole lookout walk and picnic area. If you need more time for walking, fishing or cycling, pitch your tent at Polblue campground and picnic area and stretch your legs on Polblue Swamp track.
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/cobark-park-picnic-area/local-alerts
Park info
- in Barrington Tops National Park in the North Coast and Country NSW regions
Barrington Tops National Park 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 the Cobark Park picnic area.
Getting there and parking
Cobark Park picnic area is in the northern section of Barrington Tops National Park. To get there:
From Gloucester:
- Take Thunderbolts Way, which becomes Scone Road then Barrington Tops Forest Road
- After about 45km, you’ll reach a pull out for Cobark Park picnic area on your left
- The picnic area is just beyond the pull out.
From Scone:
- Take the Hunter Road from Scone
- Turn right on to Moonan Brook Road, then turn left on Barrington Tops Forest Road.
- The picnic area is on the right, 7km past Honeysuckle.
Road quality
- Mixture of sealed and unsealed roads
Vehicle access
- 2WD vehicles
Weather restrictions
- All weather
Parking
There's an informal, unmarked gravel carpark at the picnic area.
Facilities
Picnic tables
There are accessible picnic shelters set on concrete slabs at the picnic area. There's a short section of grass between the gravel road and the picnic shelter, and a small lip from the grass onto the concrete slab where the picnic shelter is.
Carpark
Step-free access
The picnic area is step-free and mostly flat, but there are no pathways. You'll need to cross over hard-packed ground, gravel and grass to reach the picnic area's facilities.
Maps and downloads
Accessibility
Disability access level - hard
The picnic area is step-free and mostly flat with accessible picnic shelters, but there are no pathways. You'll need to cross over hard-packed ground, gravel and grass to reach the picnic area's facilities.
Permitted
Cycling
Prohibited
Camp fires and solid fuel burners
Camping
Gathering firewood
Generators
Horses
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
Cobark Park picnic area is in Barrington Tops National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
World Heritage-listed rainforests
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
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
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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.