Mutawintji Visitor Centre

Mutawintji National Park

Affected by closures, check current alerts 

Overview

The visitor centre is on your left as you enter the Mutawintji Park. It is unstaffed, but provides a general introduction to the park for visitors. It is also a good place to stop and get your bearings and use the facilities.

Type
Visitor centres
Where
51 Old Coach Road, Mutawintji, NSW, 2880 - in Mutawintji National Park in Outback NSW
Accessibility
Easy
Opening times

Mutawintji Visitor Centre is always open but it's unstaffed (self service).

There are lots of things to explore in Mutawintji National Park however it is also a very remote outback park. To pick up some more information about the park and ensure that you are well prepared for your visit please drop by the park’s visitor centre. You can also stop here for a picnic or barbecue and to fill up your water bottles before heading out onto your park adventure.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Map


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Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

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/mutawintji-visitor-centre/local-alerts

Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about Mutawintji Visitor Centre.

Getting there and parking

On entering Mutawintji National Park, the visitor centre will be on the left.

Road quality

Check the weather before you set out as roads within the park are unsealed.

  • Unsealed roads

Vehicle access

  • 2WD vehicles

Weather restrictions

  • Dry weather only

Parking

Parking is available at the visitor centre on unsealed gravel Mutawintji Road, including 1 accessible parking space on the right side of the visitor centre.

Best times to visit

Mutawintji National Park is best visited during autumn, winter and spring when daytime weather is pleasant. Summer in the outback can be very hot.

Weather, temperature and rainfall

Summer temperature

Average

30°C and 35°C

Highest recorded

48.6°C

Winter temperature

Average

17°C and 31°C

Lowest recorded

-3.3°C

Rainfall

Wettest month

January

Driest month

September

The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day

140.2mm

Facilities

Toilets

There's an accessible flush toilet behind the visitor centre.

  • Flush toilets

Picnic tables

Barbecue facilities

  • Gas/electric barbecues (free)

Public phone

Electric power

There is a powerpoint at the visitor centre if you need to charge your wheelchair or mobility scooter.

Step-free access

The visitor centre and surrounding area are flat and step-free, with a paved pathway that leads to the main entrance, and a large, wide, paved and concrete area that surrounds the building.

  • Step-free outdoor pathways

Accessible doorways

The main entrance to the visitor centre has sliding door.

Seats and resting points

Maps and downloads

Safety messages

Mobile safety

Dial Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Download the Emergency Plus app before you visit, it helps emergency services locate you using your smartphone's GPS. Please note there is limited mobile phone reception in this park and you’ll need mobile reception to call Triple Zero (000).

Outback safety

Safety is of high priority in outback areas. In summer, temperatures can reach up to 50°C in some places. Food, water and fuel supplies can be scarce. Before you head off, check for road closures and use our contacts to stay safe in the outback.

Accessibility

Disability access level - easy

Mutawintji Visitor Centre is flat and step-free, with the following accessible facilities:

  • 1 accessible parking space on the right side of the visitor centre
  • An accessible toilet behind the visitor centre
  • Paved and concrete surfaces around the building, and a paved path that leads to the main entrance
  • A sliding door at the main entrance
  • Bench seats for resting
  • Electric power to charge your power wheelchair or mobility scooter

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

  • Mutawintji Visitor Centre
    51 Old Coach Road, Mutawintji, NSW 2880
  • Mutawintji Visitor Centre is always open but it's unstaffed (self service).

Learn more

Mutawintji Visitor Centre is in Mutawintji National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

A wildlife wonderland

Bobtail (Tiliqua rugosa), Mutawintji National Park. Photo: John Spencer

It might feel peaceful here, but Mutawintji teems with the wildlife that has occupied these lands since ancient times. You might see a wedge-tailed eagle or even a peregrine falcon and enjoy the chatter of noisy short-billed correllas, zebra finches, budgerigars, apostle birds and magpies. Crossing your path may be goannas and snakes, and look out for members of the only colony in NSW of the endangered yellow-footed rock wallaby. The largest of the rock-wallabies, it is Australia's most brightly coloured mammal - look for them on rocky ridges in the park.

  • Homestead Gorge walking track Take a breathtaking walk along Homestead Gorge walking track for scenic landscape vistas and ancient Aboriginal rock engravings. Plus you might see wallabies, emus and birds.
  • Old Coach Road drive The Old Coach Road drive is a piece of Australian history, following a section of the historic Broken Hill to White Cliffs Coach Run that connected these two outback towns. 

An important Aboriginal site

Thaaklatjika Mingkana walk, Mutawintj National Park. Photo: John Spencer

The traditional home of the Pantjikali, Wanyuparlku, Wilyakali and Malyangapa people, Mutawintji National Park has been a significant meeting place for local cultures for thousands of years. Communities have performed initiations, rainmaking and other ceremonies here in gatherings of up to 1000 people. A short, easy walk, suitable for wheelchairs, will guide you amid the splendour of Mutawintji's gorges to the rocky overhang Thaaklatjika (Wright's Cave). Here you'll find paintings, stencils and engravings that depict pre and post colonial Aboriginal history, as well as the animals that live in the area, including kangaroos and emus.

  • Homestead Gorge walking track Take a breathtaking walk along Homestead Gorge walking track for scenic landscape vistas and ancient Aboriginal rock engravings. Plus you might see wallabies, emus and birds.
  • Mutawintji cultural tour Join this special tour in Mutawintji National Park in the NSW outback and hear Aboriginal guides share their connection to their Country.
  • Rockholes Loop walking track Rockholes Loop walking track is an adventurous extension to Homestead Gorge walking track, in Mutawintji National Park. This short but steep hike includes Aboriginal engravings and splendid views of rockholes, Homestead Gorge and Bynguano Range.

Iconic scenery

Mutawintji Gorge walk, Mutawintji National Park. Photo: John Spencer

Mutawintji National Park displays the classic outback landscape for which Australia is famous around the world. Driving along red dirt roads among rugged gorges and desert, against the backdrop of the ever-changing colour of the Byngnano Ranges, you'll discover the peace and space of the desert. Beyond the ridges, the saltbush and mulga plains stretch to the horizon, making city life seem a long, long way away.

  • Homestead Gorge walking track Take a breathtaking walk along Homestead Gorge walking track for scenic landscape vistas and ancient Aboriginal rock engravings. Plus you might see wallabies, emus and birds.
  • Mutawintji cultural tour Join this special tour in Mutawintji National Park in the NSW outback and hear Aboriginal guides share their connection to their Country.
  • Mutawintji Gorge walking track Mutawintji Gorge walking track takes you on a hike through one of the park’s most scenic gorges. Enjoy a picnic at the end or simply spend some time taking in the view.
  • Rockholes Loop walking track Rockholes Loop walking track is an adventurous extension to Homestead Gorge walking track, in Mutawintji National Park. This short but steep hike includes Aboriginal engravings and splendid views of rockholes, Homestead Gorge and Bynguano Range.
  • Split Rock walking track Explore the rugged outback landscape of Mutawintji National Park along Split Rock walking track. This wild walk near Broken Hill is significant to Aboriginal women's cultural practices.

Plants and animals protected in this park

Animals

  • Wedge-tailed eagle. Photo: Kelly Nowak

    Wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax)

    With a wingspan of up to 2.5m, the wedge-tailed eagle is Australia’s largest bird of prey. These Australian animals are found in woodlands across NSW, and have the ability to soar to heights of over 2km. If you’re bird watching, look out for the distinctive diamond-shaped tail of the eagle.

  • Red kangaroo, Sturt National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    Red kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

    The red kangaroo is one of the most iconic Australian animals and the largest marsupial in the world. Large males have reddish fur and can reach a height of 2m, while females are considerably smaller and have blue-grey fur. Red kangaroos are herbivores and mainly eat grass.

  • Emu, Paroo Darling National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)

    The largest of Australian birds, the emu stands up to 2m high and is the second largest bird in the world, after the ostrich. Emus live in pairs or family groups. The male emu incubates and rears the young, which will stay with the adult emus for up to 2 years.

Plants

  • Sturt's desert pea. Photo: Jaime Plaza

    Sturt's desert pea (Swainsona formosa)

    One of Australia’s most famous desert wildflowers, Sturt’s desert pea is found across inland arid regions of Australia, including far west NSW. One of the most easily-recognised Australian native plants, Sturt’s desert pea thrives in red sandy soil, or loam, and has vibrant red leaf-shaped flowers with a black centre, known as a ‘boss’.

  • Saltbush. Photo: Jaime Plaza

    Saltbush (Atriplex nummularia)

    A hardy Australian native plant, the saltbush is a small spreading shrub that can withstand dry salty soils such as those found in the desert plains of western NSW. It is grey-white in colour and has small spear-shaped succulent leaves. It flowers from December to April.

Environments in this park

Education resources (1)