Paroo-Darling Visitor Centre, White Cliffs

Paroo-Darling National Park

Affected by closures, check current alerts 

Overview

Before you head to Paroo-Darling National Park, why not stop and spend a little while at the visitor centre. Pick up a map, read useful information about the park, and relax at the sheltered picnic areas before you start your journey.

Type
Visitor centres
Where
2 Johnston Street, White Cliffs, NSW, 2836 - in Paroo-Darling National Park in Outback NSW
Accessibility
Easy
Opening times

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. Open some weekends. Please note this visitor centre is unstaffed.

Please note

This is a remote park and can be very hot during summer. Please arrive well prepared – bring plenty of fuel, food, water, and equipment and tell a family member or friend about your travel plans.

This is an unstaffed visitor centre stocked with maps and other useful information for visitors. It's a good idea to read up on our outback safety tips before visiting this area and check the weather before you set out as roads in the area can become impassible when it rains. 

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/paroo-darling-visitor-centre-white-cliffs/local-alerts

Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about Paroo-Darling Visitor Centre, White Cliffs.

Getting there and parking

The visitor centre is at White Cliffs. If you're traveling from Wilcannia it will be on your left.

Parking

Parking is available in a hard-packed ground carpark behind the visitor centre.

Best times to visit

It's a haven for waterbirds, so the best time of year to visit is when Peery Lake is full. 

Spring

Spring is a good time to see emu chicks and at other times you may see kangeroos, eagles and falcons.

Facilities

Picnic tables

There's a picnic table and 2 picnic shelters outside the visitor centre.

Carpark

Step-free access

The visitor centre is flat and step-free. There's a concrete ramp that leads up to the main entrance. Inside the visitor centre, there are flat timber floors.

The area around the visitor centre is also flat and step-free, with gravel pathways that lead to the facilities.

Seats and resting points

There's a bench seat south-east of the visitor centre.

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

  • Paroo-Darling Visitor Centre is flat and step-free, with a concrete ramp that leads up to the main entrance, and gravel pathways that lead to the facilities outside the visitor centre.
  • The main doorway is a single door.
  • Inside the visitor centre, there are flat timber floors.
  • There's a picnic table and 2 picnic shelters outside the visitor centre and a bench seat south-east of the visitor centre for resting. The picnic tables are set along gravel pathways, but you'll need to cross over hard-packed ground to reach the bench.

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

Learn more

Paroo-Darling Visitor Centre, White Cliffs is in Paroo-Darling National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

    A unique and diverse ecosystem

    A mob of emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) in Paroo Darling National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    The Paroo Overflow and its associated wetlands sustain a unique ecosystem, including such threatened species as the freckled duck and blue-billed duck. You may also see black-breasted buzzards, pink cockatoos, pied honeyeaters and any one of 55 bird species that visit the lakes. Peery Lake, a major part of the system, is part of an internationally significant wetland and protected under the Ramsar Convention.

    Aboriginal heritage

    Aboriginal rock engravings in Paroo Darling National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    The Paakantyi and Ngiyeempaa People have traditionally made this area their home. The park is a historically and culturally important site: with its hearths, quarries and specialised microblade occupation sites, the area provides significant information about changing technologies and ways of life over the last 10,000 years.

    European history

    Coach and Horses campround, Paroo Darling National Park. Photo: John Spencer

    Pastoralists were also attracted to the banks of the Darling River. As well as water, it provided a major transport corridor. Riverboats began navigating the system in the 1850s, and Cobb and Co also ran several routes through this important pastoral region.

    • Darling River Run tag-along tour Follow the Darling River on a 15-day driving trip with Xpedition Tagalong Tours. Explore the incredible attractions in Outback NSW as you journey from Lightning Ridge through Broken Hill to Wentworth.

    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.

    • 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.

    • 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.

    Plants

    • Mulga. Photo: Jaime Plaza

      Mulga (Acacia aneura)

      Mulga are hardy Australian native plants found throughout inland Australia. With an unusually long tap root, the mulga is able to withstand long periods of drought.

    • 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

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    Park info

    See more visitor info

    What's nearby:

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    Camping and accommodation (17)

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