Type

Visitor centres

Where

Pilliga National Park in Country NSW

Accessibility

Easy

Opening times

9am to 4pm daily. Closed Christmas Day.

Please note

• You can fill in a trip intention form and hire a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) for free at Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre.
• It’s a good idea to check road conditions with Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre before setting out.

Start your exploration of Pilliga Forest at the award-winning and wheelchair accessible Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre. Located in Baradine, known as the gateway to Pilliga Forest, the Discovery Centre is an ideal place to drop in.

Pilliga Forest is a large and diverse outback landscape. To make the most of your visit, it’s a great idea to drop by the Centre to pick up maps, seek advice from friendly staff, and find out about guided tours, as well as which are the best birdwatching routes.

Interactive displays will give you your first taste of this dramatic landscape and inspire you to get out there and explore. This first ‘walk in the forest’ will reveal plants and animals, and Aboriginal cultural heritage - Pilliga like you’ve never seen it before. You’ll often find art exhibitions from local artists and other cultural contributions to the community taking place here.

The centre is architecturally designed and environmentally sustainable, making it the tourism centrepiece of the region. It boasts a conference room which is open to the public for hire, making it a great place if you’re looking for somewhere unique for a private function.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

A bird watcher’s paradise

Pilliga Forest is a mixture of eastern and western climates, making it very attractive to birds – more than 230 species have been recorded. You’re bound to see some of that range during your time at the park, and if you keep a close eye out and bring some binoculars, you’re definitely see even more. Pilliga is one of the few places left in NSW where you can catch sight of the grey-crowned babbler. It’s a bird that lives in family groups and roost together in domed nests of sticks. Other birds you may see include glossy black cockatoos, brown treecreepers, regent honeyeaters, barking owls, and red-capped robins. For more information about great bird watching opportunities in Pilliga, be sure to pick up a copy of Bird Routes of Baradine from Pilliga Forest Discovery Centre.

Aboriginal culture

Pilliga is traditional Country of the Gamilaraay People and much evidence of their ancient connection to the land exists in the park today. On your exploration of the park, you may see stone tools, grinding grooves, modified trees, and rock art. Find out more about the Gamilaraay People and their ancient culture on a guided tour of Sandstone Caves, a place containing Aboriginal rock art and engravings.

Marsupials territory

Pilliga Forest supports a vast number of mammals, including swamp wallabies, eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, and eastern pygmy possums.