Tibooburra Visitor Centre

Sturt National Park

Affected by closures, check current alerts 

Overview

If you’re planning a trip through Sturt National Park and its surrounds, stop at Tibooburra Visitor Centre for information and a sneak preview of walks, drives, accommodation and more.

Type
Visitor centres
Where
51 Briscoe Street, Tibooburra, NSW, 2880 - in Sturt National Park in Outback NSW
Accessibility
Easy
Entry fees
Park entry fees apply
Opening times

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

Please note

The roads to Tibooburra may be closed during or after periods of heavy rain. Call the NPWS office on 08 8091 3308 for up-to-date road and weather information prior to commencing your journey.

Drop by Tibooburra Visitor Centre and meet the helpful staff who will be only too willing to help with weather updates and suggest great ideas for guided tours, walking tracks and camping; so you make the most of your 4WD outback adventure.

The centre houses a collection of information about the local environment and history that is as diverse as the land itself. Discover the importance of the area to the Aboriginal Wangkumara People, whose country extends into Queensland and South Australia.

Learn about the internationally recognized ephemeral wetlands of Lake Pinaroo and the abundant birdlife they attract. History buffs will love the model of the 1845 expedition by Charles Sturt.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Map


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Map


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/tibooburra-visitor-centre/local-alerts

Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

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

Getting there and parking

Tibooburra Visitor Centre is located in Tibooburra only a short distance from Sturt National Park entrance. The office is located on the main street of Tibooburra at 52 Briscoe Street.

Road quality

  • Unsealed roads

Vehicle access

  • 2WD vehicles

Weather restrictions

  • Dry weather only

Parking

Parking is available on Briscoe Street, in front of the visitor centre.

Best times to visit

There are lots of great things waiting for you in Sturt National Park. Here are some of the highlights.

Autumn

A great time of year to visit when daytime temperatures are pleasant and night times not too chilly.

Spring

Depending on the rainfall the park's wildflowers, including the distinctive red Sturt Desert Pea will be on show throughout the park.

Weather, temperature and rainfall

Summer temperature

Average

22°C and 36°C

Highest recorded

47.6°C

Winter temperature

Average

5°C and 17°C

Lowest recorded

-2.8°C

Rainfall

Wettest month

February

Driest month

August and September

The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day

178.2mm

Facilities

Carpark

Step-free access

The visitor centre is flat, with step-free access both inside and outside the building.

There's a paved area that leads from the street parking up to the main entrance of the visitor centre and the Courthouse Museum next door.

  • Step-free outdoor pathways
  • Step-free main entrance to the building

Accessible doorways

The doorway at the main entrance to the visitor centre is a single door with lever handles.

  • Accessible doorways, at least 850mm wide, with lever handles

Seats and resting points

There are 2 bench seats with backrests inside 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

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

  • A paved area that leads from the street parking to the visitor centre entrance and the Courthouse Museum next door.
  • An accessible doorway with a lever handle
  • 2 bench seats with backrests inside the visitor centre where you can rest

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

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

A vast and varied precious landscape

Rocky hills in Sturt National Park. Photo: John Spencer

Tibooburra means 'heaps of rocks' in the local Aboriginal language, and you can't miss the rocks - ancient granite tors that surround Tibooburra and line the road on the way to the park. This contrasts with the red sand of the desert on the western side of the park and with the 'Jump Ups' that rise from the plains in the central part of the park. Wherever you go in Sturt National Park, you're sure to be inspired by the dramatic changes in scenery and amazed by the true scale of the vast, arid expanse of outback.

  • Jump-Up Loop Road drive A fantastic self-guided car tour of the outback country of Sturt National Park, Jump-Up Loop Road drive offers scenic desert views, historic heritage and excellent birdwatching.
  • The Granites walking track Explore the geological history of Sturt National Park along The Granites walking track. See wildflowers, kangaroos and lizards as you walk over the ancient boulders.

A feral predator-free area

A golden bandicoot. Photo: Judy Dunlop © DPE

Locally extinct mammals are being reintroduced to Sturt National Park as part of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) feral predator-free areas project, in partnership with Wild Deserts. Over 10 years this project will reintroduce the greater bilby, crest-tailed mulgara, western barred bandicoot, greater stick-nest rat, golden bandicoot, burrowing bettong and western quoll.

Reintroducing these species, some of which have been absent for over 100 years, will play an important role in restoring the desert ecosystem in Sturt National Park. The project, funded by the NSW government, is a collaboration between NPWS and Wild Deserts (University of New South Wales and Ecological Horizons).

  • Talpero lookout Visit Talpero lookout for expansive desert views and see ‘the big bandicoot’ sculpture. It’s located 2 hours from Tibooburra, near Fort Grey campground in Sturt National Park.
  • Wells and Sturt’s tree walking track Retrace the footsteps of a famous explorer in the stunning and remote outback landscape of NSW’s far north-west. You'll rediscover history, see majestic red river gums and cross a dry lakebed, near Cameron Corner.

Ancient connections

Sturt's Tree walk, Sturt National Park. Photo: John Spencer

Sturt National Park is the traditional land of the Wangkumara People, whose Country extended from what is now southwest Queensland and northeast South Australia down through Tibooburra to Milparinka. The Wangkumara People travelled widely throughout this large and arid land to make the most of waterholes, permanent soaks, useful plants and animals. Today there is much evidence of the Wangkumara People's connection with this land - throughout the park you might notice middens and stone relics; reminders of the role this landscape played as the giver and sustainer of life.

  • Jump-Up walking track Discover the landscape of Sturt National Park along the Jump-Up walking track; you’re likely to see Aboriginal sites, wildflowers and kangaroos along the way.
  • Talpero lookout Visit Talpero lookout for expansive desert views and see ‘the big bandicoot’ sculpture. It’s located 2 hours from Tibooburra, near Fort Grey campground in Sturt National Park.

A waterbird oasis

Lake Pinaroo, Sturt National Park. Photo: OEH

Lake Pinaroo is around 80 km north west of Tibooburra and 24km south east of Cameron Corner. It’s an ephemeral lake, meaning it floods for short periods of time and then may not hold water for several years, depending on rainfall. In 1996, it was listed as an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention because of its retention of water for long periods, and the rarity of wetlands in arid NSW. Lake Pinaroo plays a crucial role in the survival of many plants and animal species, and supports large numbers of waterbirds and waders, including international migratory species and threatened species. When full, Lake Pinaroo is a stunning contrast to the dry landscapes of Sturt National Park, and you can see waterbirds like the freckled and blue-billed ducks, as well as brolgas, grey falcons and budgerigars.

Heritage values of the homestead

Outdoor Pastoral Museum, Sturt National Park. Photo: John Spencer

Historic Mount Wood Homestead is located on the oldest sheep station in northwest NSW, taken up around 1881. Listed on the State Heritage Register, it’s one of the most complete examples of a self-reliant sheep station in the region, spanning 368,385 acres. It was a hub for washing sheep wool on the long journey by camel train or cart to Wilcannia, prior to shipping. Today, the woolscour is a rare example of a complete set of wool washing equipment, and the only 19th century station-based scour in NSW to survive intact. Surviving the harsh outback, you can still see the original stone hut built in 1890, a stone homestead (1897), and an art deco-styled homestead (1935). There’s also a woolshed, shearers’ quarters, woolscour, blacksmith shop, stables, windmills and outstations. The  buildings provide a fascinating window into pastoral life and changing technology over almost 100 years.

  • Wells and Sturt’s tree walking track Retrace the footsteps of a famous explorer in the stunning and remote outback landscape of NSW’s far north-west. You'll rediscover history, see majestic red river gums and cross a dry lakebed, near Cameron Corner.

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.

  • A greater bilby marsupial amongst the red sandy ground of far western NSW. Photo credit: Brad Leue/AWC &copy: Brad Leue

    Bilby (Macrotis lagotis)

    The greater bilby was once widespread across arid and semi-arid regions of Australia. Today, this threatened native mammal is listed as extinct in the wild in NSW, but reintroduction efforts are seeing bilbies bounce back.

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)