Yuwura Yurun
Culgoa National Park
Overview
Yuwura Yarun (Sandhill track) offers the most comprehensive walk in Culgoa National Park, crossing diverse habitats and offering birdwatching and picnicking opportunities.
- Where
- Culgoa National Park in Outback NSW
- Distance
- 10km loop
- Time suggested
- 3 - 4hrs
- Grade
- Grade 4
- What to
bring - Hat, sunscreen, drinking water
- Please note
- There is no mobile reception in this park.
- Remember to take your binoculars if you want to birdwatch.
Yuwura Yurun, also known as Sandhill track, crosses sandhills and open cypress pine woodlands, taking you into the scrublands of the national park. Yuwura Yurun turns away from Culgoa - unlike Mirri Mirru Yurun (River Bank walk), which sticks closely to Culgoa River - and traverses a wide variety of environments, offering the best glimpse of why Culgoa National Park is a special place.
There is coolabah woodland, Brigalow-gidgee woodland, mulga forests and wide grassland areas, not to mention claypans and sand dunes. Culgoa is remarkable not only for its solitude but its diversity, including its birds and animals too.
Yuwura Yurun is a longer walk, at 10km, but not particularly difficult, so it’s suitable for moderate fitness. Take your time, perhaps stopping when you find a place to picnic, or there are the tables and barbecue facilities at Culgoa River campground when you’re done.
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/walking-tracks/yuwura-yurun/local-alerts
General enquiries
- National Parks Contact Centre
- 7am to 7pm daily
- 1300 072 757 (13000 PARKS) for the cost of a local call within Australia excluding mobiles
- parks.info@environment.nsw.gov.au
Park info
- in Culgoa National Park in the Outback NSW region
Culgoa 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 Yuwura Yurun.
Track grading
Features of this track
Distance
10km loop
Time
3 - 4hrs
Quality of markings
Limited signage
Experience required
Some bushwalking experience recommended
Gradient
Flat
Steps
Occasional steps
Quality of path
Formed track, some obstacles
Getting there and parking
Get driving directions
Yuwura Yurun (Sandhill track) is in the Burban Grange precinct of Culgoa National Park. To get there:
- Take the unsealed road north-east of Bourke for 180km, or the unsealed, dry weather road north of Brewarrina for 120km.
- The Yuwura Yurun carpark is at the information bay, which is only 600m into the park.
- Alternatively, access the walk along Culgoa Connellys track which starts from Culgoa campground, 14km from the southern entrance of the park.
The small townships of Weilmoringle, on the south-west side of Culgoa, and Goodooga, on the east side of Culgoa, offer no fuel, so please ensure you have enough before departure.
Road quality
Check the weather before you set out as the road to Culgoa National Park can become boggy when it rains and the roads are susceptible to flooding.
Parking
Parking is available at Yuwura Yurun carpark or Culgoa River campground.
Best times to visit
There are lots of great things waiting for you in Culgoa National Park. Here are some of the highlights.
Spring
After reasonable winter rains, the park erupts with blooms of native wildflowers, and animals begin to raise their young.
Summer
Summer in Culgoa can be incredibly hot, so hiking should be attempted by experienced walkers only. For everybody else, this is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the coolness of Culgoa River.
Winter
This is a great time to settle in at Culgoa River campground, with winter the best time for walking in the park. Wildlife is still abundant and birdwatching is superb.
Weather, temperature and rainfall
Summer temperature
Average
21°C and 34.9°C
Highest recorded
46.4°C
Winter temperature
Average
5.7°C and 19.6°C
Lowest recorded
-3.3°C
Rainfall
Wettest month
January
Driest month
August
The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day
207.1mm
Facilities
Drinking water is not available in this area, so it’s a good idea to bring your own.
Maps and downloads
Prohibited
Gathering firewood
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
Yuwura Yurun is in Culgoa National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
Historic heritage
Charles Sturt was the first European explorer to venture here, in 1829, but colonial pastoralists were not far behind. By the 1860s, settlements were established right across the region, with large properties like Byerawering, Cawwell and Burban Grange, where Culgoa River campground can be found today. Culgoa National Park is committed to conserving the pastoral history of the area.
Iconic plants and animals
Culgoa has enough animals to keep even the most knowledgable naturalist glued to their binoculars: 24 mammals, 170 species of bird, 29 lizards, seven types of snake, and 15 types of frog. If you're lucky, you might spot a long-necked tortoise - there are many varieties in the park. Even more special, Culgoa has one of the largest koala populations in northern NSW.
- Culgoa Connellys track Culgoa Connellys track is an easy 8km return trail through open coolabah woodlands, with plenty of animals to see and opportunities for birdwatching and astronomy.
- Yuwura Yurun Yuwura Yarun (Sandhill track) offers the most comprehensive walk in Culgoa National Park, crossing diverse habitats and offering birdwatching and picnicking opportunities.
Rich cultural life
Aboriginal Australians have a long relationship with Culgoa. Murrawarri people, from the Gandugari group, consider it traditional land and it has significant archaeological and cultural value. Other tribal groups include the Ngemba, Ngaampaa, Paakandji, Morawari and Budjiti, who work with the NPWS in discussions of land management. Today, Murrawarri descendants reside in the area around the park, including the townships of Weilmoringle, Brewarrina, Goodooga, Bourke and Enngonia. These people retain a strong oral history of the region, expressed as traditional knowledge, beliefs, personal history and attachment to the landscape.
Under the shade of a coolabah tree
Culgoa is the only national park in NSW with Brigalow-gidgee woodland. It also has the largest continuous tract of coolabah woodland left in the state, meaning plenty of opportunities to settle down in the afternoon 'under the shade of a coolabah tree'.
- Culgoa Connellys track Culgoa Connellys track is an easy 8km return trail through open coolabah woodlands, with plenty of animals to see and opportunities for birdwatching and astronomy.
- Mirri Mirru Yurun Mirri Mirru Yurun (River Bank walk) is an easy 1km walk along Culgoa River, with opportunities for wildlife viewing and a place to stop for a barbecue afterwards.