Park Information & Alerts

There are alerts raised for Barrington Tops National Park as at Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:51:27 +1000
Closed areas: Notice of Management Program temporary closure – Barrington Tops National Park and State Conservation Area
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will be closing the below trails on the Barrington Tops plateau from Thursday 20th February to Friday 11th July 2025 (including weekend days) in Barrington Tops National Park and State Conservation Area for management operations:

• Butchers Swamp Trail
• Paddys Ridge Trail

 
Do Not Enter. Penalties apply for non-compliance.
Closure notices will be placed at all visitor areas and relevant access points.
We appreciate your patience while this important work is carried out. If you would like any further information about closures, please contact [email protected].

Closed areas: Notice of temporary closure – Little Murray Campground, Barrington Tops NP
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will be temporarily closing Little Murray Campground, Little Murray Trail and Narrow Plain Trail on the Barrington Tops plateau from Monday 31 March to Friday 11 July 2025 (including weekend days) for a park management program to address a public safety risk.
Do Not Enter. Penalties apply for non-compliance.
Closure notices will be placed at all visitor areas and relevant access points.
We appreciate your patience while this important work is carried out. For further information about these closures, please contact [email protected]. 

Other incidents: No vehicle access to Lagoon Pinch Picnic Area
There is currently no vehicle access to Williams Top Picnic Area or Lagoon Pinch Picnic Area (due to closure of Williams Top Rd and Lagoon Pinch Forest Rd in Chichester State Forest) following serve weather.
Access to the Corker Trail is only via Williams River Picnic Area and Rocky Crossing Walk, adding an additional 9km (one-way) to the walk to Careys Peak/Wombat Creek Campground. 
Walkers need to be experienced and well prepared for long-distance, remote hiking. 
For information about State Forest closures, please visit: Forestry Corporation – Closures and notices.
For more information on accessing Barrington Tops National Park contact Gloucester NPWS on 02 6538 5300.

Closed areas: Walk-in campgrounds remain closed
Black Swamp and Wombat Creek campgrounds within Barrington Tops National Park remain closed until impacts from the recent severe weather can be assessed. For further information contact Gloucester NPWS on (02) 6538 3500.

Other incidents: Barrington Tops Forest Road closures
The severe weather event in May 2025 has caused major damage to Barrington Tops Forest Road in a number of places, forcing MidCoast Council to close the road on the eastern side of Barrington Tops. There is currently no access to the Barrington Tops plateau, or Scone via the Barrington Tops Forest Rd from Gloucester.
The same weather event has also caused major damage on the western side of the plateau, forcing Upper Hunter Shire Council to place a 2.5T load limit on the section of road west of the Dingo Gate – see 2.5 tonne Load Limit in Place – Barrington Tops Forest Road – UHSC.
For more information on the councils closures please contact the appropriate council directly.
For up to date general information on road closures visit https://www.livetraffic.com/.

Closed areas: Tubrabucca Road closed due to severe weather impacts.
The section of Tubrabucca Rd between Horse Swamp campground and the ridge east of Paddys Creek bridge is currently closed due to impacts from the recent severe weather event.
For further information contact the Scone NPWS office on (02) 6540 2300.

Closed areas: Seasonal Closure of Barrington Tops NP 4WD trails
The following 4WD trails are closed to all public vehicles from Sunday 1 June 2025 to the afternoon of Tuesday 30 September 2025 for the winter seasonal closure:

• Barrington trail – south
• Barrington trail – central
• Paddys Ridge trail
• Butchers Swamp trail
• Bullock Brush trail
• Thunderbolts trail (between Barrington Tops Forest Road and Pheasants Creek Road)
• Tugalow trail

Vehicle access to Junction Pools, Little Murray and Gummi Falls campgrounds and associated walking tracks and facilities is closed during this time. Visitors can still access all these campgrounds, walking tracks and facilities on foot or by bicycle.
Unfortunately Little Murray campground is currently closed to all visitors while NPWS deals with a public safety risk.
Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information, please contact either the NPWS Gloucester area office on 02 6538 5300, the NPWS Scone area office on 02 6540 2300 or visit the NSW National Parks safety page for park safety guidelines.

Closed areas: Burraga Swamp Walk Closed
Burraga Swamp walking track is currently inaccessible to vehicles due to closure of Mt Allyn Rd. Forestry Corporation of NSW has closed the road due to a failed bridge. The reopening date is not known at this stage. For more information, phone Gloucester NPWS Office on 02 6538 5300.

Safety alerts: Feral Cat 1080 program – Gloucester Tops
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is undertaking a Felixer feral cat pest management program the Gloucester Tops part of the park from Friday 28 March 2025 to Friday 19 September 2025.
This program is designed to minimise the impact of feral cats on wildlife, especially the endangered rufous scrub-bird and broad-toothed rat. There will be signs at all baiting locations.
The operation will involve the use Felixer 1080 cartridges, containing 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) poison, dispensed by a Felixer unit, for the control of feral cats.
Domestic pets are not permitted in NSW national parks and reserves. Pets and working dogs may be affected (1080 is lethal to cats and dogs). Pets and working dogs must be restrained in the vicinity and must not enter the baiting locations. In the event of accidental poisoning seek immediate veterinary assistance.
For further information, please call the Barrington Tops area office on 02 6538 5300.

Safety alerts: Visitor Safety Alert: Feral Horses
Feral horses move through this campground day and night. Campers at Little Murray and Polblue campgrounds should set up tents as close to their vehicles as possible.
 
Aggressive horse behaviour can pose a safety risk for visitors. Aggressive behaviour includes snorting, head bobbing, stomping front legs, ears erect, aggressive stance and approaching in an aggressive manner.
 
What to do around aggressive horses:
· avoid the animals, especially if a stallion is present and there are mares nearby
· retreat to your vehicle
· wave your arms around and make lots of noise
· walk in a group rather than as an individual
· always be aware of your immediate surroundings.
 
Please report any such interaction or aggressive horse behaviour to NPWS Gloucester on 6538 5300.

Closed areas: Phytophthora quarantine area – Barrington Tops National Park
Phytophthora is a mould that causes dieback in plants. It’s been found on the plateau in Barrington Tops National Park, predominantly on the Watergauge trail between Beean Beean and Black Swamp. The affected area is under quarantine with absolutely no visitor access.
Phytophthora is readily spread by mud carried by walkers’ shoes and mountain-bike tyres. There are boot wash stations across the plateau for walkers to use, to ensure their boots ‘Start clean, Stay clean’.
Penalties apply for non-compliance. For more information, please contact the NPWS Gloucester area office on (02) 6538 5300.