Gloucester River campground and picnic area
Barrington Tops National Park
Overview
Gloucester River campground offers riverside camping, swimming, walking, and picnicking. It's ideal for families and groups visiting Barrington Tops National Park.
| Number of campsites | 30 |
|---|---|
| Camping type | Tent, Camper trailer site, Caravan site, Camping beside my vehicle |
| Where | Gloucester Tops Road, Invergordon, NSW, 2422 - in Barrington Tops National Park |
| Facilities | Picnic tables, barbecue facilities, toilets |
| What to bring | Drinking water, cooking water, firewood |
| Group bookings | Bookings for up to 5 sites and 20 people can be made online. School groups and commercial tour operators can submit a group booking enquiry form. |
| Please note |
|
This is a picturesque riverside camping and picnic area on the eastern edge of Barrington Tops National Park. With caravan parking and ramped facility access, Gloucester River campground and picnic area is a great spot for families and groups of all ages who love wide open, natural spaces.
Pick your spot beside the flowing river and set up your campsite among the trees. With shady spots and spacious grassy areas, there’s plenty of room for the kids to run around while you relax. Spend a couple of peaceful days swimming in the river and exploring Sharpes Creek walking track and Gloucester River walking track.
Keep your eye out for wildlife like red-necked pademelons, brush turkeys, and lyrebirds, all often spotted during the day. At night, while sitting around the campfire, you might hear the call of the powerful owl cutting through the frog chorus.
Map
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/camping-and-accommodation/campgrounds/gloucester-river-campground-picnic-area/local-alerts
Operated by
- Gloucester office
- Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.
- 02 6538 5300
- npws.barringtontops@environment.nsw.gov.au
- 59 Church Street, Gloucester NSW 2422
Park info
- in Barrington Tops National Park in the North Coast and Country NSW regions
Barrington Tops 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 the Gloucester River campground and picnic area.
Getting there and parking
Gloucester River campground and picnic area is in the Gloucester Tops precinct of Barrington Tops National Park. To get there:
- From Bucketts Way, between Gloucester and Stroud.
- Turn into Gloucester Tops Road and continue to Gloucester River campground and picnic area
Road quality
- Unsealed roads
Vehicle access
- 2WD vehicles
Weather restrictions
- All weather
Parking
There's an informal grass carpark at the campground.
Best times to visit
There are lots of great things waiting for you in Barrington Tops National Park. Here are some of the highlights.
Autumn
Take to the park's walking tracks to make the most of cooler and drier daytime weather.
Spring
Look out for ground orchids and other wildflowers along the Polblue Swamp walking track.
Summer
Look out for the eastern water dragon basking on rocks around the streams.
Facilities
Water is not available at this campground.
Toilets
There is an accessible toilet that you can reach from the carpark via a gravel ramp.
- Non-flush toilets
Picnic tables
There are accessible picnic shelters set on concrete slabs, with a small lip from the grass onto the concrete.
Barbecue facilities
- Gas/electric barbecues (free)
- Wood barbecues (bring your own firewood)
Step-free access
There's step-free access around this campground, but there are no pathways. You'll need to cross over hard-packed ground and grass to reach the facilities.
Ramps or slopes at the campground have a maximum gradient of 1:14.
Maps and downloads
Accessibility
Disability access level - medium
- There's step-free access around the campground and picnic area, but there are no pathways. You'll need to cross over hard-packed ground and grass to reach the facilities.
- The campground and picnic area is mostly flat. Any ramps or slopes have a maximum gradient of 1:14.
- There's an accessible toilet with a gravel ramp.
- There are accessible picnic shelters set on concrete slabs.
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.
Learn more
Gloucester River campground and picnic area is in Barrington Tops National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
World Heritage-listed rainforests
The rainforests in Barrington Tops National Park are part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area; the most extensive strip of diverse rainforest anywhere on earth. The World Heritage Area is a direct window into the past and the future, providing a link to the ancient pre-human world and a stunning and irreplaceable record of life on our planet. You can explore the rainforest on one of the park's many walking tracks, like the Honeysuckle Forest track, the Rocky Crossing walk or the Antarctic Beech Forest track. Listen out for the lyrebird whose mimicking calls ring out through the rainforest.
- Antarctic Beech Forest walking track Antarctic Beech Forest walking track offers rainforest, cascades, scenic views, and birdwatching in Barrington Tops National Park, near Gloucester.
- Careys Peak walking track Easy Careys Peak walking track offers picnicking, scenic views, birdwatching, and historic heritage in the sub-alpine region of Barrington National Park, near Scone.
- Cobark Park picnic area Take a break at Cobark Park picnic area to plan your adventures in the plateau region of Barrington Tops National Park—1 hour from Gloucester.
An ancient landscape
Barrington Tops National Park and the adjoining State Conservation Area are the traditional land of several Aboriginal groups, including the Worimi and Biripi people, the Gringai clan of the Worimi people and Wonnarua people. The rainforests of Barrington Tops offered a wealth of resources for Aboriginal people, including many edible fruits, like the native cherry, lilly pilly and figs. Today, the history of Aboriginal people in Barrington Tops is recorded in oral history and in the presence of Aboriginal sites. Barrington Tops National Park protects ancient campsites, scarred trees and sacred ceremonial places.
A dramatic wilderness
Most of Barrington Tops National Park is declared wilderness; large, natural areas of land that, together with their native plants and animal communities, remain essentially unchanged by modern human activity. Wilderness areas in NSW represent the largest, most pristine natural areas within NSW - the last of Australia's wild and untamed places. The edges of the wilderness area of Barrington Tops are easily accessible; some of the most spectacular views in the park are from Careys Peak and Devils Hole and Thunderbolts lookouts. You'll notice the varied textures of the forest below you, with the ranges of the Barrington Wilderness running east and south from the plateau like the fingers of an outstretched hand.
- Barrington trail Take the challenge of the Barrington trail, a 4WD trail in Barrington Tops National Park. Open between October and May every year, plan your 4WD camping holiday now.
- Gloucester Tops circuit Walk through snow gum woodland and ancient rainforest to lookouts and waterfalls, along the Gloucester Tops circuit. This 8km loop combines 3 popular and scenic walks in Barrington Tops National Park.
- Majestic Barrington mountain bike tours Enjoy spectacular scenery as you cycle through Barrington Tops National Park and beyond on this supported mountain bike tour with Aussie Bike or Hike, near Gloucester.
- Rocky Crossing walk Rocky Crossing walk along Williams River offers scenic rainforest views, wildlife and birdwatching on a long easy track in Barrington Tops National Park, near Dungog.
Plants and animals protected in this park
Animals
-
Superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae)
With a complex mimicking call and an elaborate courtship dance to match, the superb lyrebird is one of the most spectacular Australian animals. A bird watching must-see, the superb lyrebird can be found in rainforests and wet woodlands across eastern NSW and Victoria.
-
Swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor)
The swamp wallaby, also known as the black wallaby or black pademelon, lives in the dense understorey of rainforests, woodlands and dry sclerophyll forest along eastern Australia. This unique Australian macropod has a dark black-grey coat with a distinctive light-coloured cheek stripe.
-
Bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus)
A large, squat marsupial, the Australian bare-nosed wombat is a burrowing mammal found in coastal forests and mountain ranges across NSW and Victoria. The only other remaining species of wombat in NSW, the endangered southern hairy-nosed wombat, was considered extinct until relatively recently.
-
Australian brush turkey (Alectura lathami)
The Australian brush turkey, also known as bush or scrub turkey, can be found in rainforests along eastern NSW. With a striking red head, blue-black plumage and booming call, these distinctive Australian birds are easy to spot while bird watching in several NSW national parks.
-
Common ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus peregrinus)
Commonly found in forests, woodlands and leafy gardens across eastern NSW, the Australian ringtail possum is a tree-dwelling marsupial. With a powerful tail perfectly adapted to grasp objects, it forages in trees for eucalypt leaves, flowers and fruit.
-
Rufous scrub-bird (Atrichornis rufescens)
The vulnerable rufous scrub-bird is a small, ground-foraging bird that lives only in isolated rainforest areas of south-eastern Australia.