Gorge Loop Road drive

Where

Sturt National Park in Outback NSW

Time suggested

3hrs

Entry fees

Park entry fees apply

Opening times

This road is always open, but may be closed at times due to bad weather conditions.

What to
bring

Hat, sunscreen, drinking water

Please note

• Remember to take your binoculars if you want to go birdwatching.
• This park or attraction is in a remote location, so please ensure you’re well-prepared, bring appropriate clothing and equipment and advise a family member or friend of your travel plans.
• There is limited reception in this park.
• Check the weather before you set out as Gorge Loop Road can become boggy when it rains.

As one of the largest national parks in NSW, Sturt National Park can seem so vast as to be almost impenetrable. But a terrific way to tackle its size is by driving Gorge Loop Road, a 100km round-trip that offers numerous places to stop and soak up the atmosphere. Plan on 2-3 hours driving time, and a few more for breaks and bushwalking opportunities. Be sure to pack a pair of binoculars for birdwatching, perhaps at Gorge lookout, and a big picnic for lunch somewhere like Mount Wood campground.

Sturt National Park has an incredibly rich pastoral heritage, and this is where Gorge Loop Road really shines. Kick things off with a visit to Outdoor Pastoral Museum, at the turn-off from Wanaaring Road. The museum offers a terrific introduction to the area and plenty of artefacts to intrigue the kids. Not much further along is Mount Wood Homestead complex, which dates back to 1886. Now award-winning accommodation, it was once the centre of a 500,000-acre sheep station. Other old landmarks along the way include the Horton Park ruins, right as you turn off from Gorge Loop Road at the very end.

If nature is more your thing, keep an eye out for numerous emus and four different types of kangaroo racing across the gibber plains. As the drive twists into small rocky gorges, you might even spot euro kangaroos sheltering beneath rocky overhangs and gidgee trees.

Don’t forget to stop, get out of the car, and enjoy the tranquil solitude, fossicking in dry creek beds, wandering through the trees, or following the 4km Mount Wood Summit walking track, which reaches 120m above the surrounding plans. Charles Sturt, the iconic explorer, named this place in 1845 as he searched for a mythical ‘Great Inland Sea’. The sea doesn’t exist, of course, but the scenic view is a spectacular discovery.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info