Washpools picnic area and viewing platform
Towarri National Park
Overview
Set beside the tranquil Middle Brook, Washpools picnic area and nearby scenic lookout are ideal for spending a relaxing day of swimming and barbecues with friends and family.
- Type
- Picnic areas
- Where
- Towarri National Park in Country NSW
- Accessibility
- Medium
- What to
bring - Hat, sunscreen, drinking water
- Please note
- There is limited mobile reception in this park.
- Check the weather before you set out as the road to Washpools picnic area and viewing platform has a creek crossing which may become impassable when it rains.
Washpools picnic area and viewing platform are set within river oak forest and box woodland beside the tranquil Middle Brook. Come and enjoy a relaxing barbecue lunch and take in the scenic views across the Upper Hunter. Bring your binoculars and keep an eye out for the park’s various birds. When you see a red flash flying through the bushland, is it a king parrot or a crimson rosella?
After lunch, go for an easy walk along the banks of Middle Brook to Washpools waterhole. The kookaburras may start laughing when you strip down for a swim, but don’t shy away. This natural waterhole is a lovely way to cool down. If you stay overnight at Washpools campground, visit the picnic area very early in the day, or leave late and you may see grazing wallabies, kangaroos, or even a wombat.
Nearby
-
Washpools waterhole
Only 500m along Middle Brook from Washpools picnic area and viewing platform is the shallow, naturally formed Washpools waterhole — great for a dip on a hot day.
-
Range View track
Take a short, steep hike up Range View track in Towarri National Park, near Scone. You’ll journey past woodlands, caves and towering sandstone walls to the top of an outcrop with impressive views of the Liverpool Range.
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Washpools campground
Washpools campground is the place to enjoy a relaxing stay and refreshing dip in Towarri National Park. Situated beside Middle Brook, it’s easily accessed from Middlebrook Road.
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Washpools and Middlebrook walking tracks
Washpools and Middlebrook walking tracks form a beautiful loop walk around Middle Brook, a gentle creek in Towarri National Park, near Scone. In summer, stop for a swim along the way at Washpools waterhole.
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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
Operated by
- Scone office
- Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.
- 02 6540 2300
- npws.barringtontops@environment.nsw.gov.au
- 19 Hayes Street, Scone NSW 2337
Park info
- in Towarri National Park in the Country NSW region
Towarri National Park is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger