Woolgoolga Creek picnic area

Sherwood Nature Reserve

Open, check current alerts 

Overview

Woolgoolga Creek picnic area is the ideal destination for a family daytrip. There are picturesque places to picnic, barbecues, excellent birdwatching and a nearby walking track.

Type
Picnic areas
Accessibility
Easy
Opening times

Woolgoolga Creek picnic area is open from sunrise to sunset.

Please note
  • Remember to take your binoculars if you want to go birdwatching.
  • The weather in this area can be extreme and unpredictable, so please ensure you’re well-prepared for your visit.
  • There is limited reception in this park.

Woolgoolga Creek picnic area is a delightful place for a picnic and a fantastic way to experience the plants and animals that make Sherwood Nature Reserve so special. Nestled below towering flooded gums, you’ll find this secluded picnic area fringed with blue quandongs. There’s plenty of space for the kids to run around, and nearby rainforest and creeks to explore, making it a great family day out.

Find a spot on the grassy lawn, throw down a picnic rug and listen to the sounds of nature. Or head over to the picnic tables and cook up a storm on one of the barbecues.

Goannas are regular visitors here, so you’ll probably spot one wandering through while you’re enjoying a picnic. You’ll also see brush turkeys and butterflies while there are over 50 species of birds around Woolgoolga Creek. If you’re feeling like a short walk, don’t miss the superb waterfall views at the end of Falls walking track or continue exploring the nature reserve along Sherwood Forest drive.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Map


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Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

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/picnic-areas/woolgoolga-creek-picnic-area/local-alerts

General enquiries

Park info

  • in Sherwood Nature Reserve in the North Coast region
  • Sherwood Nature Reserve is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather, fire danger or damage to trail network.

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about the Woolgoolga Creek picnic area.

Getting there and parking

Woolgoolga Creek picnic area is in the Woolgoolga Creek precinct of Sherwood Nature Reserve. To get there:

  • From Woolgoolga, drive west along Woolgoolga Creek Road.
  • Follow the signs to the picnic area

Please note there is no vehicle access from Powerline Road.

Road quality

  • Unsealed roads

Vehicle access

  • 2WD vehicles

Weather restrictions

  • All weather

Parking

Parking is available in a gravel carpark at Woolgoolga Creek picnic area.

Best times to visit

There are lots of great things waiting for you at Sherwood Nature Reserve. Here are some of the highlights.

Autumn

See magnificent quandong trees as their fruits turn blue and fallen leaves carpet the rainforest floor with red.

Spring

A fantastic time to see rainforest birds while they're nesting and wildflowers in the heathland.

Summer

Enjoy the tranquillity in the rainforest and some cool respite from the summer heat.

Winter

Bask in the winter sun at Woolgoolga Creek picnic area and enjoy a sheltered walk in the rainforest.

Weather, temperature and rainfall

Summer temperature

Average

16°C and 28°C

Highest recorded

28.3°C

Winter temperature

Average

4°C and 20°C

Lowest recorded

4.2°C

Rainfall

Wettest month

March

Driest month

August

The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day

953.1mm

Facilities

Toilets

There an accessible non-flush toilet at the picnic area, that's set at the top of a slight incline.

  • Non-flush toilets

Picnic tables

Barbecue facilities

  • Gas/electric barbecues (free)

Carpark

Step-free access

The picnic area is flat and step-free, with a paved pathway that leads to the first picnic table and the display shelter.

You'll need to cross over flat grass to reach the other picnic tables, barbecue and the toilets.

  • Step-free outdoor pathways

Maps and downloads

Safety messages

Mobile safety

Dial Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Download the Emergency Plus app before you visit, it helps emergency services locate you using your smartphone's GPS. Please note there is limited mobile phone reception in this park and you’ll need mobile reception to call Triple Zero (000).

River and lake safety

The aquatic environment around rivers, lakes and lagoons can be unpredictable. If you're visiting these areas, take note of these river and lake safety tips.

Accessibility

Disability access level - easy

Woolgoolga Creek picnic area is flat and step-free with:

  • A paved path that leads to the first picnic table and display shelter
  • An accessible non-flush toilet. The toilet is set at the top of a slight incline, assistance may be required to get up the small hill.
  • Accessible picnic tables

You'll need to cross over flat grass to reach most of the picnic tables, the barbecue and the toilets. 

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

Woolgoolga Creek picnic area is in Sherwood Nature Reserve. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

Aboriginal culture

Native ginger, Sherwood Nature Reserve. Photo: L Rees

The landforms, creatures and plants of Sherwood continue to have cultural significance for the Gumbaynggir People. Plants found in the rainforest such as figs, rosella leaves, tamarinds, ginger fruit and wombat berries are important for local cultural knowledge. There are also many special Aboriginal sites in the reserve, like Woolgoolga Creek, which is important for Gumbaynggir Women. This gives visitors a fascinating insight into Aboriginal culture and heritage.

Bird watching paradise

Banksia, Sherwood Forest Drive, Sherwood Nature Reserve. Photo: L Rees

Birdwatchers will find an incredible diversity of birdlife at Sherwood. Wander through the rainforest on a spring or summer morning and you’ll see and hear up to 30 different species. It’s home to white-eared monarch and other common species like yellow-throated scrub wren, rufous fantail, little shrike thrush, noisy pita and log runner. It’s also an important place for threatened migratory pigeons such as the rose-crowned fruit dove and wompoo fruit dove.

  • Falls walking track Falls walking track in Sherwood Nature Reserve is an easy walk through the rainforest, offering spectacular waterfall views of Woolgoolga Creek Falls and fantastic birdwatching.
  • Woolgoolga Creek picnic area Woolgoolga Creek picnic area is the ideal destination for a family daytrip. There are picturesque places to picnic, barbecues, excellent birdwatching and a nearby walking track.

Changing landscapes

Falls walking track, Sherwood Nature Reserve. Photo: B Webster

Early settlers began logging here in the 1800s, and this continued right up to 1961, when it was prohibited. In 1907, they built a tramline to take timber to the mill in Woolgoolga. In the early 1900s, banana plantations were established and from the 1960s, parts of the rainforest were cleared for plantations of flooded gums and bunya pines, some of which you can still see today. Along Falls walking track, you may also see remnants of a pipeline, built in 1966 to take water from Woolgoolga Creek Falls to Woolgoolga township.

Precious plant life

Views along the range, Sherwood Forest Drive, Sherwood Nature Reserve. Photo: OEH

Sherwood Nature Reserve protects one of the few subtropical lowland floodplain rainforests remaining on the NSW North Coast, as well as dry and warm temperate rainforest and old-growth forest. A highlight is the magnificent stand of blue quandong around Woolgoolga Creek, with its whitish trunk covered in lichen and large buttresses. You might also spot the giant climbing orchid, the only known climbing orchid in Australia.

  • Falls walking track Falls walking track in Sherwood Nature Reserve is an easy walk through the rainforest, offering spectacular waterfall views of Woolgoolga Creek Falls and fantastic birdwatching.
  • Sherwood Forest drive Enjoy driving through diverse landscapes on Sherwood Forest Drive. This scenic trail offers picturesque places to picnic, lookouts and spectacular views along the way.

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