Devils Hole lookout walk and picnic area
Barrington Tops National Park
Overview
Devils Hole lookout walk offers scenic views and picnicking via an easy wheelchair track, ideal on a car touring trip to World Heritage-listed Barrington Tops National Park.
- Accessibility
- Easy
- Distance
- 0.3km return
- Time suggested
- 6 - 15min
- Grade
- Grade 1
- What to
bring - Drinking water, hat, sunscreen
- Please note
- Remember to take your binoculars if you want to birdwatch
- Check the weather before you set out as the road to Devils Hole lookout walk can be affected by snow and ice
You’ll feel like you’re on the edge of the known world while standing on Devils Hole lookout in Barrington Tops National Park. Suitable for wheelchairs, the easy, paved track winds from Devils Hole campground and picnic area to a lookout platform with magnificent views over the vast World Heritage-listed wilderness. Between Scone and Gloucester, it’s a brilliant leg stretcher and picnic spot on a car tour of this unique region.
From the lookout, you’ll be standing where the mountains touch the sky. The snow-grassed montane woodland of the gentle Barrington plateau stretches behind, while dense forests, wild gorges, and ridges of the Barrington wilderness lie below. On a clear day, the view extends to the coast, over 90km to the east.
If the clear mountain air has kickstarted your appetite, stroll back and unpack the hamper at the picnic area. If you’re hungry for more scenery, try nearby Thunderbolts lookout.
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/things-to-do/walking-tracks/devils-hole-lookout-walk-and-picnic-area/local-alerts
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
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 Devils Hole lookout walk and picnic area.
Track grading
Features of this track
Distance
0.3km return
Time
6 - 15min
Quality of markings
Clearly sign posted
Experience required
No experience required
Gradient
Flat
Steps
No steps
Quality of path
Well-formed track
Getting there and parking
Devils Hole lookout walk and picnic area is in the Polblue and Devils Hole precinct of Barrington Tops National Park. To get there:
From Gloucester:
- Take Thunderbolts Way; this road becomes Scone Road and Barrington Tops Forest Road.
- After passing Thunderbolts lookout, the walk starts on the left opposite Devils Hole campground.
From Scone:
- Take the Hunter Road from Scone
- Turn right on to Moonan Brook Road, then turn left on Barrington Tops Forest Road.
- The picnic area is on the right, 7.5km past Polblue.
Parking
Parking is available in a gravel carpark at Devils Hole lookout walk and picnic area.
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
Toilets
Picnic tables
Step-free access
There's step-free access around the picnic area, along the walk and to the lookout platform along paved pathways. The path to the lookout includes wider sections for passing.
- Step-free outdoor pathways
Maps and downloads
Accessibility
Disability access level - easy
Devils Hole lookout, picnic area and walk is flat and step-free, with the following accessible facilities:
- There are paved pathways that lead to the lookout platform, the picnic tables and toilets.
- The pathway to the lookout has wider sections for passing
- The handrail at the lookout is designed so wheelchair users can easily see the view.
- The toilet is accessible with a handrail.
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
Devils Hole lookout walk 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.