Polblue Swamp track
Barrington Tops National Park
Overview
Walk the easy Polblue Swamp track through high altitude wetlands of Barrington Tops National Park. It’s a short walk with picnic and barbecue facilities nearby.
- Accessibility
- Hard
- Distance
- 3km loop
- Time suggested
- 30min - 1hr
- Grade
- Grade 3
- What to
bring - Drinking water, sunscreen, hat
- Please note
- Remember to take your binoculars if you want to birdwatch
- Please keep to the track as the swamp edge is vulnerable to trampling
- If you’re bushwalking in this park it’s a good idea to bring a topographic map and compass, or a GPS
- There are picnic and barbecue facilities at Polblue campground and picnic area
The Polblue Swamp track will take you on a short journey through the wetlands and high altitude forests of the Barrington Tops Plateau. You’ll see the smooth dark trunks of black sally, snow gums with scribbles on their bark and be dwarfed by the towering mountain gums.
From the forest edge, watch as grasses give way to a dense growth of sedges crowding the moss of the swamp. If you’re walking in spring or summer, you may see rare ground orchids along the track and it’s a good walk for spotting wombats and kangaroos.
You can start this easy walk from Polblue campground and picnic area.
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/polblue-swamp-track/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 Polblue Swamp track.
Track grading
Features of this track
Distance
3km loop
Time
30min - 1hr
Quality of markings
Sign posted
Experience required
No experience required
Gradient
Gentle hills: The first section of the track from the picnic area has slight slopes uphill and downhill. The rest of the track has more uneven ground, with some steeper sections.
Quality of path
Formed track, some obstacles: The first 100m of the track from the picnic area is step-free and mostly flat, with a mix of hard-packed ground and timber surfaces. After the first 100m, the track becomes more sloped and uneven, with steeper sections.
The track is 1–1.5m wide and may have rocks and tree roots along its length.
Steps
Occasional steps: There are no steps along the first 500m of the walk. There are occasional steps along the rest of the walk.
Getting there and parking
Polblue Swamp track starts at Polblue campground and picnic area 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.
- The campground and picnic area are located on the left after passing Devils Hole
From Scone:
- Take the Hunter road from Scone
- Turn right on to Moonan Brook Road, then turn left on Barrington Tops Forest Road.
- Polblue camping and picnic areas are 7km on the right after the Dingo Gate
Parking
There's a gravel carpark at Polblue campground and picnic area where this walk begins.
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.
Maps and downloads
Accessibility
Disability access level - hard
The first 500m of track is step-free and 1–1.5m wide, with gentle slopes and a mixture of hard-packed ground and timber surfaces. There may be tree roots and rocks along the track.
After the first 500m, the track becomes steeper, more uneven and narrower in places. There may be occasional steps.
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
Polblue Swamp track 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.
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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.