Now, we are continuing our journey through the National Parks of New South Wales and we hope you are enjoying the trip! Did you know that there are over 850 national parks in New South Wales? We probably won’t be able to cover them all, but we are doing our best! (I know, it’s a tough job!) First, we featured some of the best National Park in Queensland and now we are on a journey, exploring the national parks in New South Wales. We will be highlighting some of the most popular and some of our favourite national parks in the state of New South Wales. When it comes to choosing a favourite national park in New South Wales, there is often a debate. Of course, it is a matter of preference as to which one is your favourite and there is definitely no shortage of choices.
View of the Capertee Valley and Gardens of Stone National Park from Pearsons Lookout Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Capertee Valley Panorama Photo Credit: “Capertee Valley panorama” by Matt – Capertee Valley. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons
Gardens of Stone National Park photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
The National Parks of New South Wales
Capertee National Park photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
Previously, we explored a scenic drive in the Blue Mountains and Blue Mountains National Park. We also took you back in time to the oldest National Park in Australia, Royal National Park. Other NSW national park highlights have included Wollemi Pine National Park, Warrumbungle National Park, Washpool National Park, and in our blog post on The Rainforest Way, we highlighted Wollumbin National Park, Nightcap National Park. We covered Dorrigo National Park and Eurobodalla National Park on our post about some of the best nature walks in New South Wales. Oxley Wild Rivers National Park was covered in our blog post about Wandering the Waterfall Way. We started out our recent journey through the rest of the NSW parks in the vast wilderness of Barrington Tops National Park. It is so vast, in fact, that it took 4 blog posts to cover it all including: Hiking in Barrington Tops National Park and Camping in Barrington Tops National Park. Next, we took a look at Lane Cove National Park, then we travelled to Tapin Tops National Park. Now, it’s on to captivating Capertee National Park.
Capertee National Park and Gardens of Stone National Park
Natural Stone Pagodas in Gardens of Stone National Park Photo Credit: “Gardens of Stone NSW Australia 1″ by Karl Baron from Lund, Sweden – View Uploaded by berichard. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons
Capertee National Park photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
Capertee National Park photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
Gardens of Stone National Park photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
Capertee and Gardens of Stone National Parks are adjacent to one another. the Capertee Valley is made by the Capertee River as it cuts through the Sydney Basin. The valley and the national parks are just west of the Blue Mountains. The original inhabitants of the land are the Aboriginal Wiradjuri people. The prominent feature of the valley is Pantony’s Crown, which is the sandstone butte that is now part of Gardens of Stone National Park. The landscape is also known for the natural stone pagodas. The high ridges of the pagodas in the parks are part of the Great Dividing Range. There are a total of eight protected areas in this Greater Blue Mountains Area that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing. The entire valley is an important bird area and has some of the best bird watching in the entire state of New South Wales. The area has a diverse species of plant life and is home to a variety of wildlife creatures native to the different mountain and valley habitats here. Spending a holiday here is a very unique wilderness experience.
Getting to the Capertee Valley, Capertee National Park and Gardens of Stone National Park
Capertee National Park and Gardens of Stone National Park Map Photo Credit: Google Maps
Capertee National Park and Gardens of Stone National Park Car Rental Map Photo Credit: Budget.com.au
Local National Parks of this area photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
This region is west of the Blue Mountains, in between Gosford on the coast of NSW and the city of Bathurst. You can hire a car in Gosford at the Airport and head west for about 3 hours or 222 km. Or you can hire a car at the Bathurst Airport and head east for about an hour. Newcastle is also a close access point and you can hire a car at the Newcastle Airport. Of course, there are a number of convenient car hire locations in Sydney too and via a different route that takes you right through Blue Mountains National Park, it only is about a 2 and ½ hour drive. Hiring your own vehicle will ensure that you get to see the sights you want to see. With so many National Parks in this area, you can pick and choose your own favourite spots and stay as long as you like. When you hire a car with Budget, not only do you get the best rates and deals, but our knowledgeable staff will help you with the right vehicle for your itinerary and your needs.
Flora and Fauna of the Region
Capertee National Park photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
Painted Honeyeater in Capertee National Park photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
Kangaroo in Capertee National Park photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
Capertee National Park photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
There are an amazing total of 423 different plant species that have been documented in Gardens of Stone National Park across 30 different plant communities. Most of Gardens of Stone National Park is open forest or woodland and the primary tree type is eucalypts. The protected bird area here supports the endangered Regent Honeyeater as well as other populations of birds including the painted honeyeater, rockwarbler, swift parrot, plum-headed finch, and diamond firetail.
Camping and Accommodations in Capertee National Park
Capertee Cottage photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
Capertee Homestead photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
Capertee Homestead photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
Capertee Homestead photo credit: NationalParks.nsw.gov.au
There are camping and cottage accommodations in Capertee National Park. Gardens of Stone National Park has picnic and barbecue facilities, but no overnight stays. There are two different accommodations available: the Historic Capertee Homestead is also known as ‘Port Macquarie’ and the Capertee Cottages. Both offer great accommodations close to birdwatching, mountain biking, 4WD touring, bush walks and wildlife viewing. At Port Macquarie, there are barbecue facilities on site, a carpark and toilets. Rooms are available with queen beds, double beds, singles, or bunks. Each room has a large living area with a wood burning heater and a wrap-around verandah to enjoy nighttime views of the wilderness all around you. The cottage offers barbecue facilities, a reverse cycle air conditioning and outdoor gas barbecue. The homestead and cottages are located in remote locations so bring your supplies with you.