Places where you can experience wilderness
Wilderness areas are places for nature where people are only an occasional, and respectful, visitor. They are managed so that native plant and animal communities are disturbed as little as possible. Horses and vehicles are not permitted in these places, and bicycles are only allowed on a small number of approved management trails.
Car touring on the edge of wilderness
You can enjoy wilderness without needing experience or equipment. Many locations on the edges of wilderness areas offer stunning views or short walks and other visitor facilities. These can be reached by car and are readily accessible to people of all ages and fitness levels. Here are some suggestions:
- In Border Ranges National Park, near the Queensland border, the Tweed Range Scenic Drive will take you right to the edge of the Lost World Wilderness Area.
- Around Grafton, short nature strolls in Washpool and Gibraltar Range national parks offer superb wilderness views.
- Near Narrabri, in central NSW, you can drive to several lookouts in one of Australia's most accessible wilderness areas, Mount Kaputar National Park.
- Nearer Sydney, Blue Mountains National Park has lookouts at Leura, Wentworth Falls and Katoomba. From these vantage points, you can stare out to the forests, rivers and dissected sandstone plateaus of the Kanangra-Boyd Wilderness. You can get right to the edge of the same wilderness area by driving out through Jenolan Caves to the lonely beauty of Kanangra Walls, in Kanangra-Boyd National Park.
- There are camping opportunities at Newnes, Dunns Swamp and Wheeney Creek, on the edge of the state's largest wilderness area, in Wollemi National Park.
- South-west of Sydney, the pristine bushland of the Nattai Wilderness protects Sydney's water supply, and Burragorang State Conservation Area provides breathtaking views of wilderness areas.
More adventurous experiences
For those who are more adventurous, there are endless opportunities to hike, canoe and camp in wilderness areas and take in the perfect solitude of nature at its untouched best.
Any visitors venturing into these areas should be thoroughly prepared, self-reliant and adhere to the principles of minimal impact wilderness recreation. Generally, access within a wilderness area is only by foot. In order to protect wilderness values, vehicles and horses are not permitted. Vehicle access is only allowed for essential management purposes and in emergencies, such as fire fighting and search and rescue.
Opportunities for recreation activities that are not appropriate within wilderness areas are usually provided in nearby national parks and State Conservation Areas - or on other public natural lands, such as state forests.
Parks that contain wilderness