The
Abercrombie River National Park preserves the largest remaining intact patch of low open forest in the south-west tableland area of
New South Wales. Visitors may be lucky enough to
spot platypuses and eastern water rats in the Abercrombie and Retreat Rivers, both of which are important habitats for the animals.
When not in drought conditions the park offers the opportunity to swim, fish, and canoes.
The park is suitable to visit all year around, although be well prepared in winter and ensure you take plenty of warm clothing.
How to Use this Trek Note
Click the "Map" tab below to see the route we've provided. Icons on the map are the POIs you'll need for navigation purposes. Be sure to check the list of Nearby
Places on each POI page.
If you'd like to save this information there are a couple of ways to go about it, depending on what you're actually after:-
- Ideal solution - download the ExplorOz Traveller App from Google Play or the App Store. The app enables you to carry the ExplorOz Places, Treks, & Maps data offline in your mobile device ready for your adventures. It is a complete mapping, navigation and tracking app. For more details, read our ExplorOz Traveller page.
- You can print a paper copy of the text using the print icon button shown above, near the social media buttons. For the best output it is advised to open each tab/section to load all images and artwork. You will still need to click open each Place page (listed in Where to Stay, What to See) to print off all available information.
- If you have a Hema Navigator or use Mapping Software such as OziExplorer, or TrackRanger AND you are an ExplorOz Member, then you can click the Download Trek button at the top of this page to obtain the raw data files (eg. GPX) for this Trek.
- If you're not a Member, or you'd like to batch download the entire Treks database you can obtain this by buying a product called EOTreks Route Files from our online shop.
Environment
The park varies widely in altitude and geology. In the north-east, the landscape reaches 1128m above sea level, and you'll find rich volcanic soils. The southern end of the park is much lower - only 500m at the Abercrombie River - and has much poorer soils from sedimentary rock. This landscape diversity has led to a wide variety of plant communities.
In the high-altitude areas in the eastern section of the park, you'll find mountain gums and peppermint, which is typical of the Southern Tablelands. This type of plant community has been much reduced elsewhere, due to land clearing for pine plantations and forestry.
At lower altitudes, there are open forests of inland scribbly gum and red stringy bark. Along the rivers and creeks, there are tall river oaks, tea trees and bottlebrushes.
Argyle apple grows in this park. This is close to the northern limit of its distribution.
Wallaroos, red-necked wallabies, swamp wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos are often seen in the park's eucalypt forests. Wombats and echidnas live on the slopes and river flats.
Up in the trees, there are greater gliders, sugar gliders, brush-tailed possums and ring-tailed possums. Over 60 species of birds are also found in the park - including the peregrine falcon.
Down by the park's rivers, you might be lucky enough to see a platypus. If not, you might
spot a Gippsland water dragon, sunning itself on a rock during the warmer months. You'll also hear the calls of a variety of frog species.
The rivers and creeks are home to trout cod and Macquarie perch, both of which are protected by law. River blackfish, silver perch and Murray Cray are also found here - all of these species are rare in the region. If you catch a trout cod, Macquarie perch or silver perch, you must carefully return it to the water.
History
The rivers and creeks throughout the park offered food and shelter for local Aboriginal tribes, possibly the Wiradjuri or Gundungarra people. These tribes probably used the Abercrombie River as a trading route for stone
tools and even shells from the coast.
The land and waterways, and the plants and animals that live in them, feature in all facets of Aboriginal culture – including recreational, ceremonial, and spiritual and as a main source of food and medicine. They are associated with dreaming stories and cultural learning that is still passed on today. We work with local Aboriginal communities to protect this rich
heritage.
To find out more about Aboriginal
heritage in the park, you can get in touch with the local Aboriginal community. Contact the park office for more details.
The area that now forms the national park was prospected during the 19th century gold-rushes, and there are still some diggings, water races and sluice boxes left behind by the miners. There's also an early 20th century wattle-and-daub hut in the park.
