Murray Sunset National Park
This vast park protects a range of habitats supporting abundant wildlife including a large population of Red Kangaroos. Spring is a highlight with a breathtaking display of wildflowers. Casuarina woodlands are stark in their beauty and their majestic River Red Gums on Lindsay Island and the Murray River.
Most unique of all are the park's famed Pink Lakes which turn a striking rose colour due to pigment secreted by salt tolerant algae. The park is well serviced by access trials - with some suitable for either 2 or 4 wheel drive vehicles. There are also walking trails, camping grounds and a former sheare's shed now available for basic accommodation.
Wyperfield National Park
450 species of plants are native to this park. Most dominant are the Cypress-pine and Black Box woodlands and the ever-present Mallee eucalypt variants. Emus and Western Grey Kangaroos are common and stumpy-tail Lizards and Sand Goannas are also often seen.
Conspicuous too are Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Mallee Ringneck Parrots, Galahs and Red-capped Robins. There are several picnic areas in the park and two self guided walks. The Eastern Lookout Nature drive is recommended and the North-South Track now provides additional 4-wheel drive access. There is a Visitor Information Centre at the park which is open daily.
Perry Sandhills
Five kilometres from Wentworth are the Perry Sandhills, ten hectares of striking red sandhills which, like those near Lake Mungo, were once part of the huge Willandra Lakes System and date back to an ice age 40,000 years ago. Evidence suggests that the Barkindji people lived here since ancient times. Bones of mega fauna found in the sand hills also reveal that huge Kangaroos, wombats and other creatures once roamed the region.
Nyah and Vinvfera State Forests
Twenty kilometres north of Swan Hill are picturesque Nyah and Vinifera State Forests. Both are ideal spots to camp, fish or trek through forests of beautiful red river gums along the banks of the Murray. The remains of ancient Aboriginal ovens and middens have been found and are now protected under the National Estate. Most parts of the forests are accessible by roads suitable for two wheel drive vehicles.
Kinchega National Park
Near Broken Hill is Kinchega National Park site of several vast wetland lakes, serene and rich in wildlife. Many ancient Aboriginal relics of the Paakantji people have been found in the park and scarred trees provide evidence of their canoe building, fishing and shelter construction. The explorers Burke and Wills and Charles Sturt spent time in Kinchega. It is now an ideal location for camping, boating and bird watching.
The Broken Hill Sculptures
Near Broken Hill is a reserve established by the City Council to showcase the magnificent rock sculptures created on the site by twelve sculptors from around the world in 1993. These huge works express the response of these artists to the desolate outback beauty of the location. The reserve has become known as the 'Living Desert'.
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