Paddling in Boonoo Boonoo National Park

Boonoo Boonoo National Park sits in the New England tablelands of northern New South Wales, near Tenterfield, where granite country drops away into forested gorges and the Boonoo Boonoo River cuts through the landscape on its way to the falls.

The water here is river and pool paddling — not a touring network, not a whitewater circuit, but a specific and rewarding kind of moving-water access in a remote park setting. The Boonoo Boonoo River is the spine of the paddling.

The park's own map marks a designated canoe and kayak location, and the river corridor is what draws paddlers in.

Platypus Pool, reached via the river walk, is the standout put-in and play spot — calm enough to swim, sized right for a kayak, and set in the kind of granite-edged bush that makes you slow down.

A Queensland naturalist group visiting in January found it ideal for a kayak or a swim after hiking in along the river to Morgans Gully and then to the falls.

Basket Swamp, on the other side of the park, adds a different character — open grassland country with its own falls, a contrast to the tight river gorge of the main Boonoo Boonoo corridor. Timing matters here.

The New England tablelands run cold in winter, and the park sits at elevation. Summer and shoulder seasons bring warmer water and more reliable conditions for river paddling.

January visits have reported hot first days cooling into overcast conditions — typical of the plateau's afternoon weather patterns. Because this is a national park, paddlers operate under NSW National Parks rules.

Check with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service before your trip for any current access conditions, closures, or requirements specific to the park — conditions on remote river access can change with weather and fire seasons.

The Boonoo Boonoo rewards paddlers who come prepared to carry their boat, read the country, and move at the river's pace rather than their own.