Paddling in Kalyarr National Park

Kalyarr National Park sits on the Hay Plain, roughly 40 kilometres north-west of Hay in western New South Wales — one of the flattest stretches of country on earth.

The paddling here is quiet and unhurried, shaped by a single river moving through open plains and stands of red river gums and river cooba. The Lachlan River is the water that anchors the park.

It runs through a landscape where the horizon is unbroken and the pace is set by the current, not the gradient.

This is flatwater paddling — no rapids, no technical demands — and the draw is the country itself: the river corridor, the birdlife overhead, the stillness.

The Lachlan River campground sits on the bank and serves as the natural put-in and base, making it straightforward to paddle out and return without a shuttle. Timing matters on the Hay Plain.

Autumn and spring are the seasons to plan around, when temperatures are manageable and the wind — which can be relentless out here — is less likely to work against you on open water.

Summer heat is serious in this part of New South Wales, and it shapes every decision about when to be on the water. Kalyarr is co-managed by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Nari Nari people through the Mawambul Co Management Group.

The park protects significant cultural heritage sites alongside its wetlands and river corridor, and that context is worth carrying with you on the water.

Check with NSW National Parks for current access conditions, any permit requirements, and fishing rules before you go — the park's remote setting means preparation matters more than it might closer to town. The Lachlan here won't test your paddling.

What it will do is put you in a landscape that asks you to slow down and pay attention.