Things to do
The park is a refuge for many animals including species like this spotted python.
Photo credit: Queensland Government
Northern velvet geckoes are one of the 51 reptile species found in the park.
Photo credit: Eleanor Collins © Queensland Government
Camping and accommodation
White Mountains National Park offers camping at Canns Camp Creek camping area. A composting toilet is provided and camp-fires are permitted (conditions apply). When dry, the camping areas are accessible to four-wheel drive vehicles with care. During the wet season (usually November to April), the road may be boggy and inaccessible. Find out more about camping in White Mountains.
Camping permits are required and fees apply.
- Book your campsite online.
- If you cannot book online, see camping bookings for other options.
Other accommodation
Other accommodation facilities, including hotels, camping and caravan parks, can be found at Pentland, Torrens Creek, Hughenden and Charters Towers. For more information see the tourism information links.
Cycling
Map
You can cycle along Poison Valley Road from the Flinders Highway to Sawpit Gorge lookout, or to Poison Valley. Expect to share the roads with pedestrians, vehicles and other cyclists. Cycling is not permitted on any of the management roads, firebreaks or adjacent private property.
Remember to follow the Parks and forests cycle with care guidelines.
Access to the park may be closed during the wet season. See park alerts for up-to-date information.
Scenic drives
Map
Take a scenic four-wheel-drive along Poison Valley Road to the Sawpit Gorge lookout, or to Poison Valley. Heed all park signage and expect to share the roads with pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles. Remember to stay safe and follow the Parks and forests four-wheel drive with care guidelines.
Access in not permitted to the adjacent private property. Roads into to the national park may inaccessible during the wet season. See park alerts for up-to-date information.
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Catch a stunning view out across the sandstone landscape from Sawpit Gorge lookout.
Photo credit: Linda Thompson © Queensland Government
Sawpit Gorge lookout
Distance: 8km return from park entrance
Time: allow 30mins driving time
Details: Pass by a landscape of sandstone heath plant communities and large deposits of lateritic stone on the way to Sawpit Gorge lookout. The drive can be particularly picturesque when the parks’ native plants are in flower—from May to September. Sawpit Gorge is the headwaters of the Warrigal Creek system, which flows into the Cape River and then the mighty Burdekin River.
Poison Valley
Distance: 28km return from park entrance
Time: allow 1.5hr driving time
Details: Travel through open eucalyptus woodland, acacia scrub and heath surrounded by the rugged hills that form part of the Torrens Creek catchment on the drive out to Poison Valley. The valley takes its name from the heart-leaf poison bush Gastrolboum grandiflora that is common in the area. This plant contains the poison mono sodium fluroacetate, more commonly known as 1080. The road ends above the banks of Torrens Creek, the most northerly stream running into Lake Eyre.
Picnic and day-use areas
Stop for a picnic at the Burra Range lookout on the Flinders Highway, where it crosses the Great Dividing Range. The stunning views are typical of the national park—steep gorges, lancewood forests and white sandstone shelves and peaks. Sheltered picnic tables and rubbish bins are provided by the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
Viewing wildlife
White Mountains National Park is one of Queensland’s most botanically diverse parks, encompassing 14 regional ecosystems including two classed as endangered. Approximately 430 plant species contained in 10 vegetation communities have been identified on the park. Eucalypt, acacia and melaleuca woodlands, and a mass of heathland species dominate the vegetation.
About 30 plant species, normally affiliated to southern Queensland, have also been recorded in the park. White Mountains National Park is the northern extremity of their range.
The park is a haven for a variety of wildlife, especially reptiles, which are well suited to the rocky landscape. Fifty-one species of reptiles have been recorded in the park. Some may be seen sunning themselves on rocks or branches, relying on the sun’s heat to warm their bodies. The rocky outcrops and spinifex grasslands provide perfect homes for frilled lizards Chlamydosaurus kingi, and spiny knob-tailed geckos Nephrurus asper.
See the description of the park's natural environment for more details about White Mountains' diverse wildlife.
- There are currently no park alerts for this park.