Fishing in Towarri National Park

Towarri National Park sits in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales, about 25 kilometres west of Scone in the foothills of the Liverpool Range.

The park's terrain is rugged sandstone country, and the water here runs in small creeks and brooks that drain the range — intimate, often seasonal streams rather than big lowland rivers. Middle Brook is the water most visitors encounter first.

The Washpools campground sits right beside it, and the Washpools waterhole is a short walk from camp.

These are the park's most accessible fishing spots, reachable via Middlebrook Road — sealed most of the way, with a short unsealed stretch at the end that's manageable in a standard 2WD in dry conditions.

Beyond Middle Brook, the park holds a network of smaller creeks — Dart Brook, Wybong Creek, Thompsons Creek, Sparkes Creek, and others draining the range.

Summer is when the waterholes hold the most water and are most swimmable; winter brings cold nights (the park has recorded lows below -6°C) and the road can close after heavy rain or during fire danger periods.

Check current alerts with the Scone NPWS office before heading out. Towarri is a NSW national park, which means a standard NSW fishing licence applies.

Contact the Scone office on 02 6540 2300 or check with NSW National Parks directly for current conditions and any specific regulations before you go.

The park has no defined trail network, so navigating to the more remote creeks means moving through open country; bring a topographic map or GPS. The fishing here is modest in scale.

These are small upland streams, and the experience suits someone who's happy to work for it — walking into country that most visitors pass through on the way to the waterhole, reading water that doesn't give much away.