Ganguddy Dunns Swamp: is this the most underrated part of Wollemi National Park?

Ganguddy Dunns Swamp is one of the most underrated parts of Wollemi National Park. It’s a stunning area with incredible easy to access pagodas, a huge cave, Indigenous rock art and the chance to swim or kayak in the pristine waterways. If you get really lucky you might even spot a platypus. All this and you rarely have to share the trails with anyone else. We’ve visited three times and still haven’t exhausted all there is to offer.

It’s easily day trippable from nearby Mudgee or Rylstone, but you can also make a weekend of it by staying at one of the many picturesque campsites.

Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Ganguddy Dunns Swamp.

What to do at Ganguddy Dunns Swamp

The hiking trails

The Pagoda Lookout Walk - 2.1km return

The Pagoda Lookout Walking Track is spectacular. The views and incredible rock formations are reminiscent of places like the Gardens of Stone yet are very easy to access.

The walk to the turn off for the Pagoda Lookout is virtually all flat and on good terrain. From the turn off you have a very short, but steep climb up to the lookout.

From here you can choose to explore the pagodas as much or as little as you like, the view is fabulous from the first spot you get to, so you don’t need to walk off track if you don’t want to.

Continuing further into the pagodas will give you more great views and the chance to try some easy scrambling on grippy rock. It’s basically an adults adventure playground!

If you’re spending the night at the campsite then we’d highly recommend catching a sunset from the main lookout, it’s a beautiful spot to watch the sun go down and all you can hear are the sounds of the birds and the breeze rustling the leaves on the trees. Though we haven’t yet tried it ourselves, I imagine it would make for an epic stargazing spot too.

You can read more in our Pagoda Lookout guide.

The Weir Walk - 4.5km partial circuit

The Weir Walk is a fantastic circuit track showcasing the best of Ganguddy Dunns Swamp. It offers some truly jaw dropping views, as well as the chance to visit an impressive cave. If you’re a fan of wild swimming, there are plenty of opportunities to hop into the lake for a refreshing dip.

The Weir Walk is all on a well maintained track and though there is some elevation gain, there is also plenty of flat track inbetween. Sections of the path are uneven and there is one short climb which has a chain handrail for extra stability. Any rocky sections are very grippy when dry.

Large parts of the track are very exposed and on a hot day the rock feels like it radiates the heat, so if it’s hot, walking early or late in the day will be more comfortable.

The Pagoda Lookout is an offshoot of this walk, so if you do both together the total distance will be 5.7km.

You can read more about the Weir Walk in this guide.

Campsite Rocks Walk - 500m circuit

The Campsite Rocks Circuit is an easy walk on a flat path that takes you to two Aboriginal rock shelters, both with a small amount of visible rock art. The first shelter has one very clear hand stencil and the second has two, though there would have been many more originally. The stencils were made by the Dabee people of the Wiradjuri nation and though the age of the paintings is unknown, they inhabited the area for over 12,000 years.

Please don’t touch the paintings so they remain well preserved for future generations.

Although the shelters are the main event on this trail, you’ll also walk past some picturesque rock formations, some of which have campsites inside them, so if you are camping you can use the walk to do a recce of the best sites.

Other walks we haven’t tried yet

There are a couple of walks that we haven’t personally done yet but are on the list. There’s little written about them, but we saw both the Waterside Walk and Beehive Pagoda Trail left from the Kookaburra Beach side of the campground.

Wild swimming

Ganguddy Dunns Swamp is a fantastic place for wild swimming. The lake is huge and it’s easy to find a secluded spot. Though it’s not a natural lake (it was formed when the Kandos Weir was constructed) it feels like it is and the surrounding cliffs and pagodas make for a really serene backdrop.

There are many entry points to the water, including right by the campsites, so you don’t have to walk around the lake if you don’t fancy it. Personally we opted for Platypus Point, which is 400m along the Pagoda and Weir walking tracks.

There is a large rock shelf which juts out into the water allowing you to get in easily. There are a few slippery rocks inside the water as you get in, but the water is deep enough to swim straight off. I normally swim in waterfall pools so it was a real treat to have so much space.

The water is cool but as you can swim properly you warm up very quickly. It’s clearer than it looks from the walkways and shone a really deep blue in the late afternoon sun.

Kayaking

If you want to explore more of the lake the best way is to get out on the water. We hired a kayak for two hours which was enough time to explore the river. It’s easy paddling and incredibly serene to stare up at the tall sandstone rock formations as you glide past.

If you’re lucky you might see some wildlife, we saw long necked turtles, lizards and birds. We hired the kayak close to sunset because we wanted to look out for platypus and whilst we didn’t get lucky, it was still a lovely time to be out on the water.

You can hire kayaks from the picnic area with Southern Cross Kayaking, which we’d highly recommend. The owners are lovely and all the equipment was great. At time of writing a single kayak is $50 for two hours and a double is $80. You can also hire a SUP.

Facilities at Ganguddy Dunns Swamp

There are many long drop toilets scattered throughout the campsite areas which were very clean, though there was no running water to wash your hands. There are BBQ’s and picnic tables, but no rubbish bins, so please remember to take all rubbish with you.

Ganguddy Dunns Swamp campsites

There are lots of lovely campsites at Dunns Swamp. You can pick one right beside where you can park your car, or walk along the Campsite Rocks Walk to find something a little more secluded. We liked the look of no 31.

There are clean long drop toilets in many different areas around the campsite, though you will need to bring all water and firewood with you (assuming there is no fire ban in place).

At time of writing a tent site for a maximum of six people is $12.30, which includes the booking fee. You can check availability and book your site here.

Every time we’ve visited the area we’ve been surprised by just how quiet it is, but we’ve heard the campground does get busy in school holidays.

Prefer to stay in Mudgee?

Perry Street Hotel

Booking.com

The Perry Street Hotel is a beautiful boutique accommodation in a two storey Victorian building. Whilst the exterior maintains it’s historic feel, the interior is very much modern, and it’s a stylish and relaxing place to retreat to after a day exploring. It’s very central and only a 5 minute walk from the cafes and restaurants in Mudgee.

All the rooms have private kitchenettes with a stovetop, which means you have the option to make yourself a meal rather than eating out all the time.

You check their current rates and availability on:

Getting to Ganguddy Dunns Swamp

The final 5.5km of the road into Ganguddy Dunns Swamp is gravel, but very well graded and suitable for any vehicle (at time of writing). It used to be a much longer and bumpier gravel road, but there were people working on it when we visited, so it’s likely over time there will be even less than 5.5km which are unpaved.

Ganguddy-Dunns Swamp is located around 28km and a 30 minute drive from Rylstone and 84km and a 1 hour 10 minute drive from Mudgee.