A Guide to Lake Nuga Nuga National Park
A short guide to one of our favourite National Parks in Queensland, Lake Nuga Nuga or Lake Wagan Wagan. In this guide we show you how to get to Lake Nuga Nuga, the different camping options, and the best time to visit.
How To Get to Lake Nuga Nuga
Lake Nuga Nuga National Park is in the Carnarvon Region approximately 700kms north-west of Brisbane. It is an extremely small National Park with little to do other than have a quiet camp, enjoy the abundance of birdlife, and watch amazing sunrises and sunsets. It is a great spot to use as a stopover when exploring the Carnarvon region and visiting places like Carnarvon Gorge, Mount Moffatt, and Expedition National Park.
You can access Lake Nuga Nuga National Park either from the north or south. From the north travel along the Dawson Highway and turn off at Arcadia Valley Access Road (turn right if travelling from Rolleston, turn left if travelling from Bauhinia). When coming from the north, Arcadia Valley Access Road is bitumen at the start before turning to gravel. Follow Arcadia Valley Access Road for approximately 60kms until you come to the turn off to Lake Nuga Nuga National Park. From the south drive through Injune and continue another 40kms and then turn right onto Arcadia Valley Access Road, it will be sign posted Lake Nuga Nuga National Park. Some sections are bitumen, but the majority of this 80km road is gravel. Follow Arcadia Valley Access Road until you come to the Lake Nuga Nuga turn off on the left. The Lake Nuga Nuga access road is approximately 7kms to the lake and camping areas.
We have driven to Lake Nuga Nuga National Park from both the north and south and the gravel roads were in excellent condition, however, stay away if it is wet. We recently got caught in an unexpected storm while camping at Lake Nuga Nuga and it was a slippery, muddy mess trying to get out. The 7km road out of the National Park is extremely boggy when wet.
The Karingbal People & Lake Wagan Wagan
Lake Nuga Nuga is known to the local Aboriginal tribe, the Karingbal people, as Wagan Wagan. The Karingbal people believe Lake Wagan Wagan was created by the Rainbow Serpent. The Rainbow Serpent is one of the most important symbols in Aboriginal mythology. The Rainbow Serpent is an immortal being and creator (or God) connected to both water and life. Its connection to water means it is the giver of life and the creator of man. In Dreamtime stories the Rainbow Serpent created the mountains and valleys, then flooded the land forming all the rivers and lakes. This is how the Karingbal People believe Lake Wagan Wagan (Lake Nuga Nuga) was created.
Lake Wagan Wagan is of cultural importance to the Karingbal people as they believe it is the home of two Rainbow Serpents. On the northern side of Lake Nuga Nuga stand two mountains, Mt Warrinilla and Mt Kirk. The Karingbal people believe that under each of these two mountains lies a Rainbow Serpent maintaining the water in the lake. If the Rainbow Serpents were to leave, the water would leave with them. Unfortunately, like other important sacred Aboriginal sites in the area, Aboriginal burial sites in the sandstone caves were desecrated in the mid 1900’s. We found this to be the case when visiting Mount Moffatt as well. Sad that all this cultural history has been lost.
Naturally Created Lake
Lake Nuga Nuga is located on the Brown River. Water flows into the lake during the wet season from the Brown River (south-east) and Moolayember Creek (north-west). Lake Nuga Nuga was naturally formed 160 years ago due to the silting up of the Brown River which created a natural levee bank from heavy rains and flooding. The hundreds of dead trees that can be seen throughout the water show that the lake was only created in the last 160 years or so.
Lake Nuga Nuga is an impressive sight because of all the dead trees. These provide fantastic photo opportunities with beautiful reflections especially when the water is calm. Sunsets over the water are fantastic. We highly recommend sitting on the banks in an evening watch the sun set over the mountain range and lake. On our first trip there was lots of smoke in the air, providing the perfect conditions for the most amazing sunset. It really reminds us of the trips we did back in Zimbabwe when we would visit Lake Kariba in a houseboat, minus the elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and other large game. It is an extremely small National Park and there is not a great deal to do other than enjoy camping in a beautiful part of Queensland. There is an abundance of birdlife, so if you do enjoy birdwatching you will not be disappointed. We would highly recommend taking a kayak with you as this will open a whole bunch of other opportunities exploring the lake. In Autumn, the lake is filled with flowering water lilies which is a time we would love to visit and see this for ourselves.
Lake Nuga Nuga is a place we love to go and stay when we just want to relax and enjoy a quiet beautiful part of the country. It is a great stopover when exploring the Carnarvon region like Carnarvon Gorge or Mount Moffatt.
Camping at Lake Nuga Nuga National Park
Camping options at Lake Nuga Nuga National Park are all bush camping along the banks of the lake. If water levels are not too high, then access to the island is possible and probably the best of the camping spots if not busy. The island bush camps are better on the northern side as you will get to see the best sunsets over the lake and Carnarvon mountain range.
Campsites on the island can be a bit rocky in places so you will need to be careful where you choose to setup. Campsites off the island along the banks of the lake are less rocky and most are level. You can easily fit an off-road caravan or camper trailer at most of the campsites. There are no facilities, so you need to be fully self-sufficient and remove all rubbish. If camping at sites with no facilities, we highly recommend you carry your own toilet. We have reviewed two different toilet setups that we have used, you can read them here. If you do not carry a toilet, we have written a post on how to use the toilet in the bush. To assist in removing your rubbish, use a rear wheel bag like our Drifta one. Remember to always respect our land and remove everything you brought in with you, and if you see any rubbish lying around, please pick it up. We need to respect our National Parks, keep them clean, and they will remain open for us and future generations to enjoy.
Campfires are allowed unless there are fire restrictions, and you must bring your own firewood. As Lake Nuga Nuga is a National Park you cannot to collect firewood. If having a fire, we highly recommend using a portable firepit, or ensure you light your fire where someone else had their fire before you. If you would like to read our post on why we carry a portable firepit you can read it here.
Camping permits must be bought beforehand through Queensland National Parks. You can book permits by clicking here. Search for Lake Nuga Nuga to find the bush campsites when making a booking.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Lake Nuga Nuga National Park is in the cooler months of the year. In summer temperatures will exceed 40 degrees and rains will make some of the roads impassable. We have visited in October and February when it has been warmer. In October temperatures exceeded 40 degrees and in February they were in the high 30’s. In our most recent trip in February, we got hit by an unexpected storm and this made the roads out extremely difficult. In October, the midges and flies were terrible. In February, the mosquitoes were bad. The winter months would be the best time to visit as there will be no rains and insects will be at a minimum.
There is Telstra mobile reception with 4G being intermittent at times.
Thanks for reading this short guide to Lake Nuga Nuga National Park. If you would like to read our other adventure stories you can find them here. To keep up to date on future stories join the 4WD Adventurer Community here. For more regular updates follow us on Instagram.
The thoughts of Peter.
01/03/2022 @ 10:00 PM
Sounds good,iv been toc/gorge but not lake nuga nuga,will get to go in winter
03/03/2022 @ 9:05 AM
G’day Terry,
I definitely recommend at least one night out here. Even if it is just a stop over before you go somewhere else. Beautiful scenery and nice and quiet. A bit different to most of the other NPs you get to explore in the area.
Cheers,
Peter