Sturt National Park, Nature reserve in northwestern New South Wales, Australia.
Sturt National Park covers 325,329 hectares of flat, reddish-brown outback in far northwestern New South Wales, about 1,060 kilometres northwest of Sydney and 6 kilometres from Tibooburra. Its eastern side has flood plains, rocky gorges and Mount Wood; the centre holds the Olive Downs "Jump Up" mesas rising up to 150 metres; the far west gives way to sandhills of the Strzelecki Desert.
The park was established in 1972 and named after Charles Sturt, an explorer who traveled through Australia's interior in the 19th century. His journeys produced some of the first recorded accounts of this remote part of the continent.
Aboriginal stone artifacts and middens found across the park point to a deep human presence in this part of Australia long before European arrival. Visitors who look closely along rocky outcrops or dry creek beds may spot traces of these earlier inhabitants.
Most roads in the park are gravel with some sandy stretches and can be driven with a conventional vehicle; a 4WD is needed after heavy rains. All four campgrounds have toilets, gas barbecues and water provided. The nearest town is Tibooburra, 6 km away.
A section of the Dingo Fence, built in the 1880s to keep wild dogs away from sheep farms, runs along the northern boundary of the park. This fence is one of the longest in the world and is still partly in use today.
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