New South Wales (Western NSW)
Warrumbungle National Park
The rugged Warrumbungles are ancient mountains of volcanic origin with jagged cliffs, rocky pinnacles and crags jutting from the western horizon. The dry western plains and the more moist environment of the east coast meet at these ranges, with plant and animal species from both habitats coexisting in the park.  warumbunglenp1.jpg (68554 bytes)
Warrumbungle means “crooked mountains” in an Aboriginal language, and the park was in fact bordered by three different language groups – the Kamilaroi, the Weilwan and Kawambarai. Evidence of Aborigines’ past visits is common, with stone flakes used to make tools indicating old campsites. 

Located 550km west of Sydney, the park has few peers for camping and day walks. Rocky spires, barren of vegetation, left over from volcanos some 16 million years ago, are burnt red and gold by the setting sun. At sunset, when the colours darken and the sounds of the bush cease, the park offers the peace and serenity only found in away-from-it-all places where no phones ring, no trucks rumble by, and no computer keys beckon.

The Warrumbungle National Park is spectacular, especially in spring when the wild flowers in the sandstone areas are in bloom. The most popular months with visitors are April, September and October: it’s really just too hot for walking here in summer, and the cold winters sometimes bring snow. If you do come in the hot months, remember to take plenty of water when you go walking, and something warm for the nights, which get quite cool.

The visitors centre, at John Street, (daily 8.30am–4pm; tel 02/6842 1441) has hands-on displays and detailed maps of walking tracks. The wheelchair-accessible bitumen Gurianawa Track makes a short circuit around the centre and overlooks the flats where Eastern Grey Kangaroos gather at dusk. Another good introduction to the park is the short White Gum Lookout Walk (1km), with panoramic views over the ranges that are particularly dramatic at sunset. However, the ultimate – for the reasonably fit only – is the 14.5-kilometre Grand High Tops Trail along the main ridge and back. The walk begins at the kangaroo-filled Camp Pincham and follows the flat floor of Spirey Creek through open forests full of colourful rosellas and lorikeets, and lizards basking on rocks. As the trail climbs, there are views of the three-hundred-metre-high Belougery Spire, and more scrambling gets you to the foot of the Breadknife, the park’s most famous feature, thrusting 90m up into the sky. From here the main track heads on to the rocky slabs of the Grand High Tops, with tremendous views of most of the surrounding peaks and with the possibility of spotting a wedge-tailed eagle soaring above. Experienced walkers could carry on to climb Bluff Mountain and then head west for Mount Exmouth (1205m), the park’s highest peak; both are great spots from which to watch the sunrise. The Warrumbungles are very popular with rock climbers, who are allowed to climb anywhere except the Breadknife; permits are required. There isn’t any public transport to the Warrumbungles.