2 0 TO U R IN G H O T S PO TS
WORDS CLAUDIA BOUMA PICS CHRIS BOUMA
A D VE N T U R E S
Warrumbungle NP, NSW
The awe-inspiring beauty of the Warrumbungles is out of this world.
FASTFACTS
GETTING THERE
Warrumbungle NP is around 480km
north-west of Sydney.
ACTIVITIES
Camping, bushwalking, birdwatching, stargazing and exploring the World’s Largest Virtual
Solar System Drive.
STAY
Camp at one of the park’s bush camping areas.
MORE INFORMATION
www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au
24
ADVENTURES
D
ramatic rock spires dominate
the skyline as you head out of
Coonabarabran and make your way
to the spectacular Warrumbungle
National Park. The tall, barren structures
appeared to come out of nowhere, standing
guard over this national Heritage-Listed
park, where coastal breezes from the east
meet the hot air from the dry western
plains. The result is a unique climate and
landscape with an extraordinary diversity
of plants and animals which thrive in
these conditions.
Driving through the steep hills, you
pass several 3D planet models attached
to billboards – part of the World’s Largest
Virtual Solar System Drive. The 10 stops
eventually lead to the impressive Siding
Spring Observatory, perched high upon Mt
Woorut. Siding Spring is the collective name
for the research telescopes dotted around
the mountains, including Australia’s largest
optical telescope, the 3.9m Anglo-Australian
Telescope, located here for the dark and
often cloudless skies of the area.
The Warrumbungles hosted the seventh
bi-annual Rogaine World championship
event in 2006.
The park is a bushwalking Mecca with
a vast network of trails, differing in length
and difficulty. The Grand High Tops
walking circuit is the place to get a closeup look of the Breadknife, the park’s iconic
feature. The 12.5km return walk to the
Breadknife is the most popular and takes
four to five hours.
Or you can opt for the shorter hike to
Spirey View instead, a 6.2km return walk
that eliminates the steep ascent, yet offers
magnificent views of the narrow blade of
stone that is the Breadknife. The icon is
a volcanic dyke, created when volcanic
activity caused the rocks to fracture and
the crack filled with magma.
Another enjoyable walk is the 2km
Burbie Canyon circuit. The cool
sandstone canyon provides a home for
the pobblebonk, a frog that buries itself
in the sand when water is in short supply.
Burbie Creek is ephemeral, like most
streams in the park, and flows only after
large amounts of rain. When moisture
seeps into the soil, the frog surfaces to
feed and breed, then disappears again
when the earth dries out.
We spent four days exploring this
dramatic landscape and, as we headed
south, a magic sunrise was the perfect
end to a magnificent holiday in yet another
of Australia’s stunning national parks.