Overview
Belougery Spire, one of the magnificent volcanic plugs in Warrumbungles National Park
Warrumbungle National Park lies about 500km north west of Sydney, near Coonabarabran, on the north west slopes of NSW. The park covers an old volcanic region which has been eroded over many millions of years to leave a spectacular landscape of rock formations, the most famous of which is the Breadknife, a 90m high, 4m wide blade of rock that juts out of the surrounding bush. The park also protects a wide variety of flora and fauna, including the endangered Brush Tailed Rock Wallaby. There is a well developed network of bushwalking trails in the park, and rock climbing is also popular on the volcanic peaks that rise from the landscape.
Access
The main access to the park is from the John Renshaw Parkway, which runs through the middle of the park from Coonabarabran towards Coonamble and Gulargambone. Most of the walks start from the Pincham car park, which is a short distance off the road. The visitors centre, Camp Blackman, Camp Elongery and the Canyon Picnic Area are also short drives from this road. The other access to the park is from the Gunneemooroo Fire Trail on the south side of the park, accessible from Tooraweenah.
Activities
Bushwalking
The park has a wide variety of walks available, from short flat walks accessible by wheelchair, to overnight walks with steep climbs and magnificent views. The tracks are mostly well maintained, and while there is some opportunity for off track walking, most popular places have a well marked track leading there. The most popular walk for a day is the Pincham Trail, to the Grand High Tops and Breadknife. This can be extended to do a full circuit including a detour to Bluff Mountain, which is a solid day of walking. Other side trips can be made to Mt Exmouth, which probably requires an overnight walk if the previous features are visited, and Macha Tor, which has good views of Belougery Spire. Shorter, but still steep walks, include to Fan's Horizon and Bress Peak.
Climbing
The Warrumbungles offer a lot to the experienced rock climber, with big adventure routes on many of the exposed volcanic peaks. While the Breadknife and Chalkers Mountain are out of bounds to climbers, most other peaks can be climbed. The biggest is Bluff Mountain, with numerous routes over 300m. Other popular peaks include Belougery Spire and Crater Bluff, with Timor Rock and Tonduron Spire also worth checking out. Note that route finding is very difficult, and the available guides have limited information.
Mountain Biking
There is limited mountain biking in the park, as it is permitted only on fire trails. Most of the tracks in the park are walking trails only. It is worth checking out the fire trails on the north side of the park, around Brownes Creek and Scabilon Creek.
Walks
Time: 6 hrs Distance: 16km Fitness: MH Skill: EM Ascent: 700m
A challenging day walk with spectacular views of most of the Warrumbungles landmarks.
Time: 2 days Distance: 26km Fitness: M Skill: E Ascent: 1230m
While its appearance is not as dramatic as that of some of the other Warrumbungles peaks, the views from the summit of Mt Exmouth are superb, looking out over the rest of the park.
Time: 3 hrs Distance: 7km Fitness: E Skill: EM Ascent: 350m
A short but interesting walk, with some scrambling and great views of the Grand High Tops from the summit
Links
This slim guide has a good summary of the natural history and human history of the park, and a lift out section with most of the major walks in the park in detail.
A summary of information about Warrumbungle National Park, including information on camping facilities, wheelchair access, visitor centres, animal species list and plan of management.
Warrumbungle National Park, Peter Fox
Warrumbungle National Park - NPWS