A Week in Warrumbungles

I have to say, Warrumbungle National Park has not been a disappointment. It has been cold, the coldest we’ve experienced to date, and I’m talking frosty mornings cold (I think the lowest temp has been 1 degree and the highest 15) but, regardless of the weather, the scenery here is quite stunning. The Warrumbungle’s were shaped millions of years ago by volcanic activity. The many rock formations form a rough circular perimeter, and the information centre has been built at the centre point of this ancient volcano.

Some of the lower walking tracks are inaccessible due to the rain, the creek beds are flowing and have cut off some of the tracks, but you don’t need to go too far to take in the beauty that this region has to offer, and it’s pretty cool to see the wallabies meandering around the campsite.

We have done a few of the shorter trails, and one of the more challenging ones, the Belougery Split Rock Circuit. We’re not super fit so thought this nice little 4.7 km return track would be a good intro. We should have read the fine print.

The track began its ascent as soon as we lft the carpark, and there was no reprieve until we reached the top. The track itself was well marked…in places, while in others, it was not so much a track as a mere suggestion of a track. Very challenging. Very fun. And the view? Very, very worth the effort.

We made it to  the top of the lower peak, where we had a lovely picnic lunch, but left the higher one to the goats.

One of the many benefits of traveling is the wonderful people that we meet on the road, and our neighbours at WNP, fall into that category. We had a great morning sharing our expertise, or lack thereof, in the fine art of damper making. With the help of young Jessie, Peter did a fine job of the dough and the cooking, even though it was a bit undercooked first time out, when it came out the second time – well, let’s just say, there was none left.

One of the other highlights of our stay was the sunset from White Gum Lookout. We arrived a good hour before sunset, so we were freezing by the time the sky coloured, but like all good things, it was worth the wait.

The facilities here were very good. Clean amenities block with good hot water, and we had a powered site so we were able to keep warm inside Chunky Bum. What we didn’t have was water direct to the van, so we have had to be a little conservative with our use. We have a 180 ltr water capacity in the van, but because I presumed there would be water here, we had less than half of our capacity when we arrived. We were able to top up 70 ltrs from Big Ears, and that has been enough to keep us going…just.

Next stop? Still not Walgett.

See you out there somewhere

On tow and on the go!