A Gentle Introductory Hike to the Warrumbungle National Park – Coonabarabran, Western NSW

Jumping in the car and wending our way down the steep hill back to Earth 😊 – it was only a short drive from Siding Spring Observatory to the very fancy Visitor Information Centre at the Warrumbungle National Park and then onwards to our home for a couple of nights – Camp Blackman.

Car unpacked, tent set up, mattress inflated and sleeping bag unrolled, it was time to lace up our boots to stretch our legs on the Belougery Flats trail. My brain had been well-and-truly exercised at the Observatory and the body was now in dire need of the same.

Promising to be an easy stroll, the trail looked like a great introduction to this fabulous patch of Aussie bush.

Let’s go…

Trail name: Belougery Flats Circuit Fire Trail

Planned Distance: 5.1km              Actual Distance: 5.4km

Ascent: 94m                                    Descent: 82m

Time: 1h10m

Terrain: Flat with a few short rises. The trail itself is an old fire trail which is quite wide and clear. Some sections of the trail are a bit eroded, however it is still highly accessible on foot or by bike.

General Comments:

• Warrumbungle National Park is located on an area of ancient volcanic activity. The Park’s soaring rock spires and domes are all that is left of a large shield volcano that was active around 13-18 million years ago. This area is also a significant place for the Gamilaraay, Wayilwan and Wiradjuri Aboriginal people, and there is plenty of evidence of their occupation dating back many thousands of years.

• We knew in advance that we would be arriving later at the Park and that a longer walk probably wasn’t doable, especially in the afternoon heat. It made sense to stick close to camp and yet still be able to get the drive/road miles out of our legs.
• Before we even left camp we were dazzled by the wildlife. There were emus, hundreds of kangaroos, random wild goats, and plenty of birds. Being magpie nesting season, they were not thrilled by our presence and we were bombed a couple of times before we were safely out of their territory.

• It was clear and hot when we set out, and I immediately thought how pretty this walk would be in the early morning light or the evening gloaming.
• Heading away for the Camp, the trail took us through an open landscape which would have been cleared by the family who held the original grazing lease for this area.
• While native vegetation is always preferrable, the more open landscape gave us spectacular views of Grand High Tops, Bluff Mountain, Mt Exmouth, Belougery Split Rock and back towards Siding Spring Observatory. We would be visiting a few of those towering formations over the next few days.

• We pretty much had the whole trail to ourselves, except for a couple of e-bikers. The peace on the track meant we could pause often, admiring late flowering wattles and a couple of other plants that had us stumped.
• The trail is very well signposted and it would be difficult to get lost, unless you were spellbound by all the rocky spires and domes, and became distracted.

Top Tips for this Trail:

• Visitor Centre: I recommend that as soon as you arrive in the Park, pop into the Visitor Centre. It’s staffed by rangers who have intimate knowledge of the area and have walked all the trails many times. There is a comprehensive display of how the features of the Park were formed, as well as detailed information about the local flora and fauna.
• In fact, after a bit of a chat, the ranger changed our walking plan by recommending better/more scenic trails. You can’t beat local intel.
• Make sure you grab a printed map (phone service is not available everywhere in the Park) and accompanying brochures which describe all the walks. Very handy.
• Also, check out apps such as AllTrails etc as many of this Park’s trails are featured on thoses app.

• Direction: Walk this path in an anticlockwise direction to get the best views of the various bluffs, rocks and mountains.
• Water: Make sure you carry water and a basic first aid kit. While this is only a short trail, it pays to be prepared – especially in snake season.
• Camp Blackman: This is the main camping area in the Park and it’s impressive! Things have changed dramatically in the 45years since I was last here. 😊
• Unfortunately, the Park and much of its infrastructure was wiped out or seriously damaged in a major bushfire in 2013, impacting 90% of the Park. As devastating as this event was, it gave them a clean slate to build some truly impressive facilities such as the Visitor Centre.

• The Campground has a range of camping options including powered sites, dump points, concrete pads or simple unpowered sites. The bathroom facilities are outstanding with hot showers, kitchen sinks, charging points, drinking water, BBQs, camp fire rings and a garbage collection area. All are in absolutely spotless condition and they are obviously proud of what they do.
• The campground is located adjacent to a slow-flowing creek with mown river flats and tall, shady eucalypts. Ah, the peace.

• A true highlight of the Camp area is the large number of kangaroos who also think this is a perfect place to hang out. Even us cynical Aussies enjoyed watching young kangaroos boxing to test their position in the pecking order of the mob.
• An unpowered site costs around $25 per night for two people. An $8 per day car access fee must also be paid. All site bookings and fees can be sorted online.

Dark came early and it turned bitterly cold so, after dinner, there was little encouragement needed to say our ‘goodnights’ and head for our tents. With one last long, marvelling look at the crystal clear night skies, it was zip, zip, zip into the tents and deep into our snug sleeping bags.

Here’s to a great day’s walking tomorrow.

Care to join me?

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