 Bushwalking or Hiking?
(General information)
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New South Wales (NSW):
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Being such a widespread state, its selection of National Parks and bushwalking areas is certainly diverse. Beginning in the sub-tropical north of the state and in close proximity with the eastern seaboard, one finds the Mount Warning National Park situated near the northern town of Murwillumbah near the Queensland border. |
Mt. Warning, the heart of this World Heritage listed park is the remnant central plug of an ancient volcano that once poured out lava from Mt. Tambourine in the north to Lismore in the south and its summit is the first place in Australia to receive the morning sun as it is the highest point along Australia’s eastern ledge. Although at 1 100 metres it has been eroded down to half its original height. The return trip climb takes between 4-5 hours with a challenging final rock climb
necessitating a reasonable degree of fitness and a determined attitude. The 4.4 km climb from Breakfast Creek winds through the ever changing rainforest. The National Parks & Wildlife Service runs regular tours in the park.
South-west and somewhat inland, lies the 59 024 hectare Washpool National Park containing the world’s largest stand of coachwood trees and a stunning display of Australian red cedars. The easy 1.5 km Coombadjha Walk is a good introduction to the park while the 8.5 km Washpool Walk is for the more hearty and enthusiastic hikers. |
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Further south near Coffs Harbour is another World Heritage park (listed in 1986) – the Dorrigo National Park. The small township of Dorrigo is known as ‘Australia’s National Park Capital’ as it is completely surrounded by the national park. The park encompasses 11 732 hectares of the rugged Dorrigo Plateau escarpment and features some of the continent’s most accessible temperate rainforests, spectacular waterfalls and an abundance of birdlife such as the lyrebird, brush turkey and bowerbird. The park’s facilities
are excellent including the Rainforest Centre with some interesting exhibitions, a video theatrette, café and gift shop. The NPWS rangers have their local headquarters here and are always on hand to answer any questions posed to them. The fabulous 70 metre Skywalk is an elevated boardwalk built over the canopy of the rainforest offering magnificent views right to the coast. The 400 metre Lyrebird Link Track from the Rainforest Centre, links with the Wonga Walk, a 5.8 km sealed circuit walk through the subtropical rainforest, via the
Glade, Crystal Shower Falls and Tristania Falls. There are more challenging bushwalks at the Never Never picnic area. NPWS Discovery tours are frequently available. |
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Continuing from here in a westerly direction, there is another World Heritage listed park, the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park with dramatic gorges, waterfalls, wild and scenic rivers and the largest area of dry rainforest in the state. One of the highest waterfalls in the state, the Wollomombi Falls (220 metres) is featured here as well as the nearby 120 metre Dangars Falls.
Also in the area is the New England National Park established in 1967 and covering an area of over 700 square kilometres. This park offers a variety of accommodation in the form of a log cabin (Tom’s Cabin) accommodating about 6 to the larger (Chalet) and (Residence) houses. Bookings for these are essential and should be made at the Dorrigo National Park. There are many beautiful walks here ranging from easy strolls to the longer walks for keen walkers.
One hour north of Sydney in the Hunter Valley area, another World-Heritage park is located. The Barrington Tops National Park is situated on one of the highest points of the Great Dividing Range (1 600 metres). A mecca for walkers, campers and climbers, it features rainforest, rugged basalt cliffs, waterfalls, gorges and even some snowfalls in winter. Short and interesting walks at Gloucester Tops feature Antarctic Beech
Forests and snow gum woodlands. On the Barrington Tops Plateau one can enjoy short and inspiring walks at Polblue Swamp that pass through tall eucalypt forests and high-altitude swamp areas. |
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The Great North Walk is a 250 km bush walking track linking Newcastle and the Hunter Valley with Sydney, passing through a diverse range of habitats and bushland as well as rural and urban locations including the Newcastle coastline, Lake Macquarie, Watagan Mountains, the Hawkesbury River, Berowra Valley and finally Sydney Harbour. There are also 75 kms of link tracks connecting this
walk to the Sydney-Newcastle bus and railway lines and the Pokolbin vineyards in the Hunter Valley. |
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Constructed in 1988, about 40 000 local, interstate and international visitors use this walk each year, either taking the more challenging full 12-16 day hike or enjoying any of the shorter hikes of 1-2 days in different parts of the walk. Further information about this wonderful walk can be obtained from the Department of Lands. At the edge of Sydney’s northern suburbs is the 15 000 hectare Ku-ring-gai National Park. Hidden
caves, scenic lookouts and sheltered beaches are a feature of this easily accessible park – a favourite with Sydneysiders. Bobbin Head, on its western side, is well known for its walking tracks. To Sydney’s west is the Wollemi National Park, a wilderness of some 500 000 hectares, some still unmapped. The discovery of a new species of tree in 1994, the Wollemi pine in a rainforest gully, was compared to discovering a
living dinosaur! Heading further south, a series of national parks can be found in the Blue Mountains district together with the Jenolan Caves – the ancient and one of the most extensive and complex underground cave systems in the world formed 400 million years ago. The Blue Mountains National Park has over 140 kms of walking tracks of all grades in diverse settings. A Discovery program of walks and activities operates every
weekend and during school holidays. Also not to be missed in this area is the Echo Point lookout at Katoomba and the Three Sisters rock formation. Originally joined, over time the huge blocks of rock broke away leaving the three separate ‘girls’. |
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The Six Foot Track winds through state forests and national parks following the 45 km route of the original horse track marked from Katoomba to the Jenolan Caves in 1884. It normally takes three days to cover the entire track, but shorter walks can also be done on sections of the track where road access is possible. With its proximity to Sydney and spectacularly beautiful nature, the Blue Mountains provides a wealth of activities for visitors with a network of walking trails for bushwalkers and hikers, discovering local
flora and fauna, adventure sports and cool-climate parks and gardens. In the Southern Highlands south of Sydney, the Morton National Park invites the traveller to explore the sandstone cliffs, waterfalls and wooded valleys with various walking tracks leading from the close by township of Bundanoon. The
Kosciuszko National Park lies at the centre of alpine country stretching the entire backbone of the Great Dividing Range from the ACT to the Victorian border. During the spring and summer months, this region provides a magnet for groups of bushwalkers, anglers, campers and whitewater rafters to enjoy the special delights of the ‘roof’ of Australia. Mt. Kosciuszko is the country’s highest mountain at 2 228 metres and reaching the summit entails a 6 km hike. Lower altitude walks can be taken throughout the year.
The Hume & Hovell Walking Track stretches over 440 km between Yass and Albury in the state’s south. This is a truly historic experience as it allows walkers to rediscover the route of explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell on the expedition to Port Phillip in 1824. The Track allows for day or weekend walks or a total walk of about 24 days. The Track begins at Cooma Cottage
on the outskirts of Yass and finishes at the Hovell Tree on the banks of the Murray River in Albury. It has three trackheads, 17 primitive campsites, a number of boardwalks and three major bridges over rivers. Apart from bush walking, the Track allows for fishing, swimming and observing all manner of wildlife (kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, foxes, emus and many types of birdlife). Another region
of NSW that should also be mentioned is the central west encompassing the Warrumbungle National Park perched on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. This park of 21 000 hectares is comprised of an amazing and ancient set of volcanic rock formations. The Grand High Tops track is one of Australia’s great walks. Walking tracks vary widely in grade and length – several are easy and well formed while others are steep and rough. Discovery walks and tours are available during the spring and autumn/fall school vacation or upon request.
For those intrepid hikers seeking a greater sense of adventure and a feeling of being in a truly remote place, the outback beckons in the shape of the Sturt National Park (named after the early explorer, Charles Sturt) located in the very north-west corner of the state known as Corner Country where three states meet. The landscape offers wetlands, woodlands and the red hills of the Strzelecki Desert and this semi-desert park is famous for
its thousands of native birds including the wedge-tailed eagles and fauna of red and grey kangaroos, emus and a huge diversity of reptiles, not to mention the masses of colourful wildflowers after the rains. Camping is available here and enquiries can be made at the park office in Tibooburra which also organises tours of the area. This tiny hamlet of just over 100 population is one of the hottest and most isolated towns in the state and its name means ‘heaps of rocks’ in the local Aboriginal dialect. As with the Aboriginal folklore
of the Three Sisters (in the Blue Mountains) three brothers were turned to stone after marrying women from another tribe, resulting in three large rocks. Only one is still evident today. Best times to visit or winter, spring or autumn/fall as the temperatures soar to 50 deg.C/122 deg.F in summer. And last, but certainly not least, another World Heritage listed area that can be found 500 kms off the state’s north coast lying in subtropical waters is the Lord Howe group of islands.
A haven for hikers with beautiful forest-covered mountains and sandy beaches like Neds Beach on the northern end of the island where one can enjoy a 45 minute walk up Malabar Hill for breathtaking views. Some of the world’s rarest flora including 57 flowering plants and 54 fern species and thousands of seabirds call this island home. The tiny main island is only 11 kms in length and has a strict tourist visitor number of 400 at any one time, so early bookings are a good idea. |
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The Confederation of Bushwalking Clubs NSW Inc Web Site
We are a confederation of individual Bushwalking Clubs across the state of NSW
, and we were formed in 1932 to represent the interests of our member ... Sydney University Bushwalking Club
Sydney University Bushwalking Club. Based at the University of Sydney but ... General inquiries: bushwalking@susport.usyd.edu.au (please review this site ... Sydney & New South Wales Tourism-Accommodation, Maps, Attractions NSW
Tourism New South Wales official State tourist site. Includes tours, events and accommodation plus... NSW Government Portal
Official New South Wales government web site. Contains details about parliament,
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Visit New South Wales is your complete guide for holiday information, accommodation
and events in Sydney and New South Wales. The Tourism New South Wales ... New South Wales - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New South Wales (abbreviated as NSW) is Australia's most populous state, ...
An inhabitant of New South Wales is referred to as a New South Welshman or, ... |
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