1. THE GREAT
OUTDOORS
Let me set the scene for you.
It is mid July. We are nestled in a warm cabin,
drinking wine and listening to the sound of deep,
utter silence outside. The Warrumbungle National
Park is a five-minute drive up the road, its bushland
spreading across 20,000 hectares. I glance out the
window and see what I think is rain lightly sprinkling;
on closer inspection, I see it is snow, falling softly in
gentle flurries. It is at once novel and entirely magical
– for all it felt like, we could be the last two people on
earth. I couldn’t resist standing outside to catch snow
on my tongue, face upturned to the canopy of clouds.
Driving through the Warrumbungle National Park,
youcouldbeforgivenforthinkingyouwereinanother
country.Thelandscape,itsspectacularvistasearning
a National Heritage listing, is tremendously diverse.
Craggy spires of rock rise above the bushland, their
silhouettes dramatic against the arc of a seemingly
infinite skyline. The catastrophic bush fire of 2013
left the face of the park changed forever, and the
lingering effects of the terrible furnace is evident
everywhere. The smokes plume rose 14,000 metres
into the air, burning 53 houses to the ground and
impacting 90 per cent of the park. Thousands of
trees were left blackened, their bare twisted trunks
like stark exclamation marks across the undulating
landscape.Theheatwassofierceitleftrocksfractured
andsplit,millionsofyearsinhistoryspillingfromtheir
centres in coloured stripes.
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TO THE MOUNTAINS WE GO
Towering spires and majestic bushland mark the Warrumbungles as the
perfect destination for walkers and nature enthusiasts alike. Emily Herbert
gets back to the bush for a weekend’s sojourn in the Great Outdoors.
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2. { words: EMILY HERBERT }
The view has changed, the terrain’s shift akin to that of
an ice age event. Yet, rejuvenation is everywhere, seen in
the silver sprouting of undergrowth reaching half way up
the corpses of the lost trees, soft growth fuzzing what was
left behind. And for all you can imagine the horror of the
inferno, the bare canopies of the branches allows for views
not seen for a long time; sheer rock faces exposed and
crooked spires made all the more breathtaking.
ThenameWarrumbungleisanAboriginalwordmeaning
‘crookedmountain’,andformanythousandsofyearsithas
beenaspiritualplacefortheGamilaroi,theWiradjuriand
theWeilwanpeople.Somesiteshavebeenidentifiedas
datingback21,000years,historyincomprehensiblein
itssheerdepthandbreadth.Formorerecenttimes,the
neighboringdistrictandparkitselfhasbeenthedestination
forotherpilgrims–astrologers.TheMilkyWayissplashed
acrossthesky’sdomelikeaJacksonPollockpainting,vividly
brightplanetsandstarsspecklingthenight.Coonabarabran,
a20-minutedrivefromthepark,isknownasthe‘Astronomy
CapitalofAustralia’,andtheperfectlocationfortheSiding
SpringsObservatory.Theobservatoryhousesthecountry’s
largestopticalastronomyresearchfacilityandisopentothe
publicduringtheday.TheExploratoryCentre’sastronomy
exhibitionwilldelightchildrenandadultsalike.And,ifthe
scienceisn’treallyyourthing,theviewoftheparkfromthe
observatory’svantagepointisworththedriveitself.
Although the day was misty, the spires wreathed in cloud,
we strolled along the path that would lead us to the
Breadknife, the park’s most popular walk, thankfully
untouched by the fire. Its iconic ridge towers 90 metres
above the forest tops, offering awe-inspiring panoramas
of the surrounding tableau. Bird calls echo through the
trees, the wildlife slowly filtering back after the fire. The
path is just one in the 42-kilometre webbed network of
idyllic walking. There is something for every ability and
fitness level–everythingfromsealedpathwayssetatagentle
incline,tosteepstairscutroughlyintothesideofrockfaces.
And throughout the pathways, narrow-leaved Ironbark and
Scribbly Gum tower, nest boxes for possums, gliders, birds
and bats offering post-fire dwellings.
Duringspring,wildflowersdotthewoodland’sshrubby
undergrowth,cheerfulamongstthesparsegreenandbrown.
Golden wattle blooms in abundance, and the moderate
temperatures are perfect for walking and camping.
The park’s camping facilities and picnic areas are well
appointed for those looking to experience the real deal
and get back to nature. For those whose idea of roughing
it is a lack of decent Wi-Fi, there are plenty of other
options. Tibuc Gardens hunkers in the foothills of the
Warrumbungle Mountains, a mere five-minute drive from
the park. A two bedroom self-contained cottage nestles in
a tranquil, bushland setting, complete with all necessary
amenities and, thankfully for us, equipped with reverse
cycle heating. On the same plot, the Garden’s owners,
Elaine and Tricia, run a licensed café, well supported by
the locals. Homemade cakes, pies and burgers adorn the
menu and a good cup of coffee makes a morning waking
up in the mountains all the more alluring.
While solitude and peaceful traversing of the mountains
may hold the main attraction, the hills come alive with the
sound of music come November 7. Kicking off at 4.30pm,
the 2015 Crooked Mountain Concert holds court beneath
the mountains, music playing right through the sunset
until late. BYO picnic and dancing shoes, the annual event
is a family winner for dancing under the stars.
There is something about mountains that get you back
to yourself and I suppose that is the whole point of this
great outdoors section. For all our daily manic busyness,
we simply forget there is glorious, uninhibited, savage
space and landscapes, just around the corner from us.
For a day or two, or even a month, you can really escape,
and it doesn’t mean travelling to the opposite end of
the world. But it does mean you have to do it, to pack up
the car and kids and venture outside the neighborhood.
To experience the ancient, breathe in air scrubbed fresh
and deeply quiet, feels important, necessary. For, as John
Muir says; “Keep close to Nature’s heart…and break clear
away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a
week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.”
THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT MOUNTAINS THAT GET YOU BACK TO YOURSELF AND I SUPPOSE THAT IS THE WHOLE
POINT OF THIS GREAT OUTDOORS SECTION. FOR ALL OUR DAILY MANIC BUSYNESS, WE SIMPLY FORGET THERE
IS GLORIOUS, UNINHIBITED, SAVAGE SPACE AND LANDSCAPES, JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM US.
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