Warrumbungles
Encyclopedia
The Warrumbungles is the name of a mountain range
and National Park
located in northern New South Wales
, Australia
. The nearest town to the Warrumbungles is Coonabarabran
. The area is easiest accessed from the Newell Highway
which is the major road link directly between Melbourne
, Victoria
and Brisbane
, Queensland
and cuts across inland New South Wales from the north to the south.
The range lies between the moist eastern coastal zone and the dryer plains to the west. Due to this position the mountains have provided protection for flora and fauna suited to both habitats. There are over 120 different bird
species that have been identified on the range, including Lories and lorikeets, rosella
s and parrot
s. In the centre of the range has served as an area of protection for a healthy and content colony of grey kangaroos. These animals have become fairly tame due to constant visitor attention and are easily approached.
The Siding Spring Observatory
is situated on an eastern peak. The area has little light pollution
to disturb astronomical
viewing. The Warrumbungles hosted the 2006 World Rogaining
Championships.
.
The Warrumbungles is the remnants of a large, heavily eroded shield volcano
that was active from 18 to 15 million years ago. A huge shield-shaped volcano formed as volcanic explosions occurred over millions of years. The remaining complex, rocky formations are what is left after millions of years of erosion.
s are a series of huge, jagged outcrops, surrounded by hilly bush and woodland forest
. The Grand High Tops is a section of the range where volcanic remnants are especially clustered. These vents and rocky formations are all named - Belougery Spire, Belougery Split Rock, Crater Bluff, Bluff Mountain, The Breadknife
and Mount Exmouth. The Breadknife, a straight wall of jagged rock nearly 100 metres high, is particularly rare. There is an extensive network of nine walking tracks across the central peaks.
to sight and explore the area was John Oxley
in 1818 on second expedition through New South Wales. Oxley named the range the Arbuthnot Range. The native name Warrumbungles which means 'crooked mountains' became the most common name.
Belougery Spire was first ascended by Eric Dark and Osmar White in 1932, and Crater Bluff by Dark and Dorothy Butler
in 1936. The Breadknife was not ascended until 1954, by Russ Kippax and Bill Peascod. Climbing on the Breadknife has since been banned, to protect the walking track along its base from rockfall. Lieben, on Crater Bluff, was the most difficult rock climb in Australia for many years after its first ascent by Bryden Allen and Ted Batty in 1962. It was graded 17 — the hardest grade in the Ewbank
system at the time — but is generally agreed to be much harder.
By 1953, 3360 hectares of the range was recognised for its natural heritage and preserved as Warrumbungle National Park
.
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
and National Park
Warrumbungle National Park
Warrumbungle National Park is located in central northern New South Wales, Australia, 550 km northwest of Sydney. Outside of the Sydney metropolitan area parks, it is the most-visited national park in New South Wales....
located in northern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The nearest town to the Warrumbungles is Coonabarabran
Coonabarabran, New South Wales
Coonabarabran is a town in Warrumbungle Shire in northern New South Wales, Australia. At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 2,609.-History and description:...
. The area is easiest accessed from the Newell Highway
Newell Highway
The Newell Highway is the longest highway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs parallel to the eastern coast about 400 kilometres inland, and is the main inland direct road link from Victoria to Queensland, bypassing the more congested coastal areas of New South Wales...
which is the major road link directly between Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and cuts across inland New South Wales from the north to the south.
The range lies between the moist eastern coastal zone and the dryer plains to the west. Due to this position the mountains have provided protection for flora and fauna suited to both habitats. There are over 120 different bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species that have been identified on the range, including Lories and lorikeets, rosella
Rosella
A rosella is one of five to eight species of colorful Australian parrots in the genus Platycercus. Platycercus means "broad-tailed" or "flat-tailed", reflecting a feature common to the rosellas and other members of the broad-tailed parrot tribe...
s and parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
s. In the centre of the range has served as an area of protection for a healthy and content colony of grey kangaroos. These animals have become fairly tame due to constant visitor attention and are easily approached.
The Siding Spring Observatory
Siding Spring Observatory
Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, part of the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the Australian National University , incorporates the Anglo-Australian Telescope along with a collection of other telescopes owned by the Australian National...
is situated on an eastern peak. The area has little light pollution
Light pollution
Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is excessive or obtrusive artificial light.The International Dark-Sky Association defines light pollution as:...
to disturb astronomical
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
viewing. The Warrumbungles hosted the 2006 World Rogaining
Rogaining
Rogaining is a sport of long distance cross-country navigation, involving both route planning and navigation between checkpoints using a variety of map types. In a rogaine, teams of 2-5 people choose which checkpoints to visit within a time limit with the intent of maximizing their score...
Championships.
Geology
The base of the region was formed 180 million years ago. At that time a lake was formed that allowed sediment to slowly compress into sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
.
The Warrumbungles is the remnants of a large, heavily eroded shield volcano
Shield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely of fluid lava flows. They are named for their large size and low profile, resembling a warrior's shield. This is caused by the highly fluid lava they erupt, which travels farther than lava erupted from more explosive volcanoes...
that was active from 18 to 15 million years ago. A huge shield-shaped volcano formed as volcanic explosions occurred over millions of years. The remaining complex, rocky formations are what is left after millions of years of erosion.
Formations
The main features of the Warrumbungle mountainMountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
s are a series of huge, jagged outcrops, surrounded by hilly bush and woodland forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
. The Grand High Tops is a section of the range where volcanic remnants are especially clustered. These vents and rocky formations are all named - Belougery Spire, Belougery Split Rock, Crater Bluff, Bluff Mountain, The Breadknife
The Breadknife
The Breadknife is a dyke located in New South Wales, Australia. The dyke is nearly 850 metres high, but often is only 500 m wide, which is particularly rare. The Breadknife was part of a large shield volcano, that first erupted about 18 million years ago and stopped about 15 million...
and Mount Exmouth. The Breadknife, a straight wall of jagged rock nearly 100 metres high, is particularly rare. There is an extensive network of nine walking tracks across the central peaks.
History
The first EuropeanEuropean ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
to sight and explore the area was John Oxley
John Oxley
John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of English colonisation.October 1802 he was engaged in coastal survey work including an expedition to Western Port in 1804-05...
in 1818 on second expedition through New South Wales. Oxley named the range the Arbuthnot Range. The native name Warrumbungles which means 'crooked mountains' became the most common name.
Belougery Spire was first ascended by Eric Dark and Osmar White in 1932, and Crater Bluff by Dark and Dorothy Butler
Dorothy Butler
Dorothy Butler is a notable children's book author, bookseller, memoirist and reading advocate from New Zealand.- Work on Books :* Cushla and Her Books* Babies Need Books* Five to Eight: Vital Years for Reading...
in 1936. The Breadknife was not ascended until 1954, by Russ Kippax and Bill Peascod. Climbing on the Breadknife has since been banned, to protect the walking track along its base from rockfall. Lieben, on Crater Bluff, was the most difficult rock climb in Australia for many years after its first ascent by Bryden Allen and Ted Batty in 1962. It was graded 17 — the hardest grade in the Ewbank
John Ewbank (climber)
John Ewbank was born in Yorkshire, England in 1948, and emigrated to Australia at age 15. Having learned rockclimbing in his native country, he quickly became involved in the fledgling Australian rockclimbing scene, and went on to pioneer hundreds of new routes on crags around the country,...
system at the time — but is generally agreed to be much harder.
By 1953, 3360 hectares of the range was recognised for its natural heritage and preserved as Warrumbungle National Park
Warrumbungle National Park
Warrumbungle National Park is located in central northern New South Wales, Australia, 550 km northwest of Sydney. Outside of the Sydney metropolitan area parks, it is the most-visited national park in New South Wales....
.
Physiography
This area is also known as the Warrumbungle-Liverpool Basalt Ranges, which is distinct physiographic section of the larger Hunter-Hawkesbury Sunkland province, which in turn is part of the larger East Australian Cordillera physiographic division.See also
- List of mountains in Australia
- List of volcanoes in Australia
- Nandewar RangeNandewar RangeThe Nandewar Range is a mountain range east of Narrabri in New South Wales, Australia. John Oxley was the first European to see the range in 1818 as he explored the New South Wales Northern Tablelands....