The Nandewar Range, a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

that is part of the Great Dividing Range, is located in the

North West Slopes The North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, refers generally to the area west of the Northern Tablelands, to the north of the Central West region and to the east of the Far West region. Despite its name, the region is in north- ...

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. The range is situated approximately east of the township of

Narrabri Narrabri ( ) is a locality and seat of Narrabri Shire local government area in the North West Slopes, New South Wales, Australia on the Namoi River, northwest of Sydney. It sits on the junction of the Kamilaroi Highway and the Newell Highw ...

. John Oxley was the first European to see the range in 1818 as he explored the New South Wales.

Location and features

The range is located on the western, inland, side of the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

region, and generally forms the watershed divide between the

Namoi River The Namoi River, a major perennial river that is part of the Barwon catchment of the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes districts of New South Wales, Australia. The Namoi River rises on the west ...

and

Gwydir River Gwydir River (locally wɑe̯də, a major inland perennial river of the Barwon catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands, North West Slopes, and Orana districts of New South Wales, Australia. Th ...

catchment basins to the south and north respectively. The Macdonald River starting south of Walcha drains west to Warrabah National Park where it changes its name to the Namoi then is added to by the

Manilla River Manilla River, a perennial stream that is part of the Namoi catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands district of New South Wales, Australia. The stream (called a river) rises south–west of Barraba on ...

, Peel River and

Mooki River Mooki River, a perennial stream that is part of the Namoi catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands district of New South Wales, Australia. The river starts at the junction of Omaleah Creek and Phillips ...

. The Horton River runs north to the Gwydir. Both rivers together drain segments of the Nandewar Range. The eastern part of the Nandewar Range starts at the Great Dividing Range south of

Uralla Uralla is a town on the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. The town is located at the intersection of the New England Highway and Thunderbolts Way, north of Sydney and about south west of the city of Armidale, New South Wales, Arm ...

. The main road between

Barraba Barraba is a town in the New England region of northern New South Wales, Australia. It was formerly the centre of Barraba Shire local government area, but most of this, including Barraba, was absorbed into Tamworth Regional Council in 2004. On ...

and

Bingara Bingara (Aboriginal for 'creek') is a small town on the Gwydir River in Murchison County in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Bingara is currently the administrative centre for the Gwydir Shire that was created in 2003. The ...

crosses the range. At its western end, the Nandewar Range culminates at

Mount Kaputar Mount Kaputar, a mountain with an elevation of above sea level, is located near Narrabri in northern New South Wales. It is part of the Nandewar Range and has been preserved within the Mount Kaputar National Park. The mountain is a prominent l ...

, a complex of volcanic origin, from which there are views of the flat inland plains of New South Wales.

The foothill areas of the Nandewar Range are used for grazing and cropping. There are forests in some of the higher areas. The Mount Kaputar area is included in

Mount Kaputar National Park The Mount Kaputar National Park is a national park located in New South Wales, Australia, surrounding the proximities of Mount Kaputar, a volcano active between 17 and 21 million years ago. It is located east of Narrabri and northwest of ...

The range is occasionally dusted with light snow in winter.

Geology

The range is the remnants of an eroded

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

ic shield volcano that formed about 18 million years ago. Some of the exposed rocks in the area are 230 million years old.

Etymology

The first is a volcanic plug called 'Ninghdoo' (pronounced locally as Ningy-doo) or 'Nungadhun'. The names Nandewar, Kaputar and Ninghdoo are the

Gamilaraay language The Gamilaraay or Kamilaroi language is a Pama–Nyungan language of the Wiradhuric subgroup found mostly in south-eastern Australia. It is the traditional language of the Gamilaraay (Kamilaroi), an Aboriginal Australian people. It has been ...

names for these features.

Peaks

Mountains within the Nandewar Range include; * Bushy Mountain, () * Castletop Mountain * Gins Mountain * Grattai Mountain, () * Mount Dowe, () *

, () * Mount Lawler * Mount Lindesay, () * Mount Ningadhun, () * Mount Waa * Mount Yulludunida * Round Mountain

References

External links