The Warrumbungles is 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 ...
in the
Orana 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 nearest town is
Coonabarabran. The area is easiest accessed from the
Newell Highway
Newell Highway is a national highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It provides the major road link between southeastern Queensland and Victoria via central NSW and as such carries large amounts of freight. At in length, the Newell is th ...
which is the major road link directly between
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
and
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
and cuts across inland New South Wales from the north to the south.
As the range is between the moist eastern coastal zone and the dryer plains to the west, it has provided protection for flora and fauna suited to both habitats. There are over 120
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
species identified on the range, including
lories and lorikeets
Loriini is a tribe of small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries. The species form a monophyletic group within the ...
,
rosella
Rosellas are in a genus that consists of six species and nineteen subspecies.
These colourful parrots from Australia are in the genus ''Platycercus''.
''Platycercus'' means "broad-tailed" or "flat-tailed", reflecting a feature common to the ...
s and
parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...
s. 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 located on Mount Woorut, an eastern peak. The area has little to no
light pollution
Light pollution is the presence of unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive use of artificial Visible spectrum, lighting. In a descriptive sense, the term ''light pollution'' refers to the effects of any poorly implemented lighting, during the day ...
to disturb
astronomical
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxi ...
viewing. In 2016, the
International Dark-Sky Association declared the
Warrumbungle National Park
Warrumbungle National Park is a heritage listed national park located in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The national park is located approximately northwest of Sydney and contained within . The park attracts approximately vi ...
as Australia's first
International Dark Sky Park.
The Warrumbungles hosted the 2006
World Rogaining Championships
The World Rogaining Championships are the championships of the International Rogaining Federation (IRF) and the pinnacle rogaining
Rogaining is an orienteering sport of long distance cross-country navigation, involving both route planning an ...
.
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
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
.
The Warrumbungles are the remnants of a large heavily eroded
shield volcano which was active from 13 to 17 million years ago.
The volcano is estimated to have been high and wide.
It formed as volcanic explosions occurred over millions of years.
The remaining complex rocky formations are what is left after millions of years of erosion.
Physiography
This area is also known as the Warrumbungle-Liverpool Basalt Ranges, which is a distinct physiographic section of the larger
Hunter-Hawkesbury Sunkland province, which in turn is part of the larger
East Australian Cordillera
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and hill, rolling hills, that runs ...
physiographic division.
Formations
The main features of the Warrumbungle
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...
s are a series of huge jagged outcrops in a roughly circular pattern, surrounded by hilly bush and woodland
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
. Dykes, plugs and domes are common and mostly made from
trachyte
Trachyte () is an extrusive igneous rock composed mostly of alkali feldspar. It is usually light-colored and aphanitic (fine-grained), with minor amounts of mafic minerals, and is formed by the rapid cooling of lava enriched with silica and al ...
.
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 is a volcanic dyke in New South Wales, Australia. It is nearly 90 metres high, but often is only 4 m wide, which is particularly rare. The Breadknife was part of a large shield volcano, that first erupted about 17&nbs ...
and Mount Exmouth.
Pyroclastic rock
Pyroclastic rocks (derived from the el, πῦρ, links=no, meaning fire; and , meaning broken) are clastic rocks composed of rock fragments produced and ejected by explosive volcanic eruptions. The individual rock fragments are known as pyroc ...
is found in this area.
The Breadknife, a straight wall of jagged rock nearly high, is particularly rare. There is an extensive network of nine
walking
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...
tracks across the central peaks.
Towards the southeast a broad belt of basalt outcrops extends towards the
Liverpool Range
The Liverpool Range is a mountain range and a lava-field province in New South Wales, Australia.
The eastern peaks of the range were the traditional territory of the Wonnarua people.
Geography
The Liverpool Range starts from the volcanic plate ...
.
Near Chalk Mountain are outcrops of
diatomite
Diatomaceous earth (), diatomite (), or kieselgur/kieselguhr is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that can be crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from more than 3 μm to le ...
. Outer stretches of the volcano are made up of
hawaiite
Hawaiite is an olivine basalt with a composition between alkali basalt and mugearite. It was first used as a name for some lavas found on the island of Hawaii.
It occurs during the later stages of volcanic activity on oceanic islands such as Ha ...
and
mugearite
Mugearite () is a type of oligoclase-bearing basalt, comprising olivine, apatite, and opaque oxides. The main feldspar in mugearite is oligoclase.
Mugearite is a sodium-rich member of the alkaline magma series. In the TAS classification of vol ...
.
History
The first
European 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 Gamilaroi 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 English (better known by her later married name,
Dorothy 'Dot' 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, of the range was recognised for its natural heritage and preserved as
Warrumbungle National Park
Warrumbungle National Park is a heritage listed national park located in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The national park is located approximately northwest of Sydney and contained within . The park attracts approximately vi ...
.
In 2011, it was reported that the national park is contained within .
See also
*
List of mountains in Australia
This is a list of mountains in Australia.
Highest points by state and territory
List of mountains in Australia by topographic prominence
This is a list of the top 50 mountains in Australia ranked by topographic prominence. Most of these ...
*
List of volcanoes in Australia
This is a list of active, dormant and extinct volcanoes in Australia and its island territories. Note that the term volcano is used loosely as it can include groups of related volcanoes and vents that erupted at similar times with lava of r ...
References
*
External links
{{New South Wales mountains , state=autocollapse
Mountain ranges of New South Wales
Volcanoes of New South Wales
Extinct volcanoes
Miocene shield volcanoes
Shield volcanoes of Australia
Physiographic sections
Polygenetic shield volcanoes