We had a quick stop in Coonabarabran at Woolworths before heading out toward the National Park. We arrived around lunch time and got setup in a nice drive thru power site. The Camp Blackman is lovely, clean and well laid out with the only downside being no drinking water or rubbish bins in our section of the campground. The shower block was also located in another section of the park but didn't bother us as we used our own.
The parks office had been burnt down and there was signs of the fire throughout our drive in and our subsequent walks through the park. Lots of new growth though as Australian bush bounces back so quickly.
Once we had some lunch and got the camp setup we decided to do a short walk to Tara Cave in the afternoon. An easy 3.4Km return trip slightly up hill. The walk was nicely laid out and signage was good. Not a whole lot to see at the cave but we did have a lovely view of the Warrumbungles from the top. We returned to the campsite and enjoyed a BBQ dinner.
Friday morning we had breakfast before heading out on the Grand High Tops walk. This is a rather difficult 12.5 Km return walk mostly climbing. We took a short off shoot to the Spirey Lookout along the way which was rather a steep climb up. We got a good view of the Breadknife, Grand High Tops, and the Belougery Spire from this viewpoint.
Back to the main track where the climb got progressively steeper with lots of stair cases/steps to navigate. We continued on with a few short breaks to the peak of the Grand High Tops. When we completed this walk in 2011 Sandra hadn't made it quite to the top as her fear of heights got the better of her. I'm glad to report she was very brave this time and we both got to enjoy the magnificent 360 degree view from the peak.
After a break to enjoy the view we continued across the High Tops and descended down the other side towards Bluff Mountain. This side was not as steep but the pathway was not as good either. We circled back around the base of the High Tops/Breadknife to Balor Hut where we enjoyed our picnic lunch. From there we rejoined the main trail and continued our return descent to complete the walk. We saw a number of Wallaby on our ascent in the morning and quite a few colourful parrots as well. On the descent we came across a couple of very large wild goats. We were both pretty exhausted by the time we made it back to the caravan. Our calves were pretty sore from the continual climbing/descending but we both had a great feeling of accomplishment. We aren't sure if we will be up to the challenge again in another 6 years but here is hoping our good health continues! This is one of the best walks we have completed in our travels and would highly recommend to all that are capable!
Sandra had lamb shanks preparing all day in our slow cooker as we knew that we weren't going to feel like cooking a meal when we returned. The lamb shanks were lovely and capped off a wonderful day!
We decided to extend our stay for an extra day for a little rest and relaxation. That being said we did complete another 6Km walking on Saturday morning. Luckily, Belougery Flats was both flat and easy going for the most part. Had some good views of the peaks again from a different perspective as we completed a loop around the camp area. We did however enjoy an easy afternoon and rested up our aching legs a bit! Sandra even gave herself some foot pampering and painting!
All in all it was another great trip to this special part of Australia. Highly recommend a trip here for all our friends and family who have not already experienced this National Park!
No comments:
Post a Comment