We travelled to the Warrumbungle region that included exploring the Warrumbungle Observatory and Warrumbungle national park. This continues from my last post where I travelled to Coonbarabran which is about 6 hours from Sydney. This trip spanned over 4 days and luckily in a time when cases had dropped and Victoria was still kinda doing ok. I hope this gives you an idea of some awesome places to visit in New South Whales.
Day 2 Exploring Warrumbungle National Park
For Day 2 we decided to do a little bushwalking in the Warrumbungle National Park. I wanted a walk around the 1-1.5 hour range and certainly wasn’t up for the 5-6 hour walk that I found on the website. Following the advice of the Coonabarabran visitors centre, we decided to the national park visitor centre to see if they could recommend some shorter walk.
We were recommended two walks, one that goes for about 1.5 hours and another for 2 hours. We opted for the shorter 1.5 hours. Unfortunately, I’m not sure exactly with the path we took as I’ve lost my notes. But either way, I recommend checking in with the visitor centre for suggestions. You will also need to buy a park pass from the national park visitor centre if you don’t have a yearly pass for NSW.
The walk was so unique. We drove into an open car park area and after a quick visit to the ladies, we were ready to go. Don’t always expect there to be a toilet so use the one at the visitor centre before you head out. We also applied some sunscreen and made sure that we had plenty of water. Even though it was the middle of winter, I still use sunscreen on big walks like this as my skin burns easily.
Anyway back to this unique walk. We followed what looked like a path down some stairs continuing along until we came across a small creek. The only way to cross was by walking on the small wood plank or jumping across the rocks. I chose the rocks option which was a lot of fun!
We continued along until we came across a paved pathway. This section got quite steep and was a little challenging at times. I recommend taking it slowly with breaks if needed. Most people even those who were unfit were eventually able to make it. The effort was well worth it! The view from the platform was stunning. The pictures will never do it justice.
Day 2 – Lunch at Cardian’s
After burning off breakfast we were feeling a bit peckish so we decided to try out one of the local cafes, Cardian’s in Coonabarabran. The cafe served very country style, home-cooked meals. We both choose a chicken schnitzel burger and we decided to share some chips with gravy!!
The burgers were so tasty and included a piece of bacon which was even better. I loved the rustic feel to the cafe, it just felt homely.
As for the chips, they were exactly what I was craving. I hadn’t had chips and gravy this food for a long time.
Day 2 – Star Gazing at Warrumbungle Observatory
I booked into the 6.30 pm session at Warrumbungle Observatory, so we decided to have dinner early. To make things easy we just had subway. You will need to pre-purchase your tickets for the observatory.
The Warrumbungle Observatory was located just outside of town and the directions provided were really easy to follow. I recommend using the trip function in your car as the last step is to continue driving for around 8.6KM and a GPS isn’t going to work. Take care and keep an eye out for wildlife, I was very close to hitting a wombat on the way there.
The group was quite small which was comforting and we all were required to sign in and use hand sanitiser. It was great to see Warrumbungle Observatory taking the COVID situation seriously.
The session went for about an hour. We were given a quick overview of the stars and then we had the chance to look at a wide variety of constellations through a few types of telescopes include a giant scope. We were able to ask questions and the presenter was knowledgeable. If you have a particular camera you have a chance to take a photo through the largest telescope.
This was such a fun activity and I got to learn heaps about starts that I didn’t know! This would also be a great activity for older kids. If you go in winter wear warm clothes. I had my thermal pants on under my jeans which I’m so glad that I did. I wish I had also brought my gloves but unfortunately, we both forgot. It was bearable but really cold!
Part 3 will be up next Thursday!!
If you haven’t already check out part 1: Coonabarabran to Orange | A road trip adventure 2020 Part 1
Or take a look at my exploring Sydney post.
