Coolah Off The Beaten Path Tips by balhannah

THE GIANT WOMBAT!

As we head north to Gunnedah, we come to the town of Tambar Springs. Very small town, but quite famous because it was here the first ever complete skeleton of a prehistoric monster called the Diprotodon, was found in Australia. The prehistoric creature is called a Diprotodon, and resembles a giant wombat in appearance, it weighs 3 tons and stretches up to 14 foot long. The creature is estimated to have inhabited the Australian continent between 25,000 and 2 million years ago. The skeleton discovered had a small hole in the bones which indicated that the prehistoric creature was killed by a spear.

In the Coonabarabran Information centre is a Diprotodon on display.

STOP TO ENJOY THE VIEW

We had finished our walks at the Coolah Tops national park and were heading back to Coolah, when I thought, we must stop to take some photo's of the views in the Valley. I thought they were pretty good.

GIANT GRASS TREES

I have seen some big Grass Tree's in my time, but these at Coolah Tops, I think beat the lot!
The walk to the Grass Trees is a 2km loop, and the reward is seeing some of the oldest grass trees in Australia. They are believed to be more than 300 years old. I stood against some, just to give an idea how tall they really were.
There were even a few wildflower's blooming!

BUNDELLA LOOKOUT

Walking back from Pinnacle lookout took us to the Bundella Car park. From here, we walked across to Bundella lookout, another one with wonderful views over the Liverpool Ranges and to Mount Kaputar and the Nandewar Ranges. There was a park bench located here, what a spot to sit and enjoy this view!

Website: http://www.golden-highway.com.au/coolah_tops_np.htm

PINNACLE LOOKOUT

Taking the dirt road to the left, led us to the end of the National Park in one direction, this was to Bundella lookout car park. This was a biggish, cleared area, with beautiful stands of Gum Trees.
Here we are, away from everything, and there's plenty of picnic spots, BBQ's and even Toilets!

We decided to follow the trail to Pinnacle lookout first. I don't know why, but along the track, there was an old gate that was closed, so we opened it, walked through, and closed it!
The Pinnacle is just what I expected, a sheer balsat outcrop, jutting out from the rest of the cliffs. The views from here were fabulous, I could see for miles and miles. We spent some time watching a plane flying very low, supering the farmer's paddocks below.
Be careful walking around here, as there are no safety rails.
It is a great lookout for views!

Website: http://www.warrumbungleregion.com.au/thingsToSeeDo.cfm?newsId=30

RED NECKED WALLABY

Isn't he gorgeous, well, I thought so when I first set eyes on this Wallaby!

We had just emerged from the track to the Norfolk Waterfalls, when I happened to see this Wallaby feeding in the grass on the edge of the carpark. On the notice board, it did say Red Necked Wallabies may be seen, so I was very happy to see one!

The Red-necked wallaby has some reddish brown colouring with grey tips on the fur, pronounced reddish-brown neck, paler grey chest. It has a black muzzle and white stripe on the upper lip. It lives in eucalypt forests like we were in, eats mainly grasses and herbs and is mainly solitary, but may be seen grazing with other Wallabies at night time.

The Red-necked wallaby is protected by law in all states.

Be quiet, and try to zoom in with your Camera, rather than trying to get close and scaring the Wallaby away. They are rather shy and are startled easily.

NORFOLK FALLS

To reach these waterfalls, when we came to the road junction in the National Park, we took the first road to the right. This led us to a small picnic area where there was room to park our car. Located here were picnic tables and chairs, a shelter, BBQ's and Toilets.

An information board told us what to expect, 500 steps down a steep hill was part of the walk, and it advised not to do it if unfit.
Down the hill we went, the closer to the bottom, we could distinctly hear water, and sure enough, it wasn't long before we reached Norfolk Island Creek. This was at the top of the waterfall, quite a pretty area, but we couldn't see the Waterfall itself. Back a little, we took another trail, and this took us to the waterfall viewpoint.
The falls have a drop of 35 metres. The water isn't clear, but a milky colour because of deposits of clay released into the water.

The falls had water going over, so I thought it was worth the effort to come here.
Its about a 1km walk.....2km return.

Website: http://www.golden-highway.com.au/coolah_tops_np.htm

THE DRIVE TO COOLAH TOPS NATIONAL PARK

Coolah Tops National Park is located 30kms from Coolah. In Coolah, look for the Brown tourist sign directing you in the direction of the park.

The tourist drive at the beginning, is along the valley on a one lane bitumen road. We met Cattle along here who were not used to cars, and its the School bus run too, so you may meet the School bus, we did.
The valley floor is very pretty, green pastures, ploughed ground, cattle and horses, homesteads, it was nice!
We then started climbing a dirt road up the side of a steep hill where there were fabulous views back over the valley. The road is quite rough in places, so the going is slow and careful. Further along, we came across many herds of goats and more Cattle, until reaching the entrance of the National Park.

Website: http://www.warrumbungleregion.com.au/thingsToSeeDo.cfm?newsId=30