Arid outback near Sydney

[Synnyside]

Hi,

I will be visiting Sydney in March, from Canada, and I would like to see the outback. By this I mean an arid climate, and the chance to see emus and other desert flora and faunae.

Are there any areas that offer good outback bushwalking near Sydney. Broken Hill and Mutawintji National Park is a bit too far, but something about 6 hours by car from Sydney would be good. I am mostly interested in moderate to strenuous day hikes, impressive outback scenery and a fun road trip (and a cool town to stay at night).

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

ROhan

[flatfoot]

Warrumbungles up near Coonabrabran is a worthwhile place to go. You won't necessarily see emus but there are plenty of good opportunities for day hikes. A fabulous place with interesting rock formations and glorious sunrises/sunsets.

The walking is some of the most scenic and strenuous in NSW. Carry plenty of water as it is a dry area.

It's about 6 hours drive from Sydney.

You can stay in Coonabarabran (30-40 minutes from the park - be careful of roos when driving at night!!!). There are also good camping facilities at the National Park, and a hut you can apparently stay in.

[johnw]

I agree with Flatfoot's suggestion for the Warrumbungles. Spectacular scenery. We've stayed in Coonabarabran township a couple of times and driven to the NP to do some reasonably strenuous day hikes. Not particularly difficult but plenty of steep uphill. Grand High Tops circuit would probably be my first recommendation but there are other options as well. Also a good place if you are interested in astronomy (not that I am specifically). One of the clearest night skies in the southern hemisphere, with several professional and amateur observatories in the local area. We visited one that was open for public night viewing using their telescopes last time we were there a few years ago.

[Tortoise]

...I would like to see the outback. By this I mean an arid climate, and the chance to see emus and other desert flora and faunae.

Are there any areas that offer good outback bushwalking near Sydney. Broken Hill and Mutawintji National Park is a bit too far, but something about 6 hours by car from Sydney would be good. I am mostly interested in moderate to strenuous day hikes, impressive outback scenery and a fun road trip (and a cool town to stay at night).

+1 for the Warrambungles for walking, impressive scenery, & wildlife - if you aren't commited to arid/desert, Synnyside.

[Synnyside]

Thanks for the suggestion.

Warrumbungles looks like a nice park with some unique geology. Is it a particularly dry part of Australia? Since I will be in Sydney most of the time, where I assume the environment will be quite green and lush, I was hoping to see the dry/desert part of Australia.

thanks.

[Lindsay]

Hi Sunnyside. For actual desert you will have to go a very long way, to far north western NSW, around 1000k from Sydney. Or you could fly to somewhere like Alice Springs and do some desert touring from there.

[Tortoise]

Sounds more like the go for what you're after, Synnyside - there just isn't desert that close to Sydney. If you can afford it, flying would be the go. I'm thinking your distance limit might be due to a time factor??

[jonnosan]

Bourke is about 9 hrs drive to Sydney, and can be considered the start of desert country in NSW (there is an old expression when something is described as being "back of Bourke" meaning it is way out in the wilderness).

I haven't looked into it myself, but you may be able to take an overnight bus or train which (assuming you can sleep) would take some of the tedium out of getting there.

[Hallu]

You have to understand though that most of the outback isn't desertic. It's arid yes, but it's not a desert, you see many bushes, small trees, grass etc... There's water here, otherwise there wouldn't be such big towns, and people are often surprised by that. They imagine the outback as a big red desert, but it's not, either around Broken Hill or Alice Springs. To see a big red desert you need to see places such as the Simpson Desert.

Nevertheless it's beautiful, if I were you I would fly from Sydney to Broken Hill or Mildura, and see parks such as Mutawintji, Mungo, Murray-Sunset, Danggali, Wyperfeld, Sturt etc... although long walks are limited in outback NSW parks. In Victorian parks it's more common : you have 2/3 day hikes in Murray-Sunset and Wyperfeld for example.

If you have the budget there are plenty of 4WD tours departing from Broken Hill and showing you what's called "corner country", some going as far as the Simpson desert (you have departures from Alice Springs too). But as you must already know, feeling the outback is also driving yourself over huge distances.

Oh and you see emus pretty much everywhere in Australia, not just in arid areas, you have plenty of them in Wilsons Prom' for example.

[Onestepmore]

I feel, at the moment, my suburban garden is an arid desert, and I'm an hour south of Sydney in Picton! We have bluetongues and echidnas, red belllied blacksnakes in our backyard, yet we walk to the library, pub and coffeshop, but not the outback.
Warrumbungles too was my thought, when I read your post. 6 hours north of Sydney. Maybe not emus (we did see them when we lived at /QuirindiManilla/Barraba district), but plenty of roos (though you can see those a'plenty on a drive to Tallowa Dam near Kangaroo Valley on the way to Moreton NP 2 hours south of Sydney)
BUT there have just been extensive bushfires - not sure how close to the main walking areas they got - I know the observatory was a near miss.
Does anyone local know?
We were thinking of base camping and day hiking Grand High Tops etc over the June long weekend

[Synnyside]

Thanks for all the suggestions. We are planning to spend a few daws in Tasmania, so this will probably be the only flying we will do within Australia.

Road trips to Burke and Warrumbungles cetainly look promising. I'm happy to hear that the wildlfe sighting will be good.

[Webguy]

But then of course, a massive fire has just gone through large parts of the Warrumbungles, so, do some research first....

[aufil]

Hi , We are a french family, living in sydney .
Friends are visiting us next october 2014 and we were planning to go to ayers rock for 3 days (4 days with trip).
Unfortunately, Tigerair has just cancelled every flight Sydney-Alice Spring after July 2014 and , anyway, it is difficult to join a tour or to organise one with young kids for a reasonable price. At the moment, if i am lucky and everything succed: the minimum will be 800$ per person for flights (400$ with Jetstar, double with quntas)+3 days/3nights over there (400$ for a tour but can reach easily 800$ or more). Thats is 7200$ minimum for the 2 families, 4 adultes, 5 children

So, i have started to look at a less expensive red center experience and arrived on this page. Thank you!

i have started an itinary: Sydney, warrumbungle-national-park, Bourke, Griffith, Sydney in 4 or 5 days (5 days is with a stop in Kosciuszko National Park)
I know,it is tight and fast, but we are with oversea people and the will probably visit Australia only once.
We will not walk much, drive, camp, play with the kids, photo of nature and wildlife and drive again.

I would need your advice to reduce any waste on the trip: can you adjust my intinary?


Day 1: very early, 6h drive, 480km To Warrumbungles: expecting to arrive by 10 am. we will spend 24 hours over there without driving much if possible

Day 2: 5h drive to bourke from 10am to 4 pm jusqu’à bourke (D): expecting to see wildlife and nice lookout

night here : http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/gun ... nd/camping

Day 3: another 5 to 6h drive:to griffith : driving in the desert (on road)

Sleep in farm in Griffith

day 4 or day 5: 6h drive to sydney: different stop and arrive late at night

optionnal day 4: drive to Kosciuszko National Park, stay at a campsite near the lake, close to Tumut

What isi your opinion? can we make it shorter in distance? are there things "must do" on the way? what are the best place to camp?

cheers
David

[GPSGuided]

Red Centre with that many of you won't be cheap but can be much cheaper if you self-drive and not go with a tour group. You'll see more and be more flexible with the schedule. Accommodation will be expensive but there are many price points you can choose from. It's in the middle of nowhere and everything are expensive.

[aufil]

thanks but it is difficult to fligh with nearly no luggages and then organize a 3 days bush camp for 9. I had a look at this option but it is not right for me. Neither to reduce costs, neither to enjoy this remote area.

So either we can find a guide to organize everything (or join a tour), either we selfdrive from Sydney, and this is my question: I would like some comments about my itinenary, please?

[Hallu]

That's way too much driving in my opinion, especially when you consider there isn't much to do at or around Bourke and Griffith. The solution : fly to Adelaide. You have flights that cost less that 200 $ return with Jetstar or Tiger, and you can drive easily to the outback : I'd do something like this http://goo.gl/maps/vuDpu , visit Mungo, Hattah-Kulkyne, Wyperfeld, the pink lakes at Murray Sunset and back. Plenty of other options with Danggali and Ngarkat, both remote and with little to visit but the arid emptiness, but that's what you're looking for. 1400 km in 5 days is manageable. With your itinerary, Kosciuszko and 5 days, it's 29h of driving in total (without the exploration of the NPs, lookouts etc...). With kids it would be a nightmare. Before you ask, yes the mallee vegetation in those parks would be similar to some parks alongside the Bourke/Griffith road, but they are more developed, with better tracks, more lookouts, and some outstanding features (the pink lakes, the walls of China, Hattah-Kulkyne lakes, the Wyperfeld dunes etc...). Parks near Bourke and Griffith are mostly camping spots, with few to no walking tracks.

The other option would be a more relaxed Wollemi/Warrumbungle/Kanangra-Boyd/Blue Mountains circuit which would look like that : http://goo.gl/maps/KOLgx . This NOT a second rate option, it's still beautiful. Of course I'm guessing your friends want to see the "red desert" but even visitors to Uluru don't see it : shrubs, grass, a red big rock in the middle. The "real" red desert is Simpson desert, and you need an expensive tour or a 4WD tag along tour to visit it. Between Bourke and Griffith you wouldn't see the "desert", it's a semi-arid environment, plenty of shrubs and grass, here and there some red dirt, but that's about it. The real arid outback is further West.

Are your friends really visiting for only 5 days ? Because if they're doing a 2 week trip in total and wanted 5 days in the outback maybe we can help them better planning the whole 2 weeks.

[davidmorr]

I would really check out the Warrumbungles before going there. The fires have left very little according to friends who have been there recently.

I would also agree that if you want real outback scenery, south west NSW is the place to go. Kinchega NP near Menindee is the nearest thing to the type of country you would find near Ayers Rock. Mungo NP is also good, drive across to Ivanhoe, Willandra NP - all pretty close together and very remote.

[Hallu]

Sout West NSW AND North West VIC =)

[puredingo]

Jonnosan had it right. Hire a car and head out West through Dubbo, orange, Wellington it may not be classifies officially as desert but once you hit Nyngan it certainly feels like it.

Ask a cocky if you can have a wander across his paddocks and explore his creek systems and I'm sure you'll find Emus, Roo's, feral pigs, dogs, fox and many other critters to satisfy you (feral cats are to be shot on sight!)

Stay in the local pub or camp up where ever. It's a unique way of life and one not to be missed while visiting here.

[Nuts]

Gibber Plains and rocky outcrops, Desert Peas, Saltbush, Red 'Ochre' sands and Roos to match. Emus, Camels, creative fuel prices.. these typify the country and 'feel' of 'the (red) centre'? (Iv'e been past Uluru but not into Alice Springs).

In NSW, only the very far NW brings these to mind. Broken Hill- Tiboburra, even further towards Camerons Corner for dunes (iirc.. or maybe even over into SA?).

I'd agree though, SW NSW and northern Vic would hold more varied 'outback' interest with the many places already mentioned. Especially if wanting to include the southern highlands..

If me and no constraints I also think Adelaide is a good start, only a few hours north and the Outback 'feel' begins. A one way hire from Adelaide-Sydney? I'd probably head through the Flinders/Gammon R, Strzelecki Track, Camerons, into NSW etc. Another long drive just the same, not extreme at all but not without hazards..

anyhow, send us a postcard pic