Warrumbungle National Park
Warrumbungle
Australia's First Dark Sky Park
On the lands of the Gamilaraay people.
schedule 1 min read / Updated Apr 2026
The eroded core of a vast shield volcano that was once the size of Mt Etna, now a collection of jagged trachyte spires poking out of the New South Wales plains. In 2016 the park became the first International Dark Sky Park in Australia, and the Milky Way from the Breadknife is breathtaking.
The Warrumbungles are the remains of a shield volcano that erupted 13 to 17 million years ago over what is now the north-western slopes of New South Wales. Millions of years of erosion have stripped away the softer rock and left behind the harder volcanic necks and dykes as exposed spires and domes. The Breadknife is the most recognisable, a narrow fin of rock 90 metres high and only a few metres wide.
The Grand High Tops walk is the signature hike, a 14 kilometre loop that climbs past the Breadknife to views of Belougery Spire, Crater Bluff and the Tonduron Spire. It is one of the best day walks in New South Wales but involves steep rock steps and is best in cool weather.
The park was declared an International Dark Sky Park in 2016 thanks to the almost total absence of light pollution. The nearby Siding Spring Observatory is Australia's largest optical astronomy facility and has a public visitor centre that is open year-round.
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Scenic views
Lookouts near Warrumbungle National Park.
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Attribution
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Images (2)
- Crater Bluff-Belougery Spire-Breadknife, Warrumbungle Nation... · Kytabu · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wambelong Creek, Warrumbungle National Park NSW Oct 2020.jpg · Kytabu · CC BY-SA 4.0
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