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Mount Warning National Park

Fast facts

  • The sun strikes Mount Warning before anywhere else on the Australian continent. This 1156-metre-high mountain is the remnant central plug of the Tweed shield volcano.
  • Mount Warning National Park is part of the World Heritage CERRA.
  • About 800 km north of Sydney, near where the Tweed River meets the sea at the border of New South Wales and Queensland.

Why go there

The iconic centrepiece of the national park, Mt Warning, is a volcanic remnant once used by mariners as a landmark to warn them of offshore reefs. Captain James Cook bestowed its ominous-sounding name in 1770. The local Bundjalung Aboriginal people know the mountain as Wollumbin, meaning Cloud Catcher.

The hike to Mt Warning’s summit is a diverse nine-kilometre journey through warm subtropical rainforest and plateaus. Sunrise is a particularly magical time, but the walk to the summit is challenging, as most of it is steep. The return trip can take four to five hours. A chain near the top helps you up the last of the climb. Under the traditional laws of the Bundjalung Aboriginal people, only certain people can climb Mount Warning, so if you prefer to respect their wishes, consider a stroll along the 200-metre Lyrebird Track or a picnic at the Korrumbyn picnic area instead.

Don’t miss

  • Keeping an eye out for the park’s resident birdlife, including Albert’s lyrebird, the powerful owl and the marbled frogmouth.
  • Using your binoculars to identify the surrounding volcanic ranges – Nightcap, Koonyum, McPherson and Tweed.
  • Bushwalking through lush subtropical rainforest on the easy Lyrebird Track.
  • Meandering through historic villages such as Uki and Tyalgum, with the volcanic peak in the background, on the Mount Warning View Circuit.
  • Looking out for koalas, spotted-tail quolls and squirrel gliders.
  • Relaxing in a local health spa in the hinterland at Ballina; maybe trying a little yoga or surfing at the coastal retreats, Kingscliff or Byron Bay.
Mount Warning National Park, The Tweed (Photo: Hamilton Lund / Tourism NSW)

Nature