Womerah Range trail
Sydney and surrounds, North Coast
Overview
Womerah Range trail is a challenging hiking and mountain biking route with scenic views through the dramatic sandstone landscape of Parr State Conservation Area.
- Distance
- 48km one-way
- Time suggested
- 2 days
- Grade
- Hard
- What to
bring - Drinking water
- Please note
This park is in a remote location, so please ensure you’re well-prepared, bring appropriate clothing and equipment and advise a family member or friend of your travel plans.
Explore the rugged and remote landscape of Parr State Conservation Area on foot or by mountain bike along Womerah Range trail. This steep and sometimes sandy track makes for a challenging experience, especially if you’re cycling. Enjoy scenic views of cliffs, rocky outcrops and dramatic gorges from this ridgeline track though Hawkesbury sandstone country. Stop for a picnic along the way and gaze out upon McDonald Valley and nearby Yengo National Park.
If you’re hiking and want to complete the whole track in two days, why not do a car shuffle and begin at the main entrance off Webbs Creek Road and finish at Parr’s western entrance on Putty Road? Otherwise, you could hike in from either entrance, stay overnight at Heartbreak Hill campground then retrace your steps the next day. There are plenty of possibilities.
Map
Map legend
Local alerts
For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/cycling-trails/womerah-range-trail/local-alerts
General enquiries
- National Parks Contact Centre
- 7am to 7pm daily
- 1300 072 757 (13000 PARKS) for the cost of a local call within Australia excluding mobiles
- parks.info@environment.nsw.gov.au
Park info
- in Parr State Conservation Area in the Sydney and surrounds region
Parr State Conservation Area is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.
- in Yengo National Park in the Sydney and surrounds and North Coast regions
Yengo National Park is always open, but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.
The Big Yango precinct of the park is within locked gates and requires a permit to enter.
Visitor info
All the practical information you need to know about Womerah Range trail.
Getting there and parking
Get driving directions
Womerah Range trail is in the northern precinct of Parr State Conservation Area. To get there:
- From Wisemans Ferry, take the Webbs Creek Ferry and turn right on the other side
- Follow St Albans Road for approximately 5km
- Turn left in to Webbs Creek Road and continue for approximately 250m up the hill
- Womerah Range trail begins at the crest on the right hand side
Alternatively, if beginning from Putty Road:
- From Colo Heights, follow Putty Road north
- After approximately 25km look for the Womerah Range trail on the right
Parking
Parking is available at Webbs Creek Road and Putty Road entrances.
Best times to visit
There are lots of great things waiting for you in Parr State Conservation Area. Here are some of the highlights.
Autumn
Cooler temperatures make for great hiking and cycling conditions.
Spring
The milder temperatures make this an ideal time for hiking and, as though purely for your viewing pleasure, wildflowers decorate the surrounding bushland.
Winter
For the adventurous, this is a great time of year to tackle an epic mountain bike ride on Womerah Range trail.
Weather, temperature and rainfall
Summer temperature
Average
16°C and 26.5°C
Highest recorded
50°C
Winter temperature
Average
6.6°C and 16.6°C
Lowest recorded
-0.1°C
Rainfall
Wettest month
September
Driest month
March
The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day
230mm
Facilities
Drinking water is not available in this park.
Maps and downloads
Permitted
Camp fires and solid fuel burners
You're encouraged to bring gas or fuel stoves, especially in summer during the fire season.
Prohibited
Gathering firewood
Pets
Pets and domestic animals (other than certified assistance animals) are not permitted. Find out which regional parks allow dog walking and see the pets in parks policy for more information.
Smoking
NSW national parks are no smoking areas.
Learn more
Womerah Range trail is in Parr State Conservation Area. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:
Extraordinary plants
Parr contains an unusual mix of plant species which are not only different from those growing further north in Yengo National Park, but are normally found in completely different parts of NSW. Vegetation ranges from open woodlands along the dry ridges to communities of open forest and tall open forest, heathlands, mallee and sedgelands. Flowering plants typically found in Parr include grey spider, flannel, eriostemon, and mountain devil.
- Womerah Range trail Womerah Range trail is a challenging hiking and mountain biking route with scenic views through the dramatic sandstone landscape of Parr State Conservation Area.
Convict trail
This area was named after William Parr, who was one of the earliest European explorers of overland northern routes out of Sydney. A draughtsman, boat builder and mineralogist, Parr was transported on the Fortune in 1813 at the age of 39, having been convicted of forgery. Despite a 14-year sentence, Governor Macquarie quickly made use of his skills and soon assigned him to the Surveyor General’s department as a mineral surveyor. In October 1817, Parr and his party set off from Windsor to find a trafficable route from the Hawkesbury to Hunter River, but did not quite reach Hunter Valley. Early European transport routes between Sydney and Hunter Valley are evident within Parr State Conservation Area, with remnants of Putty Road/Old Bulga Road. Today, Parr conserves Webb Creek catchment.
In the beginning
It was probably around 13,000 years ago that Aboriginal people first moved into this area. Until European settlement, these people lived off and nurtured the land and a large number of Aboriginal sites have been recorded within Parr. Mount Yengo (originally Yango), in adjoining Yengo National Park, is of particular significance; it was the place from which Biamie left the earth after creating the world, flattening the top with his foot as he went. Many sites within Parr, Yengo and the surrounding regions are closely connected with this mountain. Today, the local Aboriginal community retains a strong and active interest in the management of these sites and the landscape, along with a desire to preserve, as well as revive, Aboriginal culture.