Where

Weddin Mountains National Park in Country NSW

Distance

9km return

Time suggested

6 - 7hrs

Grade

Grade 5

Trip Intention Form

It's a good idea to let someone know where you're going. Fill in a trip intention form to send important details about your trip to your emergency contact.

What to
bring

Clothes for all weather conditions, drinking water, hat, sunscreen

Please note

• If you’re bushwalking, it’s a good idea to bring a topographic map and compass, or a GPS.
• The weather in this area can be extreme and unpredictable, so please ensure you’re well-prepared for your visit.
• Remember to take your binoculars if you want to bird watch

This fascinating and challenging walk takes you through several different vegetation communities, deep gullies and ridges and then onto a plateau where you can look out to the east towards Grenfell. You’ll be surrounded by white box, Blakely’s red gum, grey box and fuzzy box. As you move up the slope, you go through heathland dominated by shrubby she-oak and then into open forest dominated by mugga ironbark and black cypress pine. The views across the surrounding farming country and along the rugged escarpment on the eastern side of the Weddin Mountains are equally breathtaking.

The walk up to Eualdrie lookout at the top of this range is an adventurous hike. Start from Ben Hall’s campground and follow a marked trail through rugged terrain to the spectacular Eualdrie lookout, where wonderful scenic views await. You can return the same way or keep moving on to Peregrine lookout and Holy Camp.

Up the mountain where the understorey gets thicker, smaller birds like wrens, robins and warblers can be spotted flittering among the treetops. Emus often dart in among the trees as well. At the lookouts, birdwatchers will be in their element as wedge-tailed eagles and peregrine falcons are often seen swooping and plunging overhead.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Getting there and parking

Best times to visit

Weather, temperature and rainfall

Facilities

Maps and downloads

Learn more

Any way you like it

The park offers both relaxing and adventurous recreational opportunities. Picnickers can enjoy a campfire and barbecue at Ben Hall's campground, while more adventurous visitors can walk the mountain range on a variety of walking tracks.

Protected population

The Weddin Mountains harbour 12 threatened plant species and 39 threatened bird species. In spring, many lilies and orchids come into bloom, as do winged peppercress and slender darling pea. The diversity in vegetation from the base of the mountain to the top also accommodates a variety of bird species, from larger emus to smaller robins and thornbills. Raptors such as wedge-tailed eagles and peregrine falcons are often seen swooping and diving from the lookouts.

Rock stars

The Weddin Mountains are a large, crescent-shaped range that rises sharply from the surrounding plains. This prominent feature can be seen from up to 50km away. There are a number of interesting rock formations, cliff lines and small caves, particularly on the northern and eastern side of the mountain. Deep gullies between gentler slopes produce some lovely small waterfalls after a good rain.

Where there's a will

In 1936, the Seaton family began developing property on the western side of the Weddin Mountains as a pastoral enterprise. Money and resources were scarce during the Great Depression, so the farm was built using second-hand materials fashioned into solid structures. Seaton's Farm is a testimony to the ingenuity used by the Seatons when times were tough. It provides brilliant insight into how this farming family lived during the mid-1900s. The Weddin Mountains are also well-known as the hideout of bushrangers Ben Hall and John Bow, infamously involved in the Escort Robbery at Eugowra.