Mount Warning in the Tweed Coast Hinterland
Far North Coast of NSW, Australia

"Australia's Green Cauldron"

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Due to Major Damage Caused by Tropical Cyclone Oswald the Mount Walking Track is Currently Closed for Repairs. HOWEVER There Are Many Other Walks and National Parks in the Area That Remain Open to the Public.

Booyong Walking Track

Nightcap National Park

Minyon Falls Lookout & Picnic Area

As well as beautiful villages drives, the Northern Rivers Regional Art Galley - with the Margaret Olley Exhibition, Golf, Horse Riding and more

For The Latest NPWS Update on the Mount Warning Walking Track Repair Progress
Please Click HERE

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Towering over Murwillumbah and the Tweed Valley in far north-eastern New South Wales, is Mount Warning, the central core of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest extinct shield volcano.

named "Wollumbin", meaning "cloud catcher", by the Bundjalung people who inhabited the region before European settlement, it is the first place on Australia’s mainland to be touched by the morning sun.  A climb to the summit to watch the dawn of a new day is a must for the adventurous.

On June 15th 2008, the Wollumbin Mt Warning Caldera was named on a list of 8 iconic sites across Australia under the National Landscapes Program, a tourism initiative for people interested in immersing themselves in the "real" culture and surroundings of the country. Under the program the area is to be known as "Australia's Green Cauldron".

Mount Warning, a World Heritage Listed National Park (2210ha), is reached by leaving the Pacific Highway at Murwillumbah and following the Kyogle Road west for 12 kilometres. Turn onto Mount Warning Road and proceed a further six kilometres to the Breakfast Creek picnic area at the Park entrance.

In the surrounding Nightcap, Border Ranges, Springbrook and Lamington National Parks, species of the sub-tropical and temperate zones overlap in a unique environment to provide spectacular rainforest scenery with natural streams and brooks, abundant bird and wildlife.

The valley itself is a rolling patchwork of green, with farms, sugar cane fields and natural wooded areas delighting the eye at every turn. Charming country villages nestle against the hills or bask in the riverside sun.

The towering, cone-shaped peak of Mount Warning and its two 'shoulders' have become the trademark of the Tweed as from every point in the valley and beyond, the mountain dominates the landscape.

Superb Rainforest

From Breakfast Creek, at Mount Warning National Park entrance, the main walking track ascends through superb rainforest with strategic rest spots giving a variety of scenic views of the surrounding valley.

The reward at the summit (1157m) is a 360° panorama of the enormous eroded bowl of the caldera landform and rim.

Rainforest topping the sheer cliffs of its 1,000m high rim is preserved in National Parks.  Lamington National Park in Queensland is to the north, while to the west and south respectively are the Border Ranges and the Nightcap National Park - both NSW World Heritage areas.

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Lifestyle Real Estate For Sale Mt Warning Region of NSW

Allow at least two hours to climb and two hours to return for the 8.8km walk; good non-slip footwear is essential.  There are resting points along the way.

The short (15min) Lyrebird Walk leads to an elevated platform in the palms where you can sit and experience the serenity and mystique of the rainforest.

Walkers are advised to keep to the formed tracks, as it is very easy to become lost in the rainforest. Short cutting the tracks can cause severe erosion in this precipitous park.

School Groups

School groups planning to visit this park are requested to first telephone the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Personalised one-on-one art classes by renowned local artist Barbara Suttie by advance arrangement at Hillcrest Retreat
Please Click HERE for More Information

History and Preservation

20 million years ago Mount Warning was the central vent of a large shield volcano with an area of over 4,000 square kilometres. It reached from Coraki in the south to Beenleigh in the north; westward to Kyogle and to the east its remnants occur as reefs in the Pacific Ocean. It originally reached nearly twice its present height.

Erosion over the millennia produced a unique and curious landform - the erosion caldera, which we today call the Tweed Valley. Mount Warning was the ancient volcano’s magma chamber. Being composed of harder rocks which cooled underground, this massif resisted the forces which carved the surrounding erosion caldera down to bedrock. It stands as the dominant feature in the district’s landscape, and catches the first rays of the rising sun on the continent.

Mount Warning had deep significance for the Aboriginal inhabitants of the area. They called it ‘Wollumbin’, which means ‘cloud-catcher’ or ‘weather-maker’. The mountain first made its appearance in recorded history when Captain Cook named it to warn future mariners of the offshore reefs he encountered on 16^th May 1770.

Reserved for public recreation in 1928, Mount Warning was dedicated as a National Park in 1966.

Thousands of visitors enjoy the views from the summit each year. The impact of such visitation on the small summit area necessitates the ban on camping.

There are no toilets or garbage bins on the mountain after Breakfast Creek, factors which should be taken in consideration BEFORE you start walking.

Plants and Animals

Lush palms and forest giants of the subtropical rainforest occur on the lower slopes. Among the multitude of tree species are the Giant Stinging Trees, Figs, Booyongs, Carabeens and Flame Trees. Higher on the slopes the forest changes to temperate rainforest. Here the dominants are Coachwood, Corkwood, Brush Box, Mountain Walnut and Mountain Wattle. The summit itself is a small area of heath shrubland.

Rainforest animals are diverse and mostly nocturnal, but the Pademelon Wallaby is often seen by day.

Birds likely to be seen or heard include the Paradise Riflebird, Regent and Satin Bower Birds, the Cat Bird, the Scrub Turkey and various fruit eating Pigeons. Rare and endangered birds include the Wompoo Pigeon, Albert’s Lyrebird, Rufous Scrub Bird and Marbled Frogmouth.

Accommodation

Whether or not you choose to climb Mt Warning, you can relax by the solar-heated pool in summer or curl up by the real wood fire in winter in your own private world at Hillcrest Mountain View Retreat, the Tweed region's most highly awarded small private retreat for couples of all ages.

Catering for a maximum of only three couples when full, Hillcrest offers a choice of one fully self contained Honeymoon Spa Cottage in its own private rainforest garden, or two air-conditioned Bed and Breakfast suites, one with luxury double spa bath and one with full size ordinary bath (both with separate showers, split system a/c and in-room tv/dvd).  At Hillcrest you can sip on a glass of champagne as you watch the sun touch Mount Warning summit in the distance.

Once the track is fully repaired you will be able to take the approximately 5 hour return walk to the top of the mountain peak and enjoy views right out to the coast at any time of the day. The photo of Mount Warning to the right was taken at dawn from Hillcrest ~ for more information please click HERE.

The Tweed Valley
is an area of Vast Natural Beauty
boasting FIVE World Heritage Listed National Parks, Pristine Beaches, Untouched Rainforest with ancient Beech and a Myriad of Wild-life
Murwillumbah Championship Golf Club
Markets, Restaurants, Shopping, Arts & Crafts, Fishing, Day Spa Treatments, Horse-riding and much, much more.

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for cottages, cabins, chalets, or bed and breakfasts near Mount Warning and the tweed rainforests visit crystal creek and stay at hillcrest mountain view retreat which offers a choice of bed and breakfast rooms in the main residence ~ one with luxury spa ~ or a fully self contained bungalow in a private garden overlooking the Springbrook mountains and rainforest.

Hillcrest Mt Warning View Bed and Breakfast NSW, Australia
the perfect getaway for a romantic weekend, honeymoon, golfing weekend, to use as your base for your longer holiday on the beautiful north coast,  or just to escape the rat-race for a while.

Stay Longer in Beautiful Crystal Creek via Murwillumbah in the Tweed Valley, Northern NSW and Enjoy  at one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world,  5 world-heritage listed National Parks and much more.