Warrumbungles

I drove to the nearby Warrumbungles National Park, while Anita had a day reading in the comfort of our air conditioned caravan with Blue and Tilly for company. 

One of the features of this park is the rock formations that resulted from lava flows when the area was actively volcanic. Ironically these rock formations were fully exposed following a devastating fire in January 2013. Ninety-five  percent of the park was burnt, with 75% subjected to such intense heat that many trees did not recover. No lives were lost but several fire fighters were injured, with one crew surviving after their truck was over run by flames. Fifty six homes were lost. 

The Siding Springs Observatory is close to the Warrumbungles. The main telescopes survived the fire, but some buildings were destroyed. The observatory was evacuated while fire fighters put their lives at risk saving the infrastructure. This first photo is in the visitors' gallery at the observatory. There are good views from the grounds of the observatory.





There is a sealed road through the national park, and several camping grounds with facilities, including caravan sites. Some of the key sights involve a long hike which wasn't happening today in 30°+ temperatures. The most accessible viewing platform is the White Gums Lookout which is a 1km round trip suitable for wheelchairs. There should be more roadside viewing areas as I had to pull over into driveways to take some photos.




Back at camp the outside crate had blown down in the wind. Tilly loitered at the neighbours' doorstep while I packed things away.




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