Warrumbungle ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Park is fully operational again after the re-opening of the final walking track affected by the 2013 fire.
³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Parks and Wildlife Service Area Manager John Whittall said the Fan’s Horizon track reopened this week, following the replacement of around 1000 timber steps.
“The completion of Fan’s Horizon walking track is pretty much the last piece in putting Warrumbungle ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Park back together after the devastation of the fire.
“For staff who have worked in the Warrumbungles before, during or after the rehabilitation program, this feels like the last piece of the puzzle, and we can now look forward to seeing our visitors once again be able to enjoy all that the park has to offer,” Mr Whittall said.
“The finalisation of track works comes after the recent reopening of our magnificent Visitor Centre and years of major works to rebuild the park and learn more about fire behaviour.
“Some of the major projects included replacing all park directional signs, rebuilding the iconic Grand High Tops Walking Track, repairing 4.6 kilometres of the Split Rock walking track, reconstructing 120 metres of elevated walkway in front of Tara Cave, replacing and upgrading the park’s main campground sewer and septic system and upgrading the Old Woolshed car park and day use area.
“Outside of the visitor experience, post fire projects also included a massive three-year project by Office of Environment and Heritage scientists to investigate the impacts of the fire and guide management into the future.
“Our staff have worked from across the entire ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Parks and Wildlife Service and Office of Environment and Heritage to get the park back to an even higher standard than before the Wambelong fire.
“We look forward to welcoming visitors to check out the new Fan’s Horizon track which is ideal for those wishing to ascend the range and get a panoramic view of the valley and volcanic features such as Crater Bluff, Belougery Spire and the Breadknife.
“We encourage you to take your time though, the Fan’s Horizon walk is 3.6 kilometres, steep and takes about 2 hours return,” Mr Whittall said.
