The Breadknife
A thin rock wall.
Kytabu — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kytabu — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hjkraus — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Will Brown — CC BY 2.0 · Schopier — CC BY-SA 4.0
Warrumbungle National Park is a protected park in the Orana region of New South Wales, about 25 km in a straight line west of the town of Coonabarabran and about 550 km north-west of Sydney. It covers about 23,000 hectares and attracts around 35,000 visitors a year. The park is based on the Warrumbungle Range, an area of past volcanic activity with unusual lava formations, and it was added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2006 for bold volcanic landforms unrivalled anywhere else in Australia. On 4 July 2016 it became the first park in Australia certified as a Dark Sky Park, and the Siding Spring Observatory stands next to it. Sharp rock spires and peaks rise above forested hills and grassland, the best known being Belougery Spire, Bluff Mountain, Mount Exmouth, the park's highest, and the Breadknife, a thin vertical wall of rock. The Grand High Tops walk leads to views of these formations, and in spring wildflowers bloom among the rocks. A vehicle entry fee applies. The nights here are very dark and clear, ideal for stargazing; summers are hot and winter nights cold, so spring and autumn are best for walking.
A thin rock wall.
A volcanic spire.
Dark and clear.
Near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia
Yes, it is a Dark Sky Park.
Spring and autumn.