Bald Rock National Park

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This is probably one of my top choices in Queensland. It is not a million miles away from Brisbane; so easy to get to over a weekend. It is varied and stunning and the temperatures are pleasant pretty much all year round.



This is our second visit to this National Park. There is a caravan park within the park and there are places to stay in Tenterfield on the New South Wales side or Stanthorpe and surrounds on the Queensland state side.We stayed at the Granite Brewery which is pleasant for a variety of reasons. It has craft beer. You can take tours of the brewery. You can eat in the adjoining restaurant and you can stay in their cabins, which are lovely. They provide breakfast baskets that you can enjoy listening to the many birds that are in the trees nearby and in the evenings there are always some kangaroos and wallabies hopping on the grass or among the vines. If you want to see what the Granite Brewery offers then click on this link

The park is in New South Wales but large parts of it are also the border between NSW and Queensland.

Many millions of years ago, when molten rock was pushed up to the surface of the earth the magma solidified into granite boulders and these "inselbergs" as they are called ended up creating massive domes, balancing boulders, tunnels and passages of immense natural beauty as we see them today. Bald Rock is Australia's largest exposed granite boulder and it towers to 1277 metres above sea level.


It is quite breathtaking for all the right reasons both literally and metaphorically.

Bald Rock Summit
The top walk in my books is up to the Bald Rock Summit. We go up the "A1" way, as we call it, and come down the gentler path. Depending on your fitness level you could do the steep path both ways or the gentler one if you are not so confident about the sheer faces you meet as you climb higher. There is no doubt, however, that climbing this rock is a bit of a challenge and so it is important to make sure you have the right shoes and plenty of water, and to check that the weather is dry and clear. While it is only about 3.2 kms it may feel a little longer as it is quite steep. The rewards are the views at the top where you have a panorama of almost 360 degrees and where the green forested area spreads for miles. One of the things I love most about this park is that when you look out you can barely see any human habitation. It is a forest of different hues of green, changing in the seasons, as the eucalypts, mountain gum and blackbutt, bushes and creepers which abound in the area relate to the seasons.

The gentle walk back down is full of its own surprises. There are huge arches and tunnels and balancing boulders to admire.The leaf mulch which gathers in the crevices and on top of the boulders is the perfect place for lichens and mosses and, of course, orchids, so keep your eyes up and see if you can spot some.




Little Bold Rock
The Little Bold Rock walking trail has lovely views of New South Wales and Queeensland and it is a total of 6.5 kms return so you would need to allow between 3 and 4 hours again, depending on how fast you walk and your level of fitness.



Border Walk
The Border walk is 13 kms and you will need some provisions to keep your energy levels up for this one. This walk takes you from the Bald Rock picnic area to the NSW/Queensland border. Heading north, you'll be rewarded with views from the lookout over Bald Rock.The path is along a wide fire road for some of the walk so you can enjoy the density of the forest and the canopy and even catch some birds singing or their feathers.



The possibilities are plentiful and varied and it is surprising how much variation we noticed in the undergrowth going from one walk to another. There is no time to get bored in this National Park. For more information on Bald Rock follow this link: Bald Rock

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