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

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.

Mount Warning (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.

If you are less energetic you can relax by the solar-heated pool at Hillcrest Mountain View Retreat. Offering a choice of two air-conditioned Bed and Breakfast suites, one with luxury double spa, or secluded Self Contained Cottage accommodation, you can sip on a glass of champagne as you watch the sun touch Mt Warning summit in the distance. Alternatively take a joy flight around the mountain in Barnstorming Australia's replica Super-Waco bi-plane. The photo on the right was taken at dawn from Hillcrest ~ for more information please click HERE.

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 Mt 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.

Four Hour Walk

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.

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 shrub-land.

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.