Belougery Split Rock

Belougery Split Rock

A challenging trek that’s well worth the steep rock scrambles for the reward of its incredible views. This loop climbs to the top of one of the Warrumbungles’ most recognisable peaks — a giant dome of volcanic rock split clean down the middle. From the summits, the whole range stretches out in every direction: rugged, raw, and impossibly beautiful. This is Belougery Split Rock.

Quick Details

Length: 4.6km

Elevation: 300m

Grade: Hard

Best season: Autumn to Spring

Suitable for kids: Yes for older kids, but only if they’re confident with heights and rock scrambles.

Starting the Trail

The plan for the day was simple — a couple of short, easy tracks, with a nice long break for lunch back at camp. The plan, however, went right out the window as we walked past the base of Belougery Split Rock from its western side. Looking up at the summits towering above us, we could see large holes in the rock — caves, maybe — dotting the face of the dome. 

“You know, if we hike up there a bit, we might be able to get a better idea of what they are,” said Rob. We all looked at each other, and figured, hey, technically we’re on holidays right now — we’ve got time. I looked at the map and found the trailhead on this side wasn’t too far from where we were, so that was that — plans changed — and it turned out to be a brilliant decision.

The Climb

The trail on this side started somewhat gently up the hill before getting steeper. There were stairs, it was a bit rocky underfoot, but the real issue was the heat. We were in dry forest without much shade, and since this was an impulsive decision, we weren’t as prepared as we could have been. We had enough water, but food-wise we had nothing more than three muesli bars and a bag of dried mango. 

The forest was typical dry Aussie bushland — as you’d expect to see here. Wildflower season was over — or maybe the feral goats in the park ate them all. Although we did pass a little geebung tree with bright red berries that looked like the Australian version of mistletoe. So either the goats don’t fancy them, or they don’t come up this side of the mountain.

The higher we climbed, the steeper the trail became. Out to our right was a cliff — maybe sandstone. At first, we were looking up at it, craning our necks to see the top. Before long, we were level with it — and as the track kept rising, the cliff began to drop away below us, offering views across the park. It was a good indicator to show how far we had climbed.

This hike is a great example of how what you see on a map doesn’t always translate to what it’s like in real life. While on paper it’s just under 2km to the centre of the twin peaks of the mountain, it feels a lot longer — or maybe that’s just because of the heat, or because it’s getting close to lunchtime and I’m trying to figure out how to split my three muesli bars between four people.

As we neared the top of the first peak, and could see above the cliff wall we’d been walking beside, we chose to stop for a moment to look out at the park. The views across the valley to Bluff Mountain and Grand Hightops were incredible. There’s so many rock formations, though, that it gets hard to work out which is which from the map alone. 

The Split

Edna had been up to this part of the mountain a few years ago — and she did warn us that it’s a bit underwhelming. From a distance the split looks like a dramatic chasm between the rock — on the trail, however, it’s just a saddle. We did get some good views from there, but nothing we hadn’t seen a few moments earlier from the first peak.

There was no real way to get a closer look at those holes we’d seen from the fire trail earlier. They probably weren’t far from the saddle, but we weren’t about to go bush-bashing along the side of a steep mountain. Later on, a quick Google rabbit hole suggested they were created by bubbles of gas trapped in the magma as it cooled — hollow pockets in the rock later exposed through erosion.

Warning: Steep Climb

The final climb to the very top of Belougery Split Rock is separated by a gate with a large sign on it, warning of a steep climb ahead. Honestly, we had no idea what awaited us beyond the gate — just the old metal staircase behind it, looking perfectly innocent and friendly. As it turned out, the staircase was just limbering us up — a polite little stretch before the real scramble started.

From the top of the stairs we looked up — and believe me, I do mean up — at the rock in front of us. The trail is marked by what I can only describe as giant bobby-pins, pulled open and bolted into the rock. We wondered if they once held cable between them as a kind of guiding fence. Whatever their original purpose was, now they’re something solid to hang on to while you work out your next move.

The trail twists and turns a little to the left as you climb. Those bobby-pin posts actually blend in a bit — I managed to scale halfway up the rock before realising I was definitely in the wrong place and should have turned left at the grass-tree. There are yellow reflectors that mark the way, though. After making it over this tough section, I dropped my bag and went back to help the others.

We stood on the edge of the mountain for a few minutes, taking in the view and trading a few nervous looks between snapping photos. The summit was still a few hundred metres away, and if it was all like that, then this was going to be a much longer hike than we first anticipated. Thankfully, though, the toughest part of the climb was now behind us. 

There were a couple of spots where we were pretty much on all fours, scrambling up steep and slippery rock slopes, but the rest of the trip to the summit was far easier than that first section. This is going to make me sound so nerdy — but the stone was amazing. There were so many colours and patterns — it was like polished sandstone… 

“Not far to go now. The summit’s just up there” — I think I heard someone in the group say this at least three times, and each time it was just another false summit. Nothing kills your sense of achievement faster than looking up and realising there’s still further to go. Eventually though, there were no more false summits, and only the true summit left. 

The Peak

The very top of Belougery Split Rock is marked by a simple rock cairn with views in every direction. We didn’t stay at the top for too long, though. Just long enough to take our photos to prove that we’d made it. This isn’t the highest peak in the park, but the view sure is amazing from here. 

We went back down the trail a bit to an open area looking towards Crater Bluff, Mt Exmouth, and Belougery Spire. The dried mango came out and we took the opportunity to rest and enjoy the view — while others enjoyed a nap. 

Why is Everything Named “Belougery” here?

From the mid-1800s much of what we know as the Warrumbungle National Park today was held under Crown leases and grazing licences. One of those leases was held by the Blackman family for their farm called “Belougery”. The Blackman homestead apparently used to be where Camp Blackman and the visitor centre are now. 

In the early 1950s, when the idea was floated to make the Warrumbungles a park, a local farmer named Alfred Pincham was the first to voluntarily offer his lease back to the government so the land could be reserved — his lease included the iconic Breadknife rock formation. The names in the park come from a few different sources, but many of them are named after the former leaseholders and their farms. 

Back to the Trail

We made our way back down to the saddle — it was actually easier than I was expecting. Sure, there were a few places where it felt safer to slide down on our butts, and that last section with the giant bobby-pins required a bit of teamwork to get all of us down. But all in all… It wasn’t so bad. 

We figured since the trail is a bit of a loop around the mountain, we may as well return to the car by continuing the loop on the side we hadn’t walked yet. At first it was really easy — a nice, wide dirt track. Okay, it was heading downhill; that’s really why it was easy… I was just saying I thought we’d chosen to come up the wrong side and then we hit a steep uphill and rocky section.

In hindsight, I’m not actually sure if it would be easier to hike the circuit clockwise or anti-clockwise. We had gone anti-clockwise and the uphill had been pretty consistent the whole way up. Clockwise you do get a few more undulations on the way up, which may be frustrating to go downhill, only to then climb back up again. I think most do it clockwise though. 

As luck would have it, the track down the mountain went right past a rather large set of holes in the rock face. Which we presumed were what the ones we had seen earlier in the day would look like up close. So after all that, we finally managed to get an up close look after all. They really were like shallow caves in the rock. 

“You know, despite that uphill section earlier, I think this side is the easier track” I said — right before turning a corner and being faced with a steep, rocky scramble up to the next section of track — “I have got to stop saying that”. 

The rest of the way down was mostly uneventful. In a couple of places the track was quite exposed and went over bare rock — but there were reflectors and cairns to keep us on the track. Once the track sort of levelled out a bit, it was easy to keep a good pace and before too long we were at the car and headed back to camp for a proper (late) lunch. 

Getting There

Warrumbungle National Park is around 150km north of Dubbo, or 35km west of Coonabarabran.

Belougery Split Rock carpark is about 2.5km westward from the NPWS visitor centre on John Renshaw Parkway, opposite Camp Wambelong.

Tips and Tricks

Hiking the full circuit, rather than out and back along the same trail is really worth it. 

There are many exposed areas with little to no shade along the track so be sure to take plenty of water no matter what time of the year. 

The track to reach the summit can be a challenge — remember to use 3 or 4 points of contact on the rock for stability. 

If you want to see more photos of this hike be sure to check out Rob and Edna on Instagram.

You can read our other Warrumbungles story, Hiking to Tara Cave, here.