Where

Mount Grenfell Historic Site in Outback NSW

Distance

4km loop

Time suggested

1hr 30min - 2hrs 30min

Grade

Grade 4

What to
bring

Hat, sunscreen, drinking water

It’s worth the extra effort to hike along the range to the summit of Mount Grenfell, where you’ll find Choy trig station on Ngiyampaa walking track. There are expansive scenic views from the top across this otherwise flat landscape, and along the way are opportunities to see unusual rock formations and mallee trees. Enjoy a picnic lunch at a rocky lookout point at the top. The vast, arid country you can see out there is the traditional land of Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan people, who have a long and enduring relationship with this place.

While you're walking, keep an eye out for red and grey kangaroos. Emus still pace the land like prehistoric sentinels and you'll see them recorded in the rock art on the way to this track. When the weather’s warmer, geckos, snakes, shinglebacks and bearded dragons will emerge to soak up the sun. Keep your binoculars handy for birdwatching.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

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Living off the land

Emus and kangaroos inhabit Mount Grenfell and, on warmer days, you’re likely to see bearded dragons, shinglebacks and geckos. Keep a careful eye out too for endangered kultarr (also known as jerboa pouched-mouse, wuhl-wuhl or pitchi-pitchi), which can best be described as a mouse that hops. While you’re looking down for a pitchi-pitchi, you may also see a red-capped robin rifling through the leaf litter. This bird is often part of a mixed species feeding flock with other similarly sized birds such as thornbills, which also inhabit the park.

Making a scene

At Mount Grenfell, art featuring all facets of Aboriginal life covers rocky overhangs surrounding the park’s waterhole. Many are linear paintings done by applying wet pigment with a fingertip or natural brush. Others are hand stencils. In some places, ochre and white pipeclay have been applied thickly and left to dry. More recent paintings have been superimposed over older ones. There are stick figures, human figures, images of birds and animals, medicine, food, the landscape and dreaming stories. This art remains deeply significant to Ngiyampaa people.

Ngiyampaa: Past, present and future

The Ngiyampaa (pronounced nee-yam-par) are dryland people associated with the arid plains and rocky hill country of Central West NSW bordered roughly by Lachlan, Darling-Barwon and Bogan Rivers. The semi-permanent waterhole at Mount Grenfell was an important meeting place for generation after generation of this Aboriginal group. Following European settlement, however, Ngiyampaa people were moved to stations northwest of Wiradjuri country and in the 1930s, many were relocated again to Murrin Bridge near Lake Cargelligo. On 17 July 2004, Mount Grenfell was handed back to traditional owners and is now jointly managed with NSW NPWS. Ngiyampaa people maintain strong connections with this area and continue to pass on cultural knowledge.