Range View track

Towarri National Park

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Overview

Take a short, steep hike up Range View track in Towarri National Park, near Scone. You’ll journey past woodlands, caves and towering sandstone walls to the top of an outcrop with impressive views of the Liverpool Range.

Accessibility
No wheelchair access
Distance
1.6km return
Time suggested
45min - 1hr
Grade
Grade 4
What to
bring
Drinking water, sturdy shoes, hat, sunscreen, snacks
Please note
  • The track starts next to the toilet block at Washpools campground. Visitors staying at the campground can begin the walk directly from here.
  • Day visitors can park at Washpools picnic area, head down the stairs next to the viewing platform, then walk 500m downstream along Middle Brook to reach Washpools campground where Range View track starts.
  • Drinking water is not available in this area so it’s a good idea to bring your own.
  • There’s limited mobile reception in this park.

Adventurous bushwalkers will enjoy the challenging hike up Range View track. Just 25km from Scone, it’s a fantastic introduction to the diverse landscapes of Towarri National Park.

The track begins at Washpools campground and winds uphill through ironbark and grey gum woodland before following the base of a sandstone outcrop. 

Discover caves embedded with ancient volcanic rock and marvel at the towering sandstone walls before making your way to Range View lookout at the top of the outcrop. From this superb vantage point, you’ll be rewarded with expansive views of the Liverpool Range, including the range’s highest peaks Mount Tingaroo, Bald Hill and Thompsons Peak.

Return the way you came and see if you can spot lace monitors basking in the sun or flocks of grey-crowned babblers gliding through the trees. If you visit at dusk, you may be lucky enough spy an echidna or wombat searching for food.  

Spring is the best time to walk the track, when the acacias and wildflowers are in bloom.

After your walk, cool off with a well-deserved dip at nearby Washpools waterhole, an easy walk from Washpools picnic area and viewing platform.

 

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Nearby

  • Campsites at Washpools campground. Credit: John Spencer © DPE

    Washpools campground

    Washpools campground is the place to enjoy a relaxing stay and refreshing dip in Towarri National Park. Situated beside Middle Brook, it’s easily accessed from Middlebrook Road.

  • Viewing platform set within river oak forest, Towarri National Park. Credit: John Spencer © DPE

    Washpools picnic area and viewing platform

    Set beside the tranquil Middle Brook, Washpools picnic area and nearby scenic lookout are ideal for spending a relaxing day of swimming and barbecues with friends and family.

  • A family enjoying the Washpools waterhole along the Middle Brook.  Credit: John Spencer © DPE

    Washpools waterhole

    Only 500m along Middle Brook from Washpools picnic area and viewing platform is the shallow, naturally formed Washpools waterhole — great for a dip on a hot day. 

  • The steep rocky banks of the creek along Washpools walk, Towarri National Park. Credit: John Spencer/DCCEEW © DCCEEW

    Washpools and Middlebrook walking tracks

    Washpools and Middlebrook walking tracks form a beautiful loop walk around Middle Brook, a gentle creek in Towarri National Park, near Scone. In summer, stop for a swim along the way at Washpools waterhole.

Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/walking-tracks/range-view-track/local-alerts

General enquiries

Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about Range View track.

Maps and downloads

Learn more

Range View track is in Towarri National Park. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

Fabulous flowers and creatures of flight

A pair of glossy-black cockatoos on tree branch. Photo: John Spencer/OEH.

Towarri is inhabited by a range of birds and animals, many with a particularly distinctive call, appearance or ability that appears in their name. The powerful owl is as strong as it sounds, hunting and feeding on medium-sized mammals and marsupials including gliders, possums and wallabies. The glossy-black cockatoo is as self-explanatory as the red-tailed and yellow-tailed black cockatoos. The greater glider spreads itself out like a sheet of paper to change trees. The Liverpool Range sees the blending of many plant species. Towarri National Park is home to about 650 species. From the cassuarina forests along the creeklines to the majestic snow gum on the ridgeline, that are capped with snow on occasion. The miltant grass trees stand on the hills amongst the serene poa grasslands. The gully lines off the falls of sandstone play host to dry rainforest pockets providing habitat to many fauna species. The unique area is a floristic wonderland with many species at the edge of the range.

  • Range View track Take a short, steep hike up Range View track in Towarri National Park, near Scone. You’ll journey past woodlands, caves and towering sandstone walls to the top of an outcrop with impressive views of the Liverpool Range.
  • Washpools and Middlebrook walking tracks Washpools and Middlebrook walking tracks form a beautiful loop walk around Middle Brook, a gentle creek in Towarri National Park, near Scone. In summer, stop for a swim along the way at Washpools waterhole.

Snow gums and spinifex

Farm land and distant mountains, Towarri National Park. Photo: Brent Mail

Three distinct bioregions meet in Towarri: the Sydney Basin, the Brigalow Belt South and North Coast. This means that the soil type, fertility and depth differ throughout the park. Throw in a variation in rainfall, elevation and geological features and the result is a mosaic of plant communities. Snow gums decorate the skyline above a snowgrass understorey on the high plateau areas of Mount Tinagroo and Bald Hill.

  • Range View track Take a short, steep hike up Range View track in Towarri National Park, near Scone. You’ll journey past woodlands, caves and towering sandstone walls to the top of an outcrop with impressive views of the Liverpool Range.
  • Washpools and Middlebrook walking tracks Washpools and Middlebrook walking tracks form a beautiful loop walk around Middle Brook, a gentle creek in Towarri National Park, near Scone. In summer, stop for a swim along the way at Washpools waterhole.

The first people

Mountains in Towarri National Park. Photo: Brent Mail

The Wonnarua People (also spelt Wanaruah) were the first inhabitants of the Upper Hunter Valley. Their name means ‘people of the hills and plains’, describing their traditional lands from Merriwa in the west, Barrington Tops to the east, the sandstone escarpment at Wollombi to the south and the Liverpool Range mountains to the north. Towarri means ‘warrior’ in the Wonnarua language, whose people fought hard for their land after European settlement. There is an array of artefacts including stone flakes, scarred trees and hearths in the park and surrounds, demonstrating long cultural use and occupational of the area by the Traditional Custodians.

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