- Bald Rock National Park
Bald Rock National Park is a
national park in northernNew South Wales ,Australia , just north ofTenterfield on theQueensland border. On the other side of the border the national park continues as theGirraween National Park .The park is named after its most prominent feature, Bald Rock, which is a large
granite outcrop rising about 200 metres above the surrounding landscape. Measuring about 750 metres long and 500 metres wide this is the largest granite monolith in Australia. [Readers Digest Guide to Australian Places, Readers Digest, Sydney] Access to the rock is provided by a sealed road into the park and walking tracks to the summit. Two tracks are marked, a steep one up the exposed face, or an easier gradient through bushland around the back. The summit offers panoramic views of the surrounding bushland, but vegetation on top prevents a full 360° view.The park is in the New England granite belt, where about 220 million years ago an episode of granite
magma tism resulted in the intrusion of the Stanthorpe Adamellite into the surroundingmetamorphic and sedimentary rock. Subsequent uplift and erosion of the New England Fold Belt has seen the majority of the surrounding sediments and metamorphic rocks eroded away, with the Stanthorpe Adamellite remaining due to its resistance to weathering.This
regolith has created a landscape with many exposedinselberg s of granite rocks, some balancing on top of each other, or forming natural arches. The walking track going up the back of Bald Rock leads through such an arch.Just off the road beside the park is Thunderbolt's Hideout, a set of caves and overhanging granite rocks. It was thought to have been used by
bushranger Captain Thunderbolt Fact sheet
*"Area:" 75 km²
*"Coordinates": coord|28|51|9|S|152|03|20|E|type:landmark_region:AU
*"Date of establishment:" November 12, 1971
*"Managing authorities:"National Parks and Wildlife Service (New South Wales)
*"IUCN category:" IIee also
*
Protected areas of New South Wales (Australia) References
* [http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/parks.nsf/ParkContent/N0001?OpenDocument&ParkKey=N0001&Type=Xo Bald Rock National Park] at the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
* [http://www.cap.nsw.edu.au/schools_profiles/TenterfieldHS/thunderbolt_cave.htm Captain Thunderbolt's Hideout] at NSW Schools Country Area Program
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