A Day in the Hills Scenic Drive Mt Bingar Lookout

Start your drive with sweeping vistas of the City of the saddle between the main Cocoparra Range and Mts Griffith from Scenic Hill. You can stop at the Hermit’s Caley and Brogden. Cave and Sir Dudley de Chair lookout and see the extent of the boom that is Griffith. A well signposted, easy 2 hour walk to the summit pf Mt Sir Dudley de Chair was the Governor of NSW at the Brogden starts from Binya Forest Drive off Whitton Stock time that Griffith was established. Not many locals know Route. (The Country Energy office in Banna Ave GriffithGateway.com presents that. displays a mural of the view from Mt Brogden on its rear wall.) As you head north from Beelbangera, you will have the McPherson Range on your left and rice farms on your The road winds but is safe and wide. You will see Moss right. Many of the rice farms have been converted to Dam on your left and Wattle Dam on your right. These A Day in the Hills vineyards as the demand for grapes has increased. two dams are well known, locally, as good birding dams. Most of McPherson Range is private property, but you Scenic Drive can get access to some areas from McPherson Rd and When you leave the forest on the eastern side of the from Quarry Rd. range you will pass through several kilometres of dry area farming until you get to Erigolia Rd. If you are Myall Park Rd and Mt Bingar Rds will take you to the keen, you can turn left and head up to the Mid Western foot of the Cocoparra Range. National Parks have Highway east of Rankins Springs. created picnic areas along creek beds that are worth a stop. Through most of the year, the creeks are dry. If We turn right and head to the Burley Griffin Way and the you happen to see them after rain, you can see the small hamlet of Binya with its red stained silos standing magic transformation that water brings to this semi tall by the railway line. desert. Take the time to walk and climb and enjoy. A few kilometres west of Binya is a memorial to John The road that runs at the foot of the range is the old Oxley to honour his travels through this area in 1817. Whitton Stock route. It was a Cobb and Co route and is still accessible, even by two wheel drive, in most parts of The Burley Griffin Way takes you back through the Binya the year. Watch out if its been wet and the road may be State Forest. If you haven’t had enough by now, you impassable. Drive to the conditions. can detour via forest tracks on either side of the road. Your trip will be rewarded with sightings of kangaroo, You will pass the remains of the Mt Elliot Hotel and can emu, swamp wallabies and many species of birds. wander around the ruins. The stock route was also used by swaggies in the 1930’s depression and some As you travel further west, on your left is the huge winery pioneers of our district still remember them walking the that is Casella. In Yenda you can taste wines from dry dusty roads looking for work in exchange for tea and Berton Vineyards, and closer to Griffith you can drop in damper. at de Bortoli’s and later Beelgara Estate.

You pass out of the National Park into the Binya State We hope you have had a great day. Forest. (This is one of the forests that has recently been 110 km declared open to game shooters. The need for permits Visit www.griffithgateway.com for more walks, rides and Sealed and unsealed surfaces is clearly stated on the signage, and we hope for the drives that will showcase the city of Griffith. Hills and plains safety of all of us that the rules are adhered to.) Gullies and creeks Ths stock route will take you all the way back to the You can find other maps and references from National Birds and animals Burley Griffin Way and you can take this short cut if you Parks and Wildlife and Department of Lands. are running out of time. Also check Google Maps for maps of the trails through the Binya State Forest. Turning left into Barry Scenic Drive, will take you over A Day in the Hills Scenic Drive Mt Bingar Lookout. Views are hard to get with the trees and Telstra buildings in the way, but a Numerous picnic areas: pleasant, if steep, side trip Leave Griffith via Scenic Hill Woolshed Flat Good, reasonably easy Drive (follow signs to the air- Spring Creek walk to the summit pf Mt Jack’s Creek port then turn right at the Green Mt Elliott Hotel Ruins Brogden off Binya Forest Water Tower). From Drive Beelbangera, take the Rankins Quarry Rd. A side trip to the top of the range will Wattle Dam and Springs Rd until you get to Moss Dam - Myall Park Rd, and turn right. bring you to non signposted excellent sites from

Turn left at Mt Bingar Rd and Carrathool Nature Reserve.

e which to see

follow it to the t intersection at In spring this area will give n Turquoise Parrots

the Whitton Stock Route. you a delightful display of R

Turn left for 5 km to get to the orchids, sundews and other r r

endemic flowers and plants. d a Mt Bingar Tower Rd. p

R Kite Rd John Oxley

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g M o memorial y Erigolia Rd a n i

Route and follow it south for ll P C a B r k t ve about 10km to the intersection R ri o M a D d c of Barry Scenic Drive. This ni e c

part of the road is unformed M S

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and unkept. It is passable in e

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two wheel drive in dry condi- P o

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e tions. (From here you can take t

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a short cut back to the Burley a t The Binya State Forest is on both sides

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Griffin Way and return to a of the Burley Griffin Way. There are

n Griffith.) Whitton Stock Route i many tracks through the forest and most

Turn left on Barry Scenic Drive Yenda B are signposted. If you remember that Rankins Rankins Springs Rd and then turn right into Kite Rd. e Casella Wines you are bound by National Park to the iv r Beelbangera Rd Kite Rd will take you to Erigolia D a north and farm land to the east, south ill nd H Ye Rd where you turn right to get ic ans west, you will know that you cannot en c get lost. There are dams in the south to Binya and the Burley Griffin S Way. Turn right after crossing Griffith east corner of the north forest that are Wine tasting at: the last to dry out in summer. These the railway line to Griffith and Yoogali Yenda, left to Binya and Leeton Rd Berton Estate make excellent bird and animal Temora. Take the via Bilbul Rd de Bortoli’s watching places if you would like to do some Beelgara Estate wine tasting at Berton Estate, You can buy provisions and supplies at de Bortoli’s and Beelgara Es- Beelbangera, Yenda. Bilbul and tate Wines. Turn right at Yoogali. There are no other shops or Yoogali to return to Griffith. potable water supplies enroute.