Mount Warning
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| Mount Warning | |
|---|---|
 Mount Warning at sunset. |
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| Elevation | 1,157 metres (3795.932 feet) |
| Location | North-eastern New South Wales, Australia |
| Range | Great Dividing Range |
| Prominence | 1,176 metres |
| Coordinates | |
| Easiest route | Walking track |
Mount Warning is a mountain in New South Wales, Australia, near the border with Queensland and New South Wales, near Murwillumbah. It is known as Wollumbin (meaning "Cloud Catcher") in the language of the local Indigenous Australians of the Bunjalung people. The mountain's two peaks were known as Ninergoongun and Barrajanda to the Numbin Aborigines, after the hunting dogs of Gwyala the Hunter and Burrajum. Due to its height and proximity to the Australian mainland's easternmost point, Cape Byron, it is known as the place on the mainland that first sees the sun rise.
The name 'Mount Warning' was given to the mountain in May 1770 by Lieutenant James Cook who sailed past it in the Endeavour's voyage along the eastern coastline. He named it and Point Danger for a dangerous shoal about 5 miles off Point Danger, from which the mountain bore "South-West by West".
Mount Warning is the central remnant of an ancient shield volcano, the Tweed Volcano, formerly twice the height of the current mountain, which erupted over 22 million years ago. The erosion caldera formed since this eruption is easily visible around the summit and forms the rim of the Tweed Valley.
The mountain is presently protected by the surrounding Mount Warning National Park, and access is regulated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Mount Warning is part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves, which are in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
[edit] Climbing the mountain
The mountain remains a place of cultural and traditional significance to the local Bundjalung people, in whose traditional lands it lies, and is the site of particular ceremonies and initiation rites. The Bundjalung have cultural and traditional restrictions which forbid the uninitiated from climbing the mountain, and generally request that others do not attempt to do so. The National Parks and Wildlife Service advertise this request and do not encourage climbers, but it is not expressly forbidden by park regulations. An ascent of the mountain takes approximately 2 to 3½ hours (one way) and requires a good level of fitness.
 Mt Warning seen from Point Danger, Coolangatta, Queensland. |
 View of Byron and surrounding areas from the summit |
 On the path to the summit. |
[edit] References
- Captain Cook's Journal During the First Voyage Round the World, available freely at Project Gutenberg
