Hi James,
Welcome to IIS.
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Originally Posted by jamskof
at the moment, my plan is to hire a camper and stay inside the national park. at one of the camp grounds, does anyone know if i would be allowed to go wandering onto the trails at night to do some photography? or do rangers not permit it?
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No problem.
You are only permitted to camp in designated areas but you can walk the tracks
in the evenings. Not all the designated camping areas are necessarily open and some
are reserved for large groups, but when you check in at the park headquarters,
they will inform you as to which grounds are open to you.
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are there beautiful landscape viewing areas there that i could access at any time of day?
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The views from the Grand High Tops would provide a fabulous background
but it is quite a hike up and no camping is permitted at the top itself.
However, you can stay at the Balor Hut which is not far from the top -
http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/...ground/camping
Alternatively you can stay at one of the other backcountry campsites such as Hurleys or Dow's
but you should call the park office and book.
A Petzl head lap would be recommended but you need to watch your footing
up near the top.
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any tips on best times to go, where to check conditions and general astro photography advice for the area is very much appreciated, i hope to spend a lot of time on this forum over the coming weeks as i organise this trip.
thankyou so so much in advance, any information no matter how small is very much appreciated.
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It can get very hot there in summer and hiking there at any time of year requires
a reasonable intake of water to replace what you lose sweating. Think in terms
of carrying 4 litres per person up to the Grand High Tops for just the walk up and back.
Then you will need extra if staying a night.
Even the view from the Whitegum lookout, which is only a short walk from the
car park off the main road as you first come into the park, provides a sensational
backdrop.
Another nice view is afforded from atop of Split Rock. It is a very short walk
from the Belougery Split Rock carpark. Be careful on this walk at night as
some chains are involved.
Also don't overlook the Coolah Tops National Park as well. It is far less visited
but has some beautiful scenery. The roads into it are gravel, but are accessible
by 2WD vehicles except when very wet.