| Mount Warning | |
|---|---|
 Mount Warning at sunset. |
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| Elevation | 1,156 metres (3,793 feet) |
| Location | North-eastern New South Wales, Australia |
| Range | Great Dividing Range |
| Coordinates | |
| Type | Shield volcano |
| 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 also known as Wollumbin, being the mythological name of the creator of the volcano (Wollumbin means 'a turkey', which builds mounds, the name being an allusion to the volcano) in the language of the local indigenous population, the Ngarakwal Nganduwal Aborigines, who have often been associated with the Bundjalung people of Iluka. The central plug of the Volcano is Mt. Warning and is located in the Parish of Burrell in the county of Rous. The Ngarkwal Nganduwal have a secret sacred name for the mountain The large Mountain to the North West of Mt Warning [foreground] was gazetted as Mt Wollumbin and this mountain is in the Parish of Wollumbin in the county of Rous. The Wollumbin Parish and Mt Wollumbin were named in reference to a war which took place on the 16th September 1864, between the Wollumbin Tribe led by its chief Wollumbin Johnny against the first Police Magistrate Joshua Bray's brother who's name was James Bray; James Bray was appointed Enumerator of the Cencus of 1871 collecting data over an extensive area which stretched southward to Brunswick Heads, north to the border east to the coast and west as far as settlement – it is this census which hold the original figures of the Aboriginal Protections Board - four collectors were appointed by James Bray to work the allotted areas. Three of whom were James Rowland [ step brother of Joshua and James Bray], and Arthur and Louis Nixon – both brothers in law of Joshua Bray….James Bray fixed on march 27 1871 a the commencement date of their duties. It is this census that is the precursor to the creation of Aboriginal missions to the west of the converted Tweed Volcano and the dispossession of the Wollumbin tribe from their ancestral home Wollumbin Volcano James Bray, who was also the Government Land Agent had made the earlier selection of his land at Byangum in the parish of Dunbible in the name of his eldest daughter, as his appointment prevented his selection himself. The skirmish with Wollumbin Johnny occurred shortly after this. The Wollumbin Tribe were being 'dispersed' at this point in the settlement of the region,from a small village named Byangum [Tweed Junction]located in the newly claimed Wollumbin Parish was within the fresh water zone [an essential to survival] and became a converted habitation site of the Pastoralists and Pioneer Settlers - James Bray and Nixon amongst them...Byangum [meaning snail in ngarakwal -nganduwal dialect] was on the Brunswick Coach road. The only road between the sea and the new settlements of the Tweed River. The significance of Mt Wollumbin and the parish in which it is located was gazetted in reference for the Ngarakwal Nganduwal's great 'fighting chief' Wollumbin Johnny who fought on Mt Wollumbin to repel the invaders from his ancestral lands. Wollumbin Johnny's burial is situated nearby on Mt Wollumbin.
The two small peaks to the west of the central plug are gazetted and known as the Two Sisters - from the mythological association of the Fairy Emu Dreaming Lore - an important mythological songline traveling from Byron Bay to the East Kimberleys. One of the peaks is gazetted as Mt Uki which is also the traditional name of a significant lagoo at Byron Bay. The Fairy Emu Lore has been recorded by many noted anthropological and musicologist experts both locally and on route to the western shores of Australia. The Two Sisters peaks have often been mistakenly associated as the Two Dingo's Ninergoongun and Barrajanda which are actually located at the top of Mt Widgee waterfall in SEQld another important creation Bootheram [Dreaming lore] of the 'Meebin' moiety [Ngarakwal Nganduwal Aborigines] and these ancestral mythological lores have also been extensively recorded and studied by noted academics nationally and internationally...much of this traditional mythology bears witness too the impressive significance of the central peak of the Wollumbin Volcano complex, Mt Warning. Due to Mt Warnings 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.
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Protected area
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.
History
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 23 million years ago. The erosion caldera formed since this eruption is easily visible around the summit and forms the rim of the Tweed Valley.
Climbing the mountain
The mountain remains a place of cultural and traditional significance to the Bundjalung people, however it lies in the traditional lands of the Ngarakwal Nganduwal moiety, and is the site of particular ceremonies and initiation rites. The Bundjalung are imposing cultural and traditional restrictions which forbid the uninitiated from climbing the mountain, and generally request that others do not attempt to do so. The government 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.
Gallery
 Mt Warning seen from Point Danger, Coolangatta, Queensland. |
 View of Byron and surrounding areas from the summit |
 On the path to the summit. |
 View from Beechmont, Queensland |
References
- Captain Cook's Journal During the First Voyage Round the World, available at Project Gutenberg.
- Peakbagger.com: Mount Warning
