by Jacqui Warnock

Getting back to nature, embracing the great outdoors in bushland and National Parks is what members of the Narrabri Bushwalking Club have enjoyed doing for decades, both locally and further afield.

Right now while overseas travel and even interstate and city pursuits are curtailed, members have been enjoying places right here on our doorstep.

From Mount Kaputar in the snow to the cascading Horton Falls, climbing Cooloobindi (Gin’s Leap), to rock scrambling beside the tumbling Upper Namoi River at Warrabah National Park, members and guests are continuing the tradition of bushwalking with the Narrabri Bushwalking Club.

The Narrabri Bushwalking Club was formed nearly 50 years ago, in 1974 by a few interested locals with a shared passion for exploration and adventure.

Stuart Murray along with his wife Denise, Graham Nelson and the late Hugh Palmer were the founding members.

With Mount Kaputar, the Pilliga and the Warrumbungles right on the doorstep, Narrabri was the perfect place for a bushwalking club.

It didn’t take long to attract others to join and to spread the adventures further afield.

Total membership over the years would run to many hundreds.

As well as bushwalking, the club’s activities have included rock climbing and abseiling, kayaking, skiing, cycling, mountaineering and trekking.

Expeditions may be for as little as a few hours, to a day, overnight, a week or more.

The physical challenge, solitude and beauty in nature which can be found by getting off the beaten track, as well as the safety and camaraderie that comes with being part of a group is what inspires people to become members of this club and create memories in majestic places.

Over the years, club expeditions have been planned and led by a number of members to places including Nepal, New Zealand, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, as well as all over Australia, taking in the Kimberley and Kakadu, the Snowy Mountains, Hinchinbrook Island, the NSW South Coast and many more fabulous locations.

The club continues to walk on a regular basis exploring local terrain and when the opportunity presents to set off further afield.

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