Places on the Australian National Heritage List are places of outstanding heritage value for Australia and Mount Royal National Park was added in 2007.
Day trip/ half day trip from the Lower Hunter Valley
- For bushwalkers, photographers, bird watchers, nature enthusiasts, artists
- Few facilities are provided for visitors – picnic tables, toilets in Youngville Campground, bring food and water. The walks contains steep slopes, solid walking shoes and full legged pants essential, sun protection required in summer.
- The park roads are unsealed and in dry weather very manageable for any car up to the Youngville campground – 4 wheel drive may be required in wet conditions however
- Your visit is free – no charges apply.
Directions from Lower Hunter: Travelling north, drive through Singleton on New England Highway, turn right onto Bridgeman Road at Dunolly and after approximately 15km, veer left into Mount Royal Road at Carrowbrook. Follow this unsealed road for about 7km
Mount Royal National Park is a part of Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, the park contains many birds and animals that remain relatively the same as their fossilised ancestors. It’s also home to various threatened and vulnerable species of wildlife such as the Hastings river mouse, parma wallaby, rufous scrub bird and paradise riflebird, and the glossy black cockatoo.
Pieries Peak walking track is a short climb from Youngville campground to the peak [allow 2hrs return] The track leads to a narrow and rocky ridge covered with Poa grass with steep sides [Grade 4]. The summit views are spectacular: extensive all-round views. The peak can be extremely windy.
Look out for wedge-tailed eagles and seasonal visitors like dollar birds and channel-billed cuckoos. You may also see brush turkeys, superb lyrebirds, honeyeaters and flycatchers around the track.