Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Widjabul Wia-bal and Minjungbal people of the Bundjalung nation, the traditional owners and custodians of the ancient lands through which this walk passes.
We acknowledge their continued connection to their land, waters, and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future; and to their cultures, traditions and spiritual beliefs.
New visitor facilities named
Widjabul Wia-bal native title holders have named the 2 remote camps in Nightcap National Park:
- Camp 2 is named Yelgun Kyoomgun, pronounced ‘yell-gun key-oom-gun’, meaning ‘sun and stars’, to reflect the view from the campground.
- Camp 3 is named Weeun Weeun, pronounced ‘wee-ahn wee-ahn’, meaning ‘home of the cleverman’.
A new looped day walk from Rummery Park campground in Whian Whian State Conservation Area has also been named:
- Byan Yangala, pronounced ‘bee-yun yunn-gulla’, meaning ‘day walk’.
First stage early opening planned
The Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk will open in 2 stages due to the varying construction completion dates for the walking tracks and campgrounds.
A first stage 'early opening' will allow the public to experience parts of the walk ahead of the opening of the full multi-day experience, scheduled for early 2025.
This early opening is scheduled for July–August 2024, allowing visitors to enjoy day walks from both the trail head in Mount Jerusalem National Park and from Rummery Park campground in Whian Whian State Conservation Area, including the new Byan Yangala walk.
These are mostly grade 4 walking tracks suited to self-reliant, experienced bushwalkers or guided walkers. Byan Yangala is a 6.5 km stand-alone loop at the southern end of the Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk that trail users can start from either Rummery Park campground or Minyon Falls lookout in Nightcap National Park.
The early opening will also offer the opportunity to stay overnight at either of the 2 remote camps in Nightcap National Park: Yelgun Kyoomgun (Camp 2) or Weeun Weeun (Camp 3).
The early use of these remote camps will allow walkers a taste of what the full walk will offer. Bookings for these camps will be available online through the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service website.
Expression of interest for tourism operators
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service will be opening an opportunity for expressions of interest in early May 2024, seeking suitably qualified operators to deliver visitor services and experiences on the Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk. This would include:
- guided multi-day walking experiences
- day experiences
- a transport service for self-guided walkers to and from the trail heads within Mount Jerusalem and Nightcap national parks and Whian Whian State Conservation Area.
Construction has started on the hardest leg of the walk
Work has started on the longest and most challenging section of the Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk – Day 2. This Day 2 section of the walk will challenge even the most avid bushwalkers, ascending a total of 800 m and descending 550 m over 15 km from Camp 1 to Yelgun Kyoomgun (Camp 2). (See Figure 6, page 21 of the Gidjuum Gulganyi Walk master plan for an elevation profile of the walk and ‘day’ sections.)
The Day 2 section is 7 km from the walking track head, and will include long sections of new purpose-built track and construction of hundreds of stone steps. To build this is a logistical challenge involving multiple helicopter lifts to transport the materials to remote drop-off points within Mount Jerusalem and Nightcap national parks.
