Soaring as the highest peak in Coorabakh National Park, Big Nelly tops out an impressive 546 Metres and stands as an impressive pinnacle in the North Coast of Australia’s New South Wales. This guide will show you exactly how to hike Big Nelly to the summit.
For more of this style of content, feel free to also check out my other HIKING GUIDES or articles on AUSTRALIA.
Key Details
Distance – One Kilometre round trip on moderate inclined terrain.
Time Required – 1 Hour for the hike with time at the top, allow addition time to get there.
Total Incline – 130 Metres
Difficulty – 6/10. Some scrambling required but all very safe.
What is Big Nelly?
Big Nelly is the highest point in the Coorabakh National Park and a volcanic plug, formed 60,000 years ago when Australia had active volcanic regions (also seen in Warrumbungle National Park). A volcanic plug forms when molten lava hardens and seals an active volcanic vent. Coorabakh National Park is
Where is Big Nelly?
The summit hike of Big Nelly is located in Central New South Wales, in Hannamvale as part of the Coorabakh National Park (formerly known as Landsdowne National Park), home to the traditional owners, the Ngambaa people.
How to Get to Big Nelly
Big Nelly can be accessed in 1 hour from Port Macquarie, 45 minutes from Diamond Head or 3 hours from Sydney. Once inside the National Park on the dirt road, it will take approximately 30 minutes to reach the Big Nelly picnic area.
Is it Dangerous to Hike Big Nelly?
Big Nelly is defined as a scramble. It is not a well-used path and accidents could happen. Only attempt the hike to the summit of Big Nelly if you are comfortable with a moderate amount of height exposure and have decent footwear.
Big Nelly is also used for rock climbing. If you see climbing bolts in a wall, you have gone the wrong way. Turn back and look for the arrows in the rock.
My Experience Hiking Big Nelly
Luckily my partner Erin’s sister lives very close to Big Nelly. I spied the peak from her front verandah and knew I had to find a way up it. We set off at midday and were at the picnic area within 45 minutes.
Parking for Big Nelly is located at the Big Nelly Picnic Area. There is not a lot at the picnic area aside from a table and a lacklustre lookout platform. However, you’ll find the summit track to the left of the lookout.
The path is a pretty sharp incline through a winding, heavily wooded track before coming to the rocky base of the mountain.
If you follow the path directly, it will lead you up the right side of Nelly to a very steep area that looks impassable. You’ll notice rock climbing bolts on the wall. Don’t go this way, this is the wrong way. Turn around and you’ll see a large arrow scraped into the rock.
Summit Path
Once on the correct path, we wound our way up following cracks in the rock as footing. Within a short 10 minutes, we were working our way up the summit ridge with a cool afternoon breeze on our faces.
The summit is a moderate dome offering 360-degree views of the National Park, to the ocean and Diamond Head. With plenty of sitting space for an afternoon picnic, we found a spot and sat day to take it in. If you look hard enough you’ll also find a Geocache!
After some photo’s a drink were were on our way back down.
Although steep, I was surprised by how short the track is and we were back at the car within 15 minutes to keep exploring the park!
For more of this style of content, feel free to also check out my other HIKING GUIDES or articles on AUSTRALIA.
