BALD Rock NP (near Tenterfield, NSW) and I have a few things in common. We’ve both been in the world for half a century. Due to COVID, we both missed out on our intended 50th celebrations last year. So, this year, we’re each doing our best to make up for it. One way I’m celebrating is by travelling a bit further afield again, with activities like crossing the QLD-NSW border, which this 8,883-hectare park touches, holding more allure than ever. Add to that the promise of exploring 500m-wide by 750m-long Bald Rock, the southern hemisphere’s largest granite monolith, and I’m hooked on the idea of this hiking destination.
Proclaimed as a 5,200-acre state park in 1971 and a national park by 1974, Bald Rock has been celebrating via community events. In September 2022, a 50th celebration included a ranger-guided walk up its granite dome, followed by anniversary cake, and an anniversary mountain bike ride (with a choice of 50km or 20km distances) is scheduled for October. Though I’m unable to time my September visit to coincide with the official anniversary walk,
