Gaanha bula-Mount Canobolas

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Route: Spring Glade Track, Summits Track, Young Man Conobolas, Nature Track Loop, The Walls Lookout, Towac Way, Federal Falls Track, Federal Falls, Snow Gum Track, Gaanha bula-Mount Canobolas, Spring Glade Track

Date: 24/04/2025
From: Mount Canobolas Road

Parking: Spring Glade Car Park
Start Point: Spring Glade Car Park
Finish Point: Mount Canobolas Road
Region: Mount Canobolas State Conservation Area

Route length: 11.0 km
Time taken: 03:35
Average speed: 3.7 km/h
Ascent: 675m
Descent: 680m

Points of Interest: Young Man Canobolas, The Walls Lookout, Federal Falls, Gaanha bula-Mount Canobolas

Our recent travels took us westwards to the charming city of Orange, nestled in the picturesque Central Tablelands of New South Wales. Surrounded by rolling hills and thriving vineyards, the region owes much of its fertility to rich volcanic soils—a legacy of Gaanha bula–Mount Canobolas, the ancient volcano that dominates the landscape. Though long extinct, with its last eruptions estimated around 11 million years ago, Gaanha bula–Mount Canobolas remains a striking presence. Rising to 1,396m above sea level, it is the highest point between Sydney and Perth.

While Gaanha bula-Mount Canobolas is crisscrossed by numerous hiking tracks, most of the main trails begin high on its flanks, typically at elevations above 1,200m. As a result, reaching the summit isn’t a particularly long hike, but the elevation still makes for a rewarding experience. For those looking to explore more thoroughly, it’s possible to create a loop that incorporates all the main tracks in the area—offering a mix of forests, waterfalls (maybe) and panoramic views.

I began my hike at Mount Canobolas Road, starting with the Spring Glade Track—the first of several trails I planned to tackle. The track starts at a small parking area sharing the same name and offers a relatively easy route towards the summit, connecting with several other trails in the area. It climbs across the slopes of Gaanha bula–Mount Canobolas at a fairly gentle angle, passing through grassy woodland and beautiful groves of trees.

Spring Glade Track

Spring Glade Track

Climbing the Spring Glade Track

At the top of the Spring Glade Track is the Summits Track, which connects the two main peaks that make up the mountain (Old Man anobolas and Young Man Canobolas). There are many minor peaks surrounding Gaanha bula–Mount Canobolas, all are remnant volcanic domes and plugs. Its Aboriginal name reference this with two words in the Wiradjuri language (the local Aboriginal language), “gaahna” and “bula”, meaning “two shoulders” which refers to the summits of Mount Canobolas itself and the subsidiary peak.

The Summits Track at the top of Spring Glade

Summits Track

The mountain is dominated by trees

Summits Track signage

A view of Gaanha bula–Mount Canobolas

The Summits Track traverses a saddle between the two mountains and makes a short climb to the summit of Young Man Canobolas. There are some nice views of the main mountain as you approach the summit, but you need to get above the trees to really see the expansive views across the Central Tablelands. It's handy having a drone in your pack. 

The summit of Young Man Canobolas

The summit of Young Man Canobolas has some filtered views

Looking south towards The Walls and Mount Towac

Gaanha bula–Mount Canobolas

Eastern panorama

Western panorama

Mount Towac

After taking in the views and packing away the drone, I retraced my steps down the Summits Track and connected with the Nature Walking Track. This short loop has a fascinating look at the volcanic diversity of the area. I wandered through bushland, past dramatic rock outcrops and terraced formations shaped by ancient lava flows.

Nature Track

The Walls

The Walls Lookout

The Walls Lookout and Mount Towac

Crossing the ancient lava flows

The rocky outcroppings are home to a rare lichen community that was listed as endangered in 1995. The lichens survive under very tough environmental conditions, but heavy foot traffic can be devastating, so be sure to take care when crossing the platforms. Beyond the lichens is a scenic valley of fishbone ferns, leading to The Walls picnic area and lookout. The lookout has a platform at the edge of the outcrop with a commanding view.

Approaching The Walls

The Walls Lookout

View from the lookout

Young Man Canobolas

The radio masts atop Gaanha bula–Mount Canobolas

Young Man Canobolas

You can drive to the lookout via Towac Way, which also provides the means to get to Federal Falls Camping Area on foot. The Federal Falls Loop is optional and best done if the weather has been wet, otherwise you might find the falls have dried up — as I found out. The hike down to the falls and back again is challenging, as it involves quite a lot of elevation gain on the way back.

Towac Road

Some of the infrastructure looks fairly recent

The creek that feeds the waterfall — at least when it has been raining

If you’re planning to hike the loop track, it’s recommended to walk in a clockwise direction; starting at the southern end, as you’ll be heading downhill on the steeper sections.

Plenty of steps to get down to Federal Falls

A dry Federal Falls

Where Federal Falls should be

Leaving Federal Falls

Climbing back towards the camp ground

Federal Falls Campground

After completing the Federal Falls Loop, my next stop was the summit of Gaanha bula–Mount Canobolas itself. The Snowgum Track provides the link between the campground and the top of the mountain. The track is named for the iconic snowgum trees that dominate this part of the forest — you'll recognise them by their distinctive grey striped bark. The climb is pretty easy and, as you approach the summit, the vegetation thins, revealing some of those views over the Central Tablelands.

The beginning of the Snow Gum Track

Some filtered views through the trees

Snow Gum Track

The Snow Gum Track emerges at the Gaanha bula–Mount Canobolas summit. While the mountains stands at a lofty 1,395 m, trees block most of the views. Where you can see through the gaps, you can see as far as the Blue Mountains and even the Snowy Mountains to the south. There’s a trig station marking the summit, as well as the car park for those arriving by car.

A trig marks the summit of the mountain

The Gaanha bula–Mount Canobolas summit has some new lookout infrastructure including accessible amenities and pathways, cultural interpretation and educational signage that tell the story of the mountains namesake - Gaanha bula.

Several radio masts share the highest point

Much of the summit is surrounded by trees

Central Tablelands

Gaanha bula is the Wiradjuri story about three brothers — connecting Mount Canobolas to Mount Panorama-Wahluu in Bathurst, which was renamed in 2015, and Mount Macquarie near Carcoar, which is being considered for renaming to Galbman Ngiiliya.

The information boards explain the history and cultural significance of the mountain

The story explains that three mountains stand for three brothers: Gaanha bula, the oldest; Wahluu, the middle; and Galbman Ngiiliya, the youngest. As the story goes, Gaanha bula and Wahluu both fell in love with the same girl and held a spear-throwing competition to see who would marry her. After several throws by each brother, Wahluu finally hit the target — but Gaanha bula clubbed him in the back of the head, and he fell to the ground.

This made the spirit ancestors angry, and the ground erupted, spilling lava over Wahluu’s body. Gaanha bula ran home in fear, but the spirit ancestors struck him down, making the ground erupt and spill lava over him too. 

Cultural painting atop Gaahna bula 

According to Wiradjuri Elder Uncle Neil Ingram, the story's moral is to “take care of each other – not to hold a grudge, and have jealousy, rage, and anger in your heart. Never commit murder against another person.” The story serves as a powerful lesson against violence, jealousy, and betrayal.

After exploring the summit for a short while, I decided it was time to return to the car park. As I mentioned earlier, the Spring Glade Track provides the main link to the summit, and I retraced a route down through the trees to the car park. This is an enjoyable hike, largely thanks to the mixture of landscapes and mix of landscapes and panoramic lookouts. Each trail offers something a little different—whether it was geological features, cultural significance, or physical challenge, and combined make for a great day out.