Remote Kunderang Brook where the BNT follows the brook from the Macleay River in Oxley Wild Rivers NP.

Medallion presented to those who carried the first mail on the BNT

History

The Bicentennial National Trail was initiated and planned by the Australian Trail Horse Riders Association. The association spent many years planning and negotiating a route that linked up the mustering, brumby tracks, pack horse trails, historic coach roads and stock routes, thus providing an opportunity to legally ride the routes of stockmen and drovers who once travelled these areas.^[1]

The development of this image was left to a committee led by R. M. Williams. Dan Seymour was sponsored by R.M. Williams to find a route along the Great Dividing Range, and to promote enthusiasm for the proposal. Dan volunteered to ride the Trail and set off from Ferntree Gully, Victoria in February 1972 with two saddle horses, a packhorse and ?Bluey? his blue heeler cattle dog. The Australian Trail Horse Riders Association provided Dan with encouragement during this lengthy journey. His amazing twenty-one month ride finished in Cooktown, in September 1973. Dan?s journey, which was regularly reported, created increased interest in the formation of the Trail.

In 1978 the first mail was carried along the route, initially known as the National Horse Trail (later the Bicentennial National Trail), from Cooktown by a group of registered riders. These riders were acknowledged with a commemorative medallion.

The Trail committee proposed that the concept be made a project to celebrate Australia?s Bicentenary in 1988. The suggestion was accepted, and funding of $300,000 was available to research, mark a route and print guidebooks. In November 1988, this had been accomplished and the Bicentennial National Trail was opened.

The office in Toowoomba has now closed and the Bicentennial National Trail is run from a mobile office, currently in Oberon NSW.

Since the opening of the trail people have travelled all or a part of the trail with camels and donkeys as well as with horses and mountain bikes.

The Trail

This Trail links eighteen national parks providing access to some of the wildest, most remote country in the world .^[2] The Bicentennial National Trail is suitable for self-reliant horse riders, walkers and mountain bike riders. Parts of the Jenolan Caves to Kosciuszko section are suitable for horse drawn vehicles.^[3]

A series of 12 separate guide books that each cover a 400 to 500 kilometre section are listed below:

• Cooktown to Gunnawarra
• Gunnawarra to Collinsville
• Collinsville to Kabra
• Kabra to Biggenden, Queensland
• Biggenden to Blackbutt
• Blackbutt to the New South Wales border at Cullendore
• Killarney to Ebor. This is a rugged remote section that passes through Guy Fawkes River National Park.
• Ebor to Barrington Tops, another rugged remote section that passes through Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. After passing Ebor the trail is on the east of Georges River until it crosses the Armidale to Kempsey road. The track is mostly unmarked as it follows the Macleay River past the historic East Kunderang Homestead in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park. Following Kunderang Brook it winds its way to mustering huts at Left Hand Hut, the remote Middle Yards Hut, Youdale?s Hut and to Cedar Creek on the edge of Werrikimbe National Park. This section takes at least 5 days to travel and all food and equipment has to be carried. There are numerous creek and river crossings, with some steep ascents and descents.
• Barrington Tops to Jenolan Caves
• Jenolan Caves to Kosciuszko
• Kosciuszko to Omeo, Victoria the Tom Groggin Track is also part of the BNT
• Omeo to Healesville

Most of the trail route is not open to motorised vehicles or trail bikes and pets and dogs are not permitted.

References

See also

• List of long-distance hiking tracks in Australia

External links

• Australia's Bicentennial National Trail
• BNT
• Bicentennial National Trail