Uncover the History and Beauty of Sundown National Park: A Remote 4WD Adventure

It’s been a few years since I headed into the remote Sundown National Park, but with a few days up my sleeve, the idea of some isolated camping and exploring the 4WD was quickly packed, and I was on the road. Sundown is right on the border of NSW and QLD, 3 hours SW of Brisbane and about the same from my place on the north coast of NSW.

Commonly known as the Granite belt that stretches across the northern New England area into Queensland, this massive 200 million year old intrusion area is steeped with stunning granite outcrops, plains and deep valleys. This area is home to some of the most beautiful National Parks in the state, including Sundown, which is a small park of just 11,000 hectares.

Before heading down into Sundown, my last port of call for supplies and fuel was at Stanthorpe just 40km away before heading to the park through the little town of Ballandean. Sundown Road heads west through beautiful boutique wineries that thrive in the conditions on the granite belt, that was created millions of years ago from active underground volcanoes and where hardened molten lava was pushed up to the surface. The ideal climate on the granite belt provides an amazing area to grow grapes, stone fruits and apples, plus it’s recognized nationally for the wineries and variety of fresh produce.

Ballandean was settled in 1840 when explorers and pastoralists travelled the tablelands looking for new areas to open up. Today, Ballandean Station still operates as an active working station after the first lease was taken by Robert Mackenzie over 180 years ago. A granite monument marks the names of early pioneers that settled in the area and the homestead is heritage listed on the Queensland register.

Sundown Road passes through the property for nearly 20kms, until you come to the national park fence-line and gate, which needs to be kept closed at all times. Apart from defining the border between the property and the National Park, the fence line is a deterrent to keep the wild dogs contained and non-destructive into the pastoral areas.

An information shelter provides a stack of info about the park and the best spot to knock some air out of the tyres, as the drive from here to the heart of the park can take up to 3 hours down the rocky and narrow track.

The high concentration of trap-rock is a result of the volcanic activity all those years ago, where sedimentary elements formed and after years of weathering have left rocks that are sharp and uneven.  

Unfortunately, it’s not there any more, but the original Sundown Homestead building was less than a kilometre down the Sundown access track where it had a chequered past from extensive clearing, sheep grazing and in later years mining. A must do as you head down into Sundown is the detour out to Red Range where you can camp for the night and do the 200 m walk to the viewing platform where you can see the massive rock gorge wall and insane ruggered valleys below and when sheep were run through this area the top of the cliffs were cleared right to the edge. My tip is to overnight camp here and stroll down to the viewing point just before sunset and watch the cliff light up - there’s a reason why it's called the Red Range.

Returning back to the Sundown track, it's not hard to miss the huge fence that runs beside the road restricting access down to the old mining ruins that were the Sundown Mine, today there’s unstable mine shafts and the presence of Arsenic and Molybdenum.

Just past the fence is the site of the Beecroft Mine where on my last visit you could walk across the steel bridge and look down the shaft. Today it's all fenced off as the shaft erosion at the top is more dangerous than before. There’s an old rock wall here that was part of a shanty hut with a fireplace, as being nearly 1000m above sea level, the winters here are bloody freezing. Interesting too, that both sides of the track drop away deep into the gullies below making this ridge-line section pretty interesting.

Old diggings can be found throughout the Sundown area, where, from the mid 1880s, mining deposits such as ore, gold, copper and tin were found. Over 100 men were employed here, but unfortunately the mines never produced too much and never paid off financially. But when Sundown station ran sheep through the area, they produced some of the country's finest wool and they also developed the 14 strand wire fence, and on some of the flat open plains, old sheep yards, structures and building stumps can still be seen.

With the dramatic climate in this area, the mountains are covered with slow-growing Cyprus Pine and Eucalyptus. Leaving the Beecroft mine and further down into the valleys, the road gets a lot steeper and rougher, but the views are magnificent where the contrast colours between the blue leaves of Eucalyptus and the green Cyprus needles highlight with different sun rays. Harder tracks offshoot from the main trail, but these are rough and rocky with deep ruts and washouts, great for a little fun on the way back out. My tip for these is that you’ll need to have some good aggressive tyres, be very confident as a driver, as these side tracks can be on the dangerous side.

Further down there are two options for camping, Reedy and Burrows, which are both beside the Severn River. My choice of the two would have to be Burrows, as there are pit toilets and better flatter options to camp. Swimming can be hit or miss depending on the water level, but always nice to have it nearby to watch the wildlife, whether it be birds, wild deer or wallabies.

More than 130 species of birds have been recorded in Sundown, and at night there’s always the chance you’ll hear the playful screams of Possums or the call of Owls. Reedy’s camping area has limited waterside camping options, and is a little more isolated in the next valley.

For the more adventurous, there’s an area for the more experienced 4WDers to enhance their skills and lead you to some amazing waterholes and rock gardens. Signposted and known as the Rats Castle and the Hell Hole, these tracks aren’t for the faint hearted or should be attempted alone. Massive drop offs and over rocks, the loop tracks can make for an interesting drive, normally allow about an hour to do the 5km loop without stops.

After a few nights enjoying the blissful solitude in the heart of Sundown NP, the only way back out is the way you came in, 3 hours back up to the park's entrance. On the western side of Sundown, Broadwater camping area is more suited to off-road vans and adventurers who haven’t got the advantage of heading into the base of the park, and on the northern side there’s Nundubbermere Falls camping. All these areas don’t link together.

Sundown has to be one of my favourite National parks where 4WDing meets history and where the sheer remoteness of the area keeps this place quiet at the best of times. Sometimes these remote areas are closer than what we think.

WHERE IS SUNDOWN

The stunning Sundown NP is just 3 hours or 250km south west of Brisbane. It’s a beautiful yet remote national park with boutique wineries on the eastern side and the NSW border on its outer southern boundary.

 WHAT TO EXPECT

The isolation, sheer ruggedness of the area, mining history and only accessible by 4WD would be the main attraction for Sundown. With one way in and out down a steep rocky 4WD track, Sundown is an amazing area to explore. Mining history and pastoralism was harsh 100 years ago, yet there is a beautiful side to Sundown with stunning views and amazing camping.

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO KNOW

Though Sundown is only a few hours from the coast, it's regarded as a very remote National Park. High clearance 4WD access only along the 20 km drive down into the heart of the park where it's single lane for most of the way and can take up to 3 hours. During winter, the temps drop and it can snow on the higher areas and be bitterly cold in the valleys, yet during summer the temps go towards the high 30’s. Nearby at Stanthorpe there’s plenty of shops and services to stock up at, or to visit many of the local wineries while you're in the area. On the far western side of Sundown, there is camper trailer access to a small section of the park, but there’s no through access to the heart of Sundown. Most info can be found online at https://parks.desi.qld.gov.au/parks/sundown