Mt Cabre Bald, Barrington Tops National Park, NSW

The Barrington Tops, in NSW, is renowned as the watershed of 14 different rivers including the once mighty Manning, the Karuah River and the Hunter. These rivers flow out of the Tops like arteries. And between each river valley, runs a long finger of forest-clad ridgeline, spreading from the subalpine heights of the wild plateau to the farm land far below. 

Along one of these ridges, sits a peak called Mt Cabre Bald — one of the most unique, ancient and rare landscapes I have ever visited. The view from the top of the mountain should be enough - it is a vast, 360 degree panorama. The Barrington Tops stands in the north like a Great Wall of forest. I can see east down the Hunter Valley to farmland and dams and the nearby peaks of Mt Royal and Mt Allyn loom either side. But it is not for the view that I am lugging an overnight pack and kilos of water up the steep final pinch to the top. At the grassy summit, Caz and I drop our gear to begin searching for the true treasure. 

Mt Cabre Bald reaches 1017m above sea level. Its summit is an open grassy expanse with its northern and eastern flanks covered in a pure stand of enormous, multi-stemmed grasstrees — their massive, thick trunks are festooned with orchids, lichen and hanging moss. They tower 5-6m high with huge branching crowns, up to ten or more grass heads on each tree spreading to form a thick, shady canopy under which nothing grows. It is, quite simply, beautiful. A grasstree rainforest. Is there such a thing? The forest covers about 12 acres of the mountain top. It is enclosed, mysterious and tangibly ancient. This is the magic of Cabre Bald.

Mt Cabre Bald is a forgotten land. Access is unsignposted. Literature available is confined to one small mention in an out of print book. The NSW National Parks Plan of Management (for Barrington Tops National Park in which Mt Cabre Bald is located) contains this briefest of mentions in 132 pages of strategy and analysis: 

“Conspicuous grassy balds occur on some high mountain peaks in the planning area (e.g. Pieries Peak, Mount Cabre Bald, Mount Carrow). These small areas of natural grassland, dominated by Red Anthered Wallaby Grass (Chionochloa pallida) and Poa species, while structurally distinct are floristically similar to the surrounding forest.”

Online, there is only a handful of images - I could find 10. Nothing else. No descriptions, no stories, no facts. The mountain sits there, remembered by the few who have visited it. Unknown by everyone else. 

At first I didn’t want to write about this place.  It is so grand — it could be my church or pilgrimage place. I was worried that publicity might open it up to destruction from careless visitors traipsing through its hallowed heights. But now my real concern is that if no-one knows about this place, if no-one knows the beauty of what is there, it will be lost — through ignorance or lack of care. How can we hope to save something no-one even knows we have. 

The grasstrees on Cabre Bald are Xanthorrhoea glauca, subsp glauca (collected 29.12.1972 and scientifically identified in 1985). This is a forest where carpet pythons hang lazily from the upper limbs of these weird trees. Flower stalks on the mountain are beyond count at the right season - the air thick with sweet fragrance and the low hum of bees feeding, the swift burr of honeyeater wings as they dart from spear to spear.  It can be dry and sunny on the mountain or, its steep peak can be shrouded in low cloud. Epiphytes feast on moisture in the air. Cold wind whips in from the south and west. I have been to this mountain once, camped overnight, and all these things happened. 

Grasstrees are in the genus Xanthorrhoea, which consists of 66 unique species, all endemic to Australia - i.e. they are only found in Australia. 

The rate of growth of any Xanthorrhoea is slow. This is often generalized to mean they all grow at the rate of about 1-2cm per year. Actually, after the initial establishment phase, the rate of growth varies widely from species to species. While a five-metre-tall member of the fastest-growing Xanthorrhoea may be 200 years old, a member of a more slowly growing species of equal height may have aged to 600 years. The grasstrees on Mt Cabre Bald are up to 6+m tall, multi-stemmed and with trunks 1-1.5m in diameter. Either fast or slow, take a guess at their age? 

And those massive "trunks" of the Xanthorrhoeas are in fact a hollow ring of accumulated leaf bases. Nutrient transport is via aerial roots that run down that hollow centre.

The genus name, Xanthorrhoea, is a reference to its yellow resin (Xanthorrhoea literally means "yellow flow" in Ancient Greek - from xanthos (‘yellow, golden’) and rhœa (‘flowing, flow’)). The resin was used by Australian Aboriginals as a glue to bind stone axe heads and spear heads to wooden shafts and handles. As a resin it is also water-proof, so can be used to patch damaged water containers and water craft.

Grasstrees were also a food source. At the base of grasstree leaves is a starchy, sweet and nutty tasting ‘heart’. Harvesting this heart ultimately kills the tree, so it was only used for important and rare occasions. More commonly, the seeds were collected and ground into a flour to make damper. And, the flower of the Xanthorrhoea was soaked in hot water to produce a sweet drink which could be enjoyed immediately or fermented for  3-5 days in order to produce an alcoholic brew.

Caz and I pick our way across the grassy summit of Mt Cabre Bald, dodging some weedy looking shrubs that are reclaiming the open summit. The first grasstrees are on the south east flank of the mountain, just below the summit. They are impressive. But then, we drop down further. The slope steepens. I push through more scrappy shrubs and emerge into a copse of giant grasstrees. They tower over my head. I cannot count the number of branches. Each crown spreads until it touches the next. I can’t believe the girth of their trunks. I am mesmerised. I lose Caz. We do not find each other again for half an hour; both of us wandering in our own world of enchantment. 

There are so many wilderness experiences and destinations that Caz and I have enjoyed, and there are so many still to discover. Our hit list for future walks is as long as ever. However, Mt Cabre Bald is one place I intend to return to. This is not somewhere to visit only once. I don’t just want to revisit Cabre Bald, I have to. There is something here that needs respecting and paying homage to - a natural heritage (rarely) still intact. A beauty born of antiquity and resilience.

All images and words on this site are copyright of Craig Fardell and Christina Armstrong. It is illegal to sell, copy, or distribute images and text without permission. We thank you for your help in respecting the copyright of our work.

We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands we walk through and pay our respects to Aboriginal Elders past and present. Thank you, for enduring our presence in these special places.