bush-brew sunsets & breadknife summits

A weekend ramble by Sarah Josephson (ClimbFit)

Our week away was the kind that leaves you sun-kissed, cheese-filled, and blissfully unsure of what day it is, a slow dance between deep-breath relaxation and “let’s-go-higher” adventure.

Glen Davis – Coorongooba Campground

We rolled into Coorongooba just as the sandstone cliffs started blushing pink. Sam cracked a couple of ice-cold beers, I unwrapped a block of cheddar (the fancy, crumbly kind), and we perched on a fallen log to watch the sunset set the escarpment on fire. By nightfall the city buzz felt a million miles away, replaced by kangaroos quietly grazing around our tent like furry lawn-mowers. No traffic, no screens, just the occasional thump of a roo tail and the Milky Way overhead. Bliss.

Mudgee – Wine, Wood & Magpie Shenanigans

Next stop: Mudgee. Two nights in a wooden cabin straight out of a Hallmark movie, think crackling fire, outdoor claw-foot bath, and enough vineyard views to make a grape blush. We ate ridiculous cheese boards, sampled local shiraz, and discovered that magpies DO NOT appreciate cyclists invading their airspace. (Sam’s new helmet dents can confirm.)

Warrumbungle National Park – Dark Skies & Giant Peaks

By the time we pointed the car northwest to the Warrumbungles, we’d fully switched to rancho-relaxo mode. Crisp mornings, T-shirt afternoons, and skies so clear you could count satellites. This place is a certified Dark Sky Park, which basically means the stars show off even harder.

Highlight reel? The Breadknife & Grand High Tops hike. 14 km of volcanic spires, panoramic ridgelines, and a quad-burn that hurts so good. We wore our Wolf Bear tees (because obviously) and felt equal parts comfy and smug about the recycled cotton.

Tamworth & Scone – Country Two-Step Finish

We wrapped things up with three parts yee-haw, one part “how is this my life?” A country pub in Tamworth had us two-stepping next to locals in boots older than we are. Scone delivered an impromptu indoor rifle-range session (turns out Sam’s a dead-eye) and one final platter of cheese + wine under a lazy late-arvo sun.

What We Learned

• You don’t need plane tickets to feel worlds away, sometimes it’s one short drive and a longer exhale.

• Cheese tastes better if you earn it on a trail first.

• Kangaroo lawn-mowers are the ultimate white-noise machine.

• Magpies have zero chill.

• Doing “nothing” is the secret sauce that makes “doing everything” feel epic.

We packed in a lot and somehow did a lot of glorious nothing. Exactly how a week in the wild should be.

Now it’s your turn: grab your favourite Wolf Bear gear, pick a dot on the map, and get out there. The snacks (and the roos) are waiting.

#RoadTripReady #BuiltForTheWild #WarrumbungleWander #WeekendWarriors #WolfBearCollective