Rocky Creek Glacial Area

The Rocky Creek Glacial Area is an amazing geological wonder, well worth the visit.  But be warned, there is no ice and you will not find any of the typical glacial landform features, such as steep sided, flat bottomed, U shaped valleys that you might ordinarily expect. These landform features are the result of glaciers which existed during the last one million years, in Pleistocene Epoch.

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The Rocky Creek glaciation is very much older, dating back some 290 million years to the Carboniferous Period. A vast amount of weathering and erosion occurs in over 200 million years, so all the original glacial landscape features have been eroded away and replaced by those typically associated with running water.

How do we know a glacier existed?
The reason the area is known to have been Glacial is due to the creek bed, which contains flood borne gravels which have ground the rock down and left a ‘polished’ surface. If you pick a spot close to the river  you can see many different sizes and types of stones, all cemented together in a matrix of finer gravels, sand and clay. This is referred to as a fluvio-glacial conglomerate.

A simple explanation for how it formed:
As a glacier flows it gathers and carries with it broken rock material which is transported and eventually deposited it at its terminus, that is, the point at which higher temperatures cause the glacier to melt.

More detailed information is available on leaflets available from the Visitor Information Centres Bingara or Narrabri.

A great place to cool off
Aside from the geological interest of the Glacial area, it is also a great picnic spot and an incredible place to go for a swim .  The water is crystal clear and very soothing on a hot summers day.

If you prefer you can just find a comfy spot and let the bubbling waters cascade over you.  You could be forgiven for thinking you were sitting in a spa.

Camping is permitted in this area, but there are no facilities other than toilets.

 


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