looking west towards Bathurst & Orange from Mt Horrible

Winburndale Nature Reserve is not too far from Bathurst on the NSW Central Tablelands & was created in August 1967 covering an area of 10,750ha and an altitude range of 800 metres to 1,266 metres near Mount Winburndale.

The change in vegetation reflects the diverse habitats over the altitude and geographical range. There are stands of snow gum at Mt. Horrible while at locations slightly less exposed, snow gum-mountain gum association occurs. At lower altitudes the eucalyptus association can be mountain gum, broad and narrow leaved peppermint and Red Stringybark. On the cooler slopes, red stringybark becomes dominant. On the western slopes, scribbly gum is very common, often in conjunction with a slate strewn ground surface.

The gullies as well as containing several species of tall-growing acacias, harbour a wet sclerophyll vegetation and include such eucalypt species as rough barked manna gum, brown barrel and apple box. At the lowest altitudes red box and yellow box occur. The vulnerable capertee stringybark is found on the midslopes within the Nature Reserve.

The diverse vegetation communities provides a habitat for a number of animals, including eastern grey kangaroo, red-neck wallaby, platypus, wombats, echidnas, quolls, koalas and a variety of bird and reptile species. The Purple Copper Butterfly, one of the rarest species of butterfly in Australia is endemic to NSW and depends upon blackthorn, an understorey plant species, for survival. Both  have been recorded in the past.

Twenty-two Aboriginal sites have been recorded within Winburndale Nature Reserve, made up of ten scarred trees, seven isolated artefact finds, three stone arrangements, one artefact open scatter site and one re-burial.