{{short description|Mountain in New South Wales, Australia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{use Australian English|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox mountain | name = Mount Nardi | image = Sunrise over the summit of Mount Nardi from the south.jpg | image_caption = Sunrise over the summit of Mount Nardi from the south | map = Australia New South Wales#Australia | location = Northern Rivers, New South Wales, Australia | label_position = left | coordinates = {{coord|-28.535|153.286944|type:mountain_region:AU-NSW_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | elevation_m = 817 | prominence_m = 236 | range = Nightcap Range, Great Dividing Range | topo = | range_coordinates = {{coord|28|31|S|153|13|E|type:mountain_region:AU-NSW|format=dms|display=inline}} | type = | age = | first_ascent = | easiest_route = | map_size = 300 | image_size = | native_name = | isolation_km = }}
'''Mount Nardi''' is a mountain in the Nightcap Range in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=NSW Place and Road Naming Proposals System|url=https://proposals.gnb.nsw.gov.au/public/geonames/e69c1bed-85a6-41b5-b680-c747f1699858|website=proposals.gnb.nsw.gov.au|access-date=2026-01-30}}</ref> The peak of Mount Nardi has an elevation of {{convert|817|m}} above sea level,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mount Nardi|url=https://peakvisor.com/peak/mount-nardi.html|website=PeakVisor|access-date=2026-01-30|language=en|last=PeakVisor}}</ref> approximately {{convert|8.6|km}} northeast of {{NSWcity|Nimbin}}.
==Geology==
The mountain forms part of the Nightcap Range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range. This range forms the southern rim of the Mount Warning (Tweed) shield volcano. The range was formed over 23 million years ago as a result of successive lava flows, and today it consists of 3 rock types: Lismore Basalt, Nimbin Rhyolite and Blue Knob Basalt.<ref name="visit"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=National Parks of the Tweed Volcano Region |url=https://www.bigvolcano.com.au/natural/natparks.htm#Nightcap |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202053432/http://www.bigvolcano.com.au/natural/natparks.htm#Nightcap |archive-date=2020-02-02 |access-date=2026-01-30 |website=Big Volcano Visitor Guide}}</ref>
==History==
Mount Nardi sits within the traditional lands of the indigenous peoples of the Bundjalung Nation. Traditionally the Bundjalung (particularly those that spoke the Widgjabal language) traversed it via walking trails, and maintained a few grassed clearings for camping and hunting within the rainforest. Europeans first settled in the Nightcap region for logging purposes in the 1842, due to an abundance of red cedar.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Evans Head|url=http://woodburnevansheadrsl.com.au/history.htm|website=woodburnevansheadrsl.com.au|access-date=2026-01-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091024121116/http://woodburnevansheadrsl.com.au/history.htm|archive-date=2009-10-24}}</ref>
The area around Mount Nardi was a part of a region called the Big Scrub, a large area of lowland subtropical rainforest, which was intensively cleared for agricultural purposes during the 19th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite Q|Q134447161}}</ref> The historic Nightcap Track has its roots in a path used by postal workers to travel between Lismore and Murwillumbah.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/north-coast/lismore-area/lismore/attractions/historic-nightcap-walking-track |title=Visit NSW: Historic Nightcap Walking Track |access-date=2026-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216072552/https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/north-coast/lismore-area/lismore/attractions/historic-nightcap-walking-track |archive-date=2019-12-16 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Before the 1950s, the mountain was considered a portion of nearby Mount Matheson. After the two peaks were designated separate mountains, Mt Nardi was named for Terania Shire Councillor Angelo Nardi who served from 1956 to 1961.<ref>Richmond-Tweed Regional Library (1984). Place Names of the Tweed, Brunswick and Upper Richmond Regions.</ref>
In 1962, a communications tower, RTN-8 (now NRN-8), was constructed on the summit of Mount Nardi for analogue television (now broadcasts Triple Z FM radio<ref>{{Cite web|title=ZZZ FM|url=https://zzzfm.com.au/|website=zzzfm.com.au|access-date=2026-01-31|language=en}}</ref> following the discontinuation of analogue TV in 2012,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Analog signals switched off in NSW north - 9News|url=https://www.9news.com.au/national/analog-signals-switched-off-in-nsw-north/a6384b44-1f77-4a85-872e-63a505a50bf3|website=www.9news.com.au|date=2012-11-27|access-date=2026-01-31|language=en|first=|last=|last2=}}</ref> as well as providing NBN wireless internet). A bitumen road, Newton Drive, was also constructed in 1962 between Nimbin and the summit of Mt Nardi to serve as an access road for the tower.
This was followed by the construction of 2 more masts; The ABRN-6 tower in 1964, which today provides digital TV and ABC North Coast radio for the Tweed and Gold Coast regions of New South Wales and Queensland respectively,<ref name=abrn>{{cite web|url=https://ozdigitaltv.com/transmitters/NSW/5-Mt-Nardi|title=Mt Nardi Digital TV Broadcast Site|work=ozdigitaltv.com|access-date=30 January 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804045148/https://ozdigitaltv.com/transmitters/NSW/5-Mt-Nardi|archive-date=4 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and Telstra-1, constructed in 1975 by newly-founded Australian telecommunications company Telecom, (now Telstra). The original Telstra-1 tower was demolished and replaced by a new tower, Telstra-2, in the early 2010s, which provides mobile phone coverage, including 4G and 5G from internet provider Telstra, to the Lismore and Byron Bay area. Rival provider Vodafone uses transmitters on the neighbouring ABRN-6 tower, and Optus operates its own site in Tuntable Falls, near Nimbin. The enitre Mt Nardi site is operated by BAI Communications.
thumb|The three transmission towers on Mount Nardi (L to R: NRN-8, Telstra-2, ABRN-6)
The ABRN-6 tower, built in 1964 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.coxhill.com/trlhistory/media/Telecommmunication%20Journal%20of%20Australia/The%20Telecommunication%20Journal%20of%20Australia%20Vol%2015%20No.%201%20FEBRUARY%201965.pdf|title=A.B.R.N 6|date=1 February 1965|access-date=31 January 2026|website=The Telecommunication Journal of Australia|page=10}}</ref> initially broadcast on the Brisbane network, but switched to the Sydney network in December 1967. The ABRN-6 tower began broadcasting digital channels in the early 2000s. Digital channels available from the ABRN-6 tower include ABC, Channel 7, Channel 9 and Channel 10.<ref name="abrn"/>
thumb|Bushfire at Mount Nardi, 8 November 2019
The mountain was devastated by bushfires in early November 2019, part of the catastrophic Black Summer fires, which destroyed the habitats of many native plant species.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gondwanarainforesttrust.org/bushfire_recovery_helped_by_rainforest_rangers|title=Bushfire Recovery|access-date=30 January 2026|website=Gondwana Rainforest Trust}}</ref>
==Facilities==
Mt Nardi has a small picnic area with scenic views of the surrounding Nightcap National Park and Whian Whian State Conservation Area, with amenities including barbeques, toilets, picnic tables with shelters and information signs. Many walking trails begin at the summit, such as the Mt Matheson Loop and Pholi's walk, both part of the Nightcap Track.<ref name=visit>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/-/media/visitor/files/pdf/brochures/nightcap_whian-whian-visitor-guide-pdf.pdf|title=Visitor Guide - Nightcap National Park|website=National Parks NSW}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
== See also == {{stack|{{portal|New South Wales|Mountains}}}} * {{section link|List of mountains in Australia|New South Wales}} * Nightcap National Park
Category:Mountains of New South Wales