Albany & Porongorups. 28th Jan 2013

Porongorups

 

Happy Birthday Michelle, our darling daughter, this is only the 2^nd time we have missed your birthday, age 19 when you were on a cruise and now 32.

We're able to get out today and we headed off to the Porongorups (The home of the spirit of Bibbulmun tribe), the Bibbulmum goes for a 1,000 kilometres. Porongorups are about 40 klms north of Albany. It describes itself as a mecca for walks of all types, the Granite Skywalk at Castle Rock, tourist drives, rock climbing and superb wine.

 Our first stop is Nancy and Hayward Peak Circuit which incorporates 3 peaks, Hayward and Nancy Peaks and Morgan’s View, a walk of 5.5 klms. Now Trice and I have the good boots, trekking poles and plenty of water, we have no fear. We head up the track to discover a large tree perched on top of a rock, we have no idea how this thing has survived but it has forced its roots down through the fine cracks in the rock and has grown into a magnificent tree in spite of the conditions. The tree is known as "Tree in a Rock", very original hey?

 

We started heading up and it is not until you realise that you are actually climbing 3 mountains as well as descending them that you discover you are not as fit as what you thought. Although it was 5.5 klms the exhilaration of the views and the fact that you were doing it just motivates you to keep going.

 

Trice did really well and kept up a great pace all the way.

 

We had read about the Skywalk and were also expecting to come across it as well as a cafe but the further we went the more we realised that we were in the wrong place.

 We descended into the last valley and enjoyed the solitude of walking through the giant salmon gums back to the car. The shadows of these giants as well as the bush noises are a great relaxation tonic after the walk.

A little further down the road we found the entrance to the much spoken about “Castle Rock Sky Walk”. All of the “Tree Walks” we have come across are very touristy where you drive into a large parking area, just like this one, you will see tourists of various nationalities, just like this one, you pay an entrance fee, not like this one and you walk a few metres onto the walk, again NOT like this one.

 

We found that there was very little information as to where this Sky Walk actually was, we knew it was along the track, but HOW FAR? We had just previously walked 5.5 klms. Besides there are tourists here in thongs, high heels and leather soled shoes all marching towards this track. We had our boots but didn’t take our trekking poles. As we came to the first intersection we found a sign that seemed to suggest a walk of 1 klm but there was a pile of sticks that people appear to have used for walking so I grabbed one for Trice.

 

We started heading up, and up and after about 500 metres Trice was starting to feel it as it was tough. At around the 1.2 klm mark Trice was exhausted and suggested I keep going while she has a rest. I walked and climbed for another 1 klm before I reached the summit, what a climb!

 

In front of me is a giant balancing rock and to the right a boulder with stainless steel stirrups above it so you can climb up through the boulders to reach the long ladder which leads up to the top to the Sky Walk.

 

What a view, the Skywalk is a stainless Steel platform that wraps around the large granite boulders, it was a very physical trip to here and it would have been nice to share with Trice but the views are spectacular. I met some English tourists up on the platform who looked like they were going to collapse, they were covered in sweat, dirt all up their legs and the thongs were just about wrecked. They had done the walk in thongs, are they mad?

 

We had a good chat and a laugh and I headed off to find Trice. I was descending quite quickly when as I came around a corner, here is Trice, just as determined as always forcing her way to the summit. My first words were “My God you are determined aren’t you” she had forced herself up the last kilometre. I turned around and took her the last two metres up to the summit.

 



This Last Boulder Has Got Me Beat

We tried to get her up on top of the boulder to start the climb to the Sky Walk but her knee had given up the ghost and we had to surrender to the mountain, it was a great effort anyway.

 

On the way back down we started to come across some of the tourists we had seen in the car park. We were now half way down when we saw the first group, a young father wearing thongs with his daughter on his shoulders. I said to him that he was only half way and in his asian broken English, HARF VEY! He started to look hysterical, his wife in leather sandals behind him looked worse. We left them and kept going only to come across what looked like to be the grandmother in her best Sunday attire and low healed dress shoes. This place needs better signage.

Back to the car for a big drink of water and recuperation after walking the best part of 10 kilometres today.

 

A bit of a drink might be on the cards for tonight.