The weather forecast for Easter Sunday was looking far better than it has been , so today was the day . Bluff Knoll was the target . The views while we were driving down the northern side of the park were awesome .
Before much longer we arrived at Bluff Knoll Cafe and turned into the road to Bluff Knoll carpark only to be stopped by a line up of cars in front of us - there was about 6 cars in front of us and the line grew steadily behind us . Unbeknown to us , the carpark at the start of the walk was already full and they were only letting cars go up when cars came down as there's nowhere sled to park there . Apparently the snowfall on Friday had an effect on visitor numbers - people were coming from Perth & all over the place to get a look at the snow ( it had all melted by Friday lunchtime anyway !!
It took about 10 mins and we were in a group of 5 cars that were allowed to go up . Bluff Knoll has a presence that commands your attention - even as we were driving in the 8klms , it was hard not to be looking at it . We parked as directed , the carpark as expected was full - about 40 - 50 cars .
The anticipation was incredible , I looked up and just wondered Why ? and where the hell is the track that you go up to get to the top of that . That's one hell of a cliff face !
And it doesn't get any less ominous as you walk toward it . We were prepared for the cool temperatures expected up top , had plenty of water & lunch , camera & hiking stick . The next photo is from the start of the walk - you go down stairs - the only downhill part for about 2 hours - then along a bitumen path into a valley before the ascent starts .
This is the view from The Eastern Lookout at the carpark , looking back to the west .
We walked for a while , gradually climbing upwards , Lyn decided to only go this far before turning and heading back down to the ute . I continued upwards , the steps got harder , with uneven steps and different heights , you had to make sure where you were putting your feet - falling over here would definitely not be an option .
Stopping to remove my jacket , having a drink and calming the heart rate down was a good option . As it turned out I would be doing that every 5 mins or so - this is a big climb with very little respite from the constant upwards . There were also the obligatory photos to be taken !!
As I was going through one section this Grey Shrike Thrush appeared and just bounced up the track in front of me , allowing a photo before disappearing into the bush beside the track .
This gives you some idea of the track and the steps I'd just climbed .
After about an hour & a half from when I started , I was at this sign - 1.6 klms to the summit - still looks like a lot of mountain above me !!
One of the people coming down stopped & chatted to me for a bit - he said " my heart beat on the way up sounded like someone was coming up behind me , it was beating that hard " I knew exactly what he meant at that moment . I could hear my heart beat above almost everything else that was going on around me !
I had wondered why I was doing this a few times as I walked up the steps , but kept going - the prize was waiting for me at the top of the mountain .
This photo is part of the mountain to the right of Bluff Knoll , the layers in the rock swirl around a bit in places .
On one of the regular stops for photos is this view to the west - there was some haze around the mountains to the west .
And again from further up .
Three quarters of the way up , the walk gets a little easier , levelling out a little - you're still going upwards but at a more gentle rate . The track then leads you away from the front of the mountain and around and up toward the top . I was surprised to find the top of the mountain had been burnt by a bushfire and was in recovery mode - lots of new growth coming up .
In amongst all this burnt area were the odd wildflowers , giving some hope that it's recovering .
Before much longer I was near the summit , this photo shows the access road to the carpark .
There was even some everlasting daisies here & there .
100m to go and I was there , whoa - check out the cast of thousands already here !!! there were more people to the left of the photo as well . And yes , that is the cliff edge just behind them , and it's a bloody long way down . I'm surprised there aren't more selfie deaths due to falling - there were so many people taking selfies while they were standing beside the edge , some trying to get in to different angles , some others doing a jump while being photographed - it does make you wonder !!
This is to the east of Bluff Knoll .
This is looking over the edge ( from a safe distance ) , you can see the carpark and the track up - yes it's a long way up - 650m vertically from the carpark . Bluff Knoll is 1099m asl , the carpark is about 450m asl .
After finding a nicely flat angled rock to sit , then lie on for a bit , I had some lunch , took some more photos and headed down . Someone has been having some fun with the rocks here as well , not the usual rock stacks though .
All this mountain has been at some stage under water , the proof is in the rocks showing where the water has been flowing over it when it was forming millions of years ago - ripple stone .
The walk back down was a lot easier on the heart rate , but harder on the legs and knees !!
It takes all your concentration as you come down , making sure where you're putting your feet so you don't trip & fall - something you wouldn't want to do here . I passed so many people still coming up as I was on my way down , stopping to get their heart beat back in order , puffing & panting , asking how far it was - most unprepared for what was in front of them , some without water or food , others wearing big jackets and warm clothes , no hats etc etc .
A smile crept over my face as I got lower and lower , finally reaching the bitumen track again - even enjoying the uphill stretch to the steps and the carpark . I turned and looked back at the mountain , this time it wasn't one of awe , but one of accomplishment !!
Lyn spoke to one of the rangers and offered to go back down the hill to let someone else come up , they would just have to communicate by their 2 way radios when I got back down so she could drive up and pick me up . So when I figured this out I spoke to one of the rangers and they called Lyn back up to get me . At that stage all I wanted to do was remove my boots and sit down for a while .
We stopped down near the cafe again and had a drink & something to eat before venturing back to the van .
A Scarlet Robin flitted around , plucking insects from midair , before sitting on this stump for a photo .
That's it , what a day !!
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