Wildsight

With the recent wet weather in Melbourne last weekend seemed like the perfect time to check out the (relatively) recently reopened Olinda Falls track in Dandenong Ranges National Park, in Wurundjeri Country east of Melbourne, and I was not disappointed!

Al making a cup of tea at our campsite on the Bluff, in Taungurung Country. This isn’t a word I always use when it comes to the rugged pursuit that is multi-day hiking, but this walk really was quite delightful!

Sunrise from our campsite on the summit plateau of the Bluff, on Taungurung Country in north east Victoria.

Al on the summit of The Bluff, on Taungurung Country in north east Victoria. Unlike the nearby Mount Eadley Stoney, which has the classic cuesta shape of a long Lee slope ending in abrupt cliffs (think Gariwerd/the Grampians or Ikara/the Flinders Ranges) the Bluff has a rounded summit plateau that makes for great camping, ringed by massive north and north west facing cliffs - a combination which makes for fantastic walking and camping.

The cliffs of Mount Eadley Stoney at sunset, on Taungurung Country.

The sun breaking through clouds at sunrise from The Bluff, during our recht hike on Taungurung Country. The prominent peak on the right is Mount Clear.

Al taking a break on the summit of Mount Eadley Stoney, on our recent overnight hike to The Bluff in Taungurung Country in the Victorian Alps. It was a great trip with fantastic camping and even more spectacular scenery than we were anticipating, so stay tuned for quite a few more pics in the near future!

Mount Ossa, the highest mountain in Lutruwita/Tasmania, from the nearby summit of Paddy’s Nut on Palawa/Pakani Country. We never managed to get to our original hiking goal of Mount Thetis, but the scenery along the way was more then worth it.

Al admiring the views on the 3-day Grand High Tops trek in Warrumbungle National Park, at the meeting point of the lands of the Wayilwan, Gamilaraay and Wiradjuri peoples.
The trek takes you through some of the most spectacular and unique landscapes in Australia, as the Warrumbungles were formed by the erosion of a massive extinct volcano - both Crater Bluff, which Al is admiring, and the spine of rock he is sitting on are made of cooled lava, which is harder and more resistant to erosion than the surrounding ash which made up the rest of the volcano.
For more information and photos of this classic trek you can check our track notes page at https://wildsight.com.au/warrumbungles

The moon setting over the Bungle Bungles, reflected In a waterhole in the dry bed of Piccaninny Creek, on Gija and Jaru Country.
The classic long distance walk at Purnululu is a 2-3 day trek along the creek to Piccaninny Gorge and back. Most people camp out in the gorge, but we’d spotted this incredible spot in a more open part of the range on the map and satellite photos, so we set up our camp there and did the gorge effectively as a day walk. It made for a very long day but we got out just rewards the next morning at sunrise. It’s quite possibly the best location we’ve ever camped in our 30-odd years of bushwalking