Porongurup National Park

The Porongurups are among the oldest exposed rocks in the world, granite formed more than a thousand million years ago and worn into rounded domes and balancing boulders, rising from farmland to about 670 metres. Karri forest grows on the higher slopes, an outlier of the tall forests further west. The Granite Skywalk at Castle Rock is the park's signature: a walk of around four kilometres return climbs to the summit, where a ladder through a rock crevice leads onto a steel platform cantilevered off the dome with a view over the Stirling Range and to the coast. Other tracks cross the range to Nancy Peak and the Devils Slide.

History

The range is sacred to the Minang and Koreng groups of the Noongar, and its name, Borrongup, means totem. Europeans first saw it from near Albany in 1802, but farming began only around 1859, with vegetables on the southern slopes, the karri and jarrah were logged from the 1880s until leases were withdrawn from 1925, and the national park was gazetted in 1971 with 1,157 hectares, since enlarged to 2,511 (Wikipedia, Porongurup National Park).

What's there

• The Granite Skywalk - a steel platform cantilevered off Castle Rock's summit.
• The balancing boulders - granite domes and perched rocks along the tracks.
• The karri outlier - tall forest on the upper slopes, isolated from the main forests.
• The Stirling view - the neighbouring range seen across the farmland.

When to go

August to November for wildflowers and clear conditions; the range is often cloudy and wet in winter. Summer is hot on the exposed granite. The final ladder to the skywalk is steep and closed in high wind.

Good to know

The skywalk involves a climb, a ladder through a crevice and an exposed platform, which is difficult for anyone with a fear of heights. The last section closes in strong wind. Dieback controls mean staying on tracks.

Nearby

The Stirling Range lies north; Albany and the coast are south.

Key facts