Caught in a storm! Scariest climb to date - Stirling Range Ep.76
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- Stirling Ranges
We decided to base ourselves at Kendenup Campground which is on the western side of the Stirling Ranges. This was a real hidden gem with great flat shady sites. A newly refurbished amenities block, drinking water and a large grassy field right next door. We opted to get power which was only $15 a night (bargain!). Ian one of the hosts gave us a map of the area and suggested some local sites to see.
There was two hikes we wanted to do, Bluff Knoll & Mt Toolbrunup. As we had setup and settled into camp all by 1pm, we decided to do Bluff Knoll that afternoon. We drove over, and arrived ready to tackle our mid afternoon hike. It was clear skies when we left the car park but we could see a few clouds off in the distance. We decided since we were here, we’d play it by ear and see if we can make it to the summit.
Bluff Knoll
The hike up was relatively steep in sections, but manageable. Keeping a constant eye on the weather we started to see clusters of grey clouds forming. They were moving in the opposite direction to us, so we kept hiking. After an hour we got approx 9/10 of the way to the summit and made the call to abort the mission. The clouds had changed direction and we could hear thunder and saw a few lighting strikes.
We RAN down the mountain in 30 minutes, fueled by our adrenaline, we made it safely back to the Nav. About 5 minutes after driving off from the carpark, you couldn’t even see the top of Bluff Knoll it was covered by clouds. Headed back to camp, we discussed what a close call that was and a friendly reminder on how quick the weather can change at altitude.
The next day, we awoke to a clear sunny day with no clouds in sight. We ran a few laps around the oval with Rusty, warming up our legs for Mt Toolbrunup. A 4km class 5 hike, with the peak 1052m high above sea level. It was a challenging hike with the first 2/3 loose shoals and the last 1/3 was hiking over steep boulders. It took us 1hr 45mins to reach the summit and we were rewarded with epic 360 degree views of the surrounds.
Definitely recommend this hike if you are physically fit. We are in no means ‘athletes’ but we like doing the occasional challenging hike to test ourselves and work off those extra beers. Plus it's always a good endorphin rush when you successfully make it to the summit.
Well we made it back to camp around lunchtime and put our feet up to relax around camp for the rest of the day. In the morning we packed up and set off to explore the nearby sites Ian had suggested. Right across from the shop in town (there is only one store) is some large chess pieces carved out of wood. Hot tip: ask around on why the chess pieces and how they came to be there.
Gold Mine Battery
A 5 minute drive from here we went and saw the first ever gold mine in WA! Setup in 1875 with a battery, water pump and other machinery. All the machinery was rusting away and it was a shame it's not preserved better, considering its significance. About 50m up from here we saw the original shaft.
Next stop Normans Beach camp & Bremer Bay!
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Kurt is soo funny! Didn’t wanna climb it from the start lol 🤙
Haha was that really obvious 😅
What an exciting experience climbing that mountain! That weather looked mean and angry rolling in quickly as you're STILL AT THE TOP! It's those moments in life that make it worth living! Thank you for sharing guys, absolutely love it, inspirational.
Mountains that is why helicopters were invented! I have never seen poor Kurt phased by to much till this episode, Amyee you were so cool, calm & graceful under pressure. Hats off to the both of you!
Haha good times. Cheers
hahahaha ..harden up guy's , snow up there this weekend , impressed with Amy and her get up and go , you need to hang on to that one Kurt ..😊😊
Hahah to true! Cheers mate
Sparkies and lightning, like sailors and wind - a match made in heaven.
Haha true that. About the same level of being scared of it.
@@Sparkysontheloose nail on the head. Both wonderful and both deadly.
summer breeze & a bit of rain, looked like you were going to leave her behind for a while. ~~~~~~~~ London.
Haha nah I wouldn't do that. Cheers 🤙
Nice one guys Fantastic weather you have over there 🤙😎
Good one AGAIN guys.
Thanks Max 🤙🏼
Good job you turned back when you did. Bluff Knoll can be a very nasty place when the weather turns bad.
Couldn't believe how fast it changed
when i climbed bluff knoll, it was CRAZY! i hung off the edge at the top. it was awesome, but terrifying
Its a great hike!
@@Sparkysontheloose yeah! I absolutely loved it! And the Dwellingup Tree Course is absolutely amazing! Such a challenging course
Those pink flowers were Belladonna lillies guys, often found round old homesteads in the bush as they need very little water and out on a great flowering show in season. You must have been there in late summer? Nasty weather on Bluff Knoll, I have been caught out on St Mary's peak in the Flinders Ranges SA in similar conditions and it is quite scary - glad you turned back early enough! Great video.
Thanks for the info Frank, I'm pretty sure it was a homestead site so your bang on. Yeah around April we are like 6 months behind on our episodes.
They are also known as 'Naked Lady' lillies since the green leaves die off before the flowers come - and they just pop up seemingly from the ground (but quite large bulbs just below the surface
Panic! Ok, calm down guys! Ha ha, close call! Hope little Rusty was ok in the storm!
Haha, Rusty was fine she doesn't mind storms that much.
It's like he's done a mischief at home. And mum's chasing him with a silver spoon.
Dont hurt me mummy!
great vid guys from tassie
Thanks mate 🤙
The car park looked a long long way. Bugger that.
Haha it was a long run/walk/run
Run forest run !
Haha
I am glad the Albany Great Region weather did not let you down. Pitty you did not make the top as you where so close.
Yeah we were spewing about missing it, will have to be more prepared next time.
Lol a wee bit of wind.
Hi Guys. There's a lovely camp spot at Millers Point Reserve, 50Kms West of Bremer Bay. We stayed there last year and couldn't fault it. There's a brand new toilet block, no water or power but pretty cheap.
You'll also have one of the nicest camp hosts you'll ever come across if he's there this year. His name is Frank and a more obliging and friendly host you'll ever come across.
We did day trips out of there and also fuelled up in Bremer Bay, which I might add was the cheapest Diesel price on our 6 month trip around Oz.
Bugger we missed it, as beautiful as it looks I don't think there was much to do that's prob why we skipped it. Bremer bay ep is next 😀
Great vid guy's, climbed Bluff knoll in July but had fantastic weather for it. Paid for it over the next 3 days though, felt like pre season footy training where the couch would run us into the ground. Ohh my legs!!
Looking forward to the next vid of my old holiday stomping ground as a kid.
Was a really good work out for us that's for sure. We had really good weather at Bremer so we really enjoyed it.
Morning Sparkies
Gooooo9ooooood morning! 🤙
Hahaha, this was quality 🤣
12:24 Bobtail
butttt what do you do with the little dog when you enter the national parks?
Check out of travelling with a dog podcast. Plenty of dog sitters out there if needed.
Hi
This is the worst.