Profile for Vonsnrub - Aussie Bushwalking

This Year

Number of Walks Ticked

306.3km

Total Distance Ticked

All Time

193

Number of Walks Ticked

1,830.7km

Total Distance Ticked

Ticks

Name	Date	Difficulty	Distance/Duration
The Castle (Morton National Park)	28 Dec, 2022	Very Hard	14km return 10 hrs
Fantastic walk! Has been on my bucket list for quite some time but haven't been able to get a good weather window. Distance wise it isn't a very long walk but the scrambling sections are fairly time consuming. I would rate the scrambling as fairly comparable to Mt Beerwah and Mt Tibrogargan - probably less handholds but there are ropes which at the time of posting seemed fairly good. The day we did it, it would have been mid 30s and we went through a lot of water, so definitely recommend stocking up. Encountered a few people ascending and descending but we were the only ones doing it in a day return. I would absolutely do this walk again!!
Mt Jellore (Blue Mountains National Park)	8 Dec, 2022	Medium	10.3km return 4 hrs
Made the most of the good weather to go and check out Mt Jellore. Overall fairly easy hike. I felt the sections with rope were a bit unnecessary, but I suppose when it's wet they would come in handy. Saw a friendly echidna on the way up, fortunately no snakes...for once. View was a bit average, there isn't really any great vantage point, but was nice to get out and about.
Mount Sonder (West MacDonnell National Park)	12 Oct, 2022	Hard	14.1km return 4 hrs
Nice easy to follow track the entire way - would have no issue doing it in the dark with a torch. Quite similar to Mt Bruce in WA whereby you gain elevation relatively slowly due to the long horizontal component. The main difference between Sonder in Bruce is that Sonder is just a walking track, no climbing or scrambling sections. We elected not to go to the true summit as it was approaching 40 degrees and the route looked a bit dodgy and spinifex-y. And seeing as we were already covered in spinifex scars from our ill-fated attempt at Mt Zeil the day before, we were happy enough to enjoy the 360 views at the slightly lower peak.
Rawnsley Bluff (Flinders Range National Park)	20 Sep, 2022	Hard	13.4km return 4 hrs
Really enjoyable walk with some breathtaking views at the summit. The track is very well marked and signposted with an enormous cairn marking the end of the walk. I found the ascent fairly similar to the top half of Mt Maroon. While we were standing at the top we saw a huge plume of sand moving in from the desert so we started hightailing it to the carpark. As we descended we discovered it was a huge storm kicking up all the sand and we made it to the car just before it unleashed upon us.
St Marys Peak (Flinders Range National Park)	19 Sep, 2022	Hard	14.6km return 6 hrs
What a great adventure this was! Really nice well marked walk all the way to the summit. I would rate it as being about as difficult as Flinders Peak. The view from the top is really worthwhile, we were fortunate that the Wilpena Pound was so green and alive while we were there which was perfectly contrasted by the surrounding desert. South Australian National Parks strongly discourage doing the walk in summer so going between April and October is probably your best bet for reasonable temperatures.
Mt Ohlssen Bagge (Flinders Range National Park)	19 Sep, 2022	Hard	5.6km return 4 hrs
We went up just prior to the sunset and we certainly weren't disappointed. It's a fairly steep track but nothing too challenging. We encountered a few people on our way to the top but had the sunset all to ourselves. Felt pretty comfortable descending in the dark as the track is very well marked.
Mt Mitchell via the Wodi Wodi Track (New South Wales)	23 Aug, 2022	Medium	4.3km return 90 mins
Really enjoyable hike with some fantastic views. Can be quite popular on weekends but so far I have had the summit all to myself every time I have hiked it during the week. Would be an excellent place to watch the sunrise!
Mt Machar Summit (Glen Rock Regional Park)	20 Aug, 2022	Hard	11.4km return 5 hrs
Was pleasantly surprised by this walk. Unlike the neighboring Mt Philp there is a pretty decent track the entire way. The razorback is steep and challenging with some nice climbing sections but nothing death defying. The views are great, definitely a rewarding experience. Up the razorback I don't think it really makes much difference which side of the fence you stay on as you can switch between them when it's convenient to do so. The walk back down was pretty cruisy, just a gentle descent down the firetrail you intersect at the top of the razorback.
Mt Wondabyne (New South Wales)	28 May, 2022	Medium	7.7km return 2 hrs
Nice easy walk with a fun little scrambling section. Was well worth the stop on my way to Newcastle. View was a lot better than I expected given how small the "mountain" is. Kind of comparable to Spring Mountain in QLD.
Perdekop Mountain (South Africa)	12 May, 2022	Hard	13.4km return 6 hrs
This was totally worth the drive! The scenery along the way is absolutely spectacular, if there was any region of South Africa I would go back to visit again this would be it! The walk up was very gradual with lots of fantastic views along the way. Was unfortunately a bit overcast the day we did it but we still thoroughly enjoyed it. The ranger at the start of the walk said whilst Leopards are in the area they are very shy and rarely seen during the day. The walk reminded me a bit of the Kozy/Townsend Loop - although the views here are quite a bit better. Doing the loop in the opposite direction would be an awesome challenge, one that my sister was not up for so we stuck to the more popular clockwise circuit.
Lion's Head Mountain (South Africa)	11 May, 2022	Hard	4.3km return 3 hrs
We decided to climb it for the sunrise so left our hotel in the dark. Turns out a lot of other hikers had the same idea, saw a heap of people during our walk. It is a pretty gentle incline until you reach the start of the scrambling section. To give some context this is nowhere near as hard as Tibrogargan, the ladders and stakes in the rock ensure you have plenty of hand and foot holds. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the sunrise as the famous Table Mountain tablecloth of cloud swept over us just prior to the sun rising. Still a great experience with some nice views on the way back down.
Devils Peak (South Africa)	10 May, 2022	Hard	5.6km return 4 hrs
Cape Town is an amazing place to go hiking! Whilst Table Mountain is the most famous, Devils Peak right next door is definitely worth checking out. Unlike Table Mountain there is no cable car to the top so when you make it to the summit you feel like you have accomplished something. The walk was very well marked and we saw quite a few hikers out and about exploring while we were there. I would say it is similar in difficulty to Flinders Peak - possibly a bit easier. I would go as far as to say it's better than Table Mountain because you have the full 360 degree panorama.
Mt Bogong via Staircase Spur Track (Alpine National Park)	25 Apr, 2022	Very Hard	16km return 6 hrs
After everything I have heard about this hike I was surprised to find it had quite a gradual ascent. I mean yes it is like 3 and a bit hours of continuous uphill, but it is nicely graded and very easy to follow. I would say the gradient is similar to the ascent up Flinders Peak (except there is no scrambling on Bogong). The first 7/8s is in forest and the last 1/8 is open alpine terrain where you get your first glimpse at the amazing views. In my opinion Mt Barney (QLD) is harder than Mt Bogong so if you can do that you can do this. Saw a friendly Tiger Snake on the way back down.
Kosciuszko Summit (Kosciuszko National Park)	16 Mar, 2022	Medium	13km 5 hrs
Walked from Charlottes Pass to the summit via Seamans Hut. Really scenic walk that is so gradual you barely realise you are ascending. The path is really well maintained and there are frequent markers letting you know how far along you are. When you get to the summit you look around and wouldn't know you are at the highest point in Australia considering all the neighboring peaks look exactly the same elevation. Even at a casual pace it only takes a couple of hours or so to make your way to the summit from the carpark and takes pretty much the exact same amount of time to make the return journey.
Mt Townsend (Kosciuszko National Park)	16 Mar, 2022	Hard	22km return 8 hrs
So glad we decided to do this in addition to Kozy. The track that led to the summit from the Main Range Trail was surprisingly quite well marked, even during the rock hopping segments. Only tricky part was identifying the start of it because there is no sign besides the pile of rocks. The boulder hopping part at the top reminded me a bit of Cradle Mountain - although Townsend had a lot less of it than Cradle Mountain did. I preferred the climb to Townsend over Kozy, more private, better view, and more fun! Long day getting out there and back from Charlottes Pass. We were hoping to do the entire circuit but unfortunately parts of it were closed so we had to do an out and back.
Mount Tennent (Namadgi National Park)	14 Mar, 2022	Medium	14.7km return 4 hrs
If I had to compare it to another mountain I'd say it was like a less intense version of Walsh's Pyramid. Took close to 2hrs to climb and saw a record 3 snakes (2 of them brown snakes) along the way. The view from the top was fantastic and made the walk worthwhile. Quite a popular walk (I went on a public holiday), I probably saw around 30 other people hiking it. There is a really well marked track the entire way, I couldn't imagine anyone having any difficulty following it.
Mt Kembla (New South Wales)	15 Feb, 2022	Medium	10km return 4 hrs
Great walk, with some fantastic views over Wollongong! Glad I started from the bottom and not half way up. Didn't see all that many people so had the track to myself for the most part. Very easy to follow trail, don't need a GPS or a map. I would say overall it is very similar to Mt Edwards in QLD. Saw a friendly red belly black snake on my descent.
Lockleys Pylon (Blue Mountains National Park)	9 Feb, 2022	Medium	7km return 2 hrs
Really enjoyable walk, so glad I decided to stop in on my way back from Mt Hay! The views are absolutely spectacular! Once you get to the top go a bit further and there is a nice rocky outcrop with a view of a waterfall that is well worth the extra effort. The walk is quite relaxed, just about anyone could do this.
Mt Hay + Butterbox Point (Blue Mountains National Park)	9 Feb, 2022	Medium	5.1km return 3 hrs
The views on this walk were unreal, definitely worth the long dirt road drive to get here. The road was a lot rougher than I expected. Saw some people get bogged attempting to get here so would really only recommend going after a period of dry weather. I am impatient so I ignored that advice and just thrashed my Forester to the carpark. The walk out to Butterbox point was quite clear and easy, Mt Hay was a bit tougher but nothing a reasonably experienced person would have any trouble with. Saw a big long Python sitting on the side of the track when I was walking, stood with him a while so he got comfortable with me then squeezed past him to get to the summit. The summit is a pile of rocks with nothing else of any interest. Then returned to the carpark via the Python who was now stretch out across the track at head height. Really nice day out, would recommend!!
Careys Peak via the Corker Track (Barrington Tops National Park)	29 Jan, 2022	Hard	20km return 5 hrs
Well people are correct in saying the first few kms are definitely the most soul destroying part of this walk. In saying that it isn't constant steep uphill, there are brief sections where it flattens out and you can catch your breath. After you reach the first little lookout where you can see Careys Peak in the distance for the first time, it does begin to get quite a bit easier. The whole walk is very well marked and signed, pretty surprised we saw so few people doing it on a Saturday when the nearby waterfall was jam packed with people. Overall I would say it was actually quite a bit easier than I was expecting, it was steep but not diabolically steep. The view at the top was fantastic, would do it again if I'm ever in the area!