Day 12 Mt Cooke to Nerang

Jun 2

We acknowledge the Nyoongar People as the traditional custodians of the land and waters along the Bibbulmun Track

Yet another delightful day’s walking. There’s a steady climb up Mt Cooke to begin with but, after that, it’s downhill or undulating/flat until you reach Nerang. Plenty of views again, and granite outcrops (monadnocks), even a cave! An absolute cracker of a day.

low shrub in foreground with dense cover of small white flowers grass trees and granite boulders behind — *A fabulous understorey of spiky* Xanthorrhoea *and* zamias plus brilliant white Leucopogon amongst the granite.

Satellite map of Bibbulmun track route in blue the section from Kalamunda to Dwellingup highlighted yellow todays walk is red — Overview map for today

It’s a 13.4 km day…

zoomed in satellite map for the day with distance and elevation graph 13.2 km with 310 metres climbing — …And once we get over Mt Cooke, which gives us most of the 310 metre elevation gain for the day, it’s pretty much downhill all the way to camp.
Use Bibbulmun Track Foundation Map 1 The Darling Range

Hiker with blue backpack standing on granite slab looking at expansive view over forest — *Views!*

nicely curved single foot track through a mixture of flowering plants rocks grass trees an trees — Every now and then on the track, you come across scenes that are so perfect they resemble an effortlessly landscaped garden.

hiker with green backpack walking along a granite ridge through the forest — We’re following a spine of granite with a few cairns here and there, but route-finding on the track is straightforward.

Hiker with blue backpack and blue jacket sittign on granite rock slab looking at expasive view across valley below and hills in the distance — Time for a rest and a snack with a view.

sign about recent wildfire damage and using prescribed burns to better manage fire risk

The smoke of distant control burns and blackened jarrah trunks are ever-present reminders of fire. Fires are now burning so much hotter and higher that trees which once survived them are no longer doing so.

We’ve been following this spine for a while, winding our way between and around the monadnocks. The track is rough and rocky but not difficult if you take your time. Trekking poles are especially useful on this kind of terrain. They help with trips and knees while going downhill, and reduce the strain on calves when going uphill. I travel uphill significantly faster when using poles than without them.

Hiker with blue backpack on rock slab looking back along mountain ridge there are lareg puffy white clouds in the sky with patches of blue

man with beige hat peeking out form hole in crevice between two large rocks — A hidden cave along the ridge. We have no idea it’s there because we aren’t carrying the guidebooks, but one of our hut companions shows us. Look for the V with the rocks wedged in them. You can just make out Geoff’s head near the entrance.

man sitting inside cave with low roof to low to stand-up in

And then the descent into the flats, with the white fingers of dead gums from the fire. Once again the Bibbulmun illusion of wilderness – we hear cars on the main road, but can’t see them. Glimpses of pine plantation and clear fell, but even all of the jarrah has been selectively logged.

Hiker with blue backpack standing on granite slab with boulder next to him looking at green valley below and mountains in distance

close up of small purply blue flower with five elongated slender petals — *Pheladenia deformis,* or Bluebeard

We’re into the flatter country, on forestry track again.

close up of small pink and white daisy flowers — Pink paper daisies (*Rhodanthe manglesii*)

close up of small light purple flower with four petals — *Boronia sp.*

man siting on log next to track in sun with two backpacks next to him — Time for lunch. If there’s no view to aim for, we simply pick a likely log in a shady or sunny spot, depending on the weather, and park ourselves there!

vast view through gap between boulders of forests all the way to the horizon

close up of small white flower with purple dots in its centre — *Hemiandra pungens*

close up of slender single stemmed orchid with green hood shaped flower — *Pterostylis ectypha*

close up of a T shaped plant that looks lit a hammer it has burgundy coloured flower — *Drakaea gracilis x livida*

It’s very exciting to see a completely new genus of orchids. Look for them in white sandy clearings, or alongside paths. These are the hammer orchids, and they have a fascinating pollination mechanism whereby they emit a pheromone to lure male wasps and trick them into thinking the hammer is a lady worth courting. They mate in the air, so the male grabs the lure and attempts to fly away with her, but the hinge flips him up against the pollinia hidden under the little knob on the LHS of the picture above.