Granite Skywalk, Porongurup Range, Western Australia
We acknowledge the Minang People as the traditional custodians of the land and waters of the Porongurup Range
A fun climb through boulders and gaps to a fantastic final view
The Castle Rock Walk Trail is a terrific little Class 4, 4.6km return hike, ascending to a rocky peak and skirting its base to Karri Lookout and views to the south. When you reach its end, you also have the option of traversing a 65m long Class 5 climb — and it is climbing, albeit assisted with steel handholds and a 7m steel ladder — to the Skywalk, with almost 360 degree vistas. We did both, descending for a breakfast snack on the sheltered Karri Lookout Platform as the Skywalk can be very windy.
Although the walk is a consistent ascent that requires reasonable fitness, with areas of rough and uneven surfaces, elsewhere stone steps make this less demanding than it might otherwise be. You’ll ascend initially through towering karri and marri forest, before reaching scrubbier vegetation, with glimpses of views as you get higher. You’ll wend through increasingly large boulders, before scrambling up to the Skywalk.
If you plan to do the Skywalk, this last climb would be a significant bottleneck and we recommend you start very early to beat the crowds; apparently visitors arriving late sometimes give up while queuing for their turn, because at a certain point there are an equal number of people returning and it is one climber at a time. We were the first to arrive at 8am.
Slower hikers with reasonable fitness can complete both this hike and the Nancy Peak/Devil’s Slide Circuit in a single day — distances aren’t long, but there is plenty of elevation gain and the trails are rough in places, so don’t underestimate them. If you plan to do both routes, start early with the Castle Rock/Granite Skywalk, then drive ten minutes west for the exceptional Nancy Peak and Devil’s Slide Circuit hike. If you think both hikes in one day might be too demanding, combine Castle Rock Trail with the little Walitj Meil Trail, followed by a circuit drive around the Park, and complete Nancy Peak Circuit and Devil’s Slide the next day. If you only have one day, we’d recommend the Nancy Peak Circuit as an excellent full-day hike for leisurely hikers.
Porongurup Locality Plan
Hike elevation and distance details
Porongurup National Park Plan
The path starts easily enough from the carpark, with shallow gradients and steps. The bush is ablaze with yellow Acacia.
Plenty of purple Hovea elliptica
And Bossiae linophylla
You climb through — literally through, here! — some glorious karri eucalypts.
Still an easy gradient with karri and marri, plus a dense understorey of Acacias and Fabaceae
Gradually, the path becomes steeper. It’s one of those somewhat relentless climbs, without any false flats. However, it’s beautifully constructed with perfectly placed steps that will soon blend into the surroundings.
There are often fewer wildflowers in dense understorey vegetation, but in spring, even late spring as now, you’ll see pops of colour everywhere. Here, Scaevola auriculata
Now and then, the path emerges onto rock slabs that you traverse, often with a glimpse of the views to come.
Holly-leaved Mirbelia, M. dilatata
Hibbertia amplexicaulis
At last you approach the top. You’ll pass between boulders gradually increasing in number and size, with extraordinarily well-built steps. We prefer more natural tracks, and have seen too many where poorly constructed steps cause additional erosion, are ugly, or fail but, on highly trafficked routes like this, erosion would otherwise damage not only the track but surrounding bush.
The obligatory balancing rock shot. These form when water enters cracks in the granite, eroding it away over eons until there is more crack than rock.
The track is a delight, wending past these enormous monadnocks.
At last you reach a sign and here you can choose to scramble to the Granite Skywalk, or skirt around the base of the rock to Karri Lookout.
Here is Geoff at the start of the scramble. We thought the first few metres reaching the metal handholds was the most difficult part; we suspect holds have deliberately been omitted from the start as a winnowing strategy: if hikers can’t reach these ones a few metres up, they will probably struggle further on. Conversely, if you can reach these first handholds, and are not daunted by heights, you will be fine the rest of the way.
So much fun!
The ladder is straightforward, no different to any other.
Yes it grants access, but are we the only ones to dislike infrastructure like this in nature?
The Skywalk itself is a stainless steel… well, eyesore, bolted onto a magnificent monadnock, but you have to admit it does indeed grant marvellous views and a unique experience to non-climbers. Although it was initiated and supported by the local community I wonder how the Minang people felt about it, and whether there was any opposition to its construction, which was a logistical nightmare with everything helicoptered in; there is more work being done when we are there, with sections roped off and materials and buckets scattered about. But perhaps I am being curmudgeonly.
Because oh my, the views are indeed marvellous.
The rocky terrain immediately around Castle Rock is steep and impenetrable, protecting it from much of the damage that occurs at other busy tourist sites like this.
Coming back down is always trickier than going up. If in any doubt, face the climb rather than descending as Geoff is doing (easily) here.
We divert to Karri Lookout before retracing our steps back down and there is a marvellous gathering of Pterostylis ‘Southern Granites’ sheltering under a bush.
The Granite Skywalk is worth a visit for its marvellous views and as an impressive feat of engineering, and the walk up to it is lung-busting but delightful. Don’t miss this unique short walk if you visit the Porongurups.
