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Park size: 2,511 Ha.
The Porongurup Range lies 40 km north of Albany.
In the national park there are spectacular hills that are very popular for walking and photography. Forget the Grand Canyon and Mount Everest,
this is the oldest range of hills on the planet. Estimates put the rocks here at 1100 million years old. The range is 12km long and reaches 670 metres
high. The age of the range means that it has been mostly eroded away over a vast number of years.
It is thought that the Porongurup Range was formed as the super continent of Gondwana took shape and the the Stirling Range,
just 30 kilometres away, was formed as Gondwana broke up. Today the range is an island in a sea of surrounding flat land but 55 million years ago it
was a real island surrounded by sea that reached inland as far as the Stirling Range.
The first European known to have climbed the range was Captain Wakefield in 1828. Ensign Dale was the next to explore the area in 1832. He wrote:
'On the 22nd we proceeded five miles, preserving a N. by E. course, to a large lake with an island in the centre called Morandee. As Nankina informed us that we
should not find any water till we reached the Kalgan or French River, distant about eleven miles, we stopped here for about two hours. From Morandee we
proceeded over hills of moderate elevation, ascending gradually the eastern side of the Porrongurup Mountains.'
Farming in the area began in 1859 with the first pastoral lease being taken up by John McKail. By the 1880s timber milling of the stands of karri trees had begun
and tourism in the area dates back to the 1920s.
In 1925 1,157 Ha. was vested in the State Gardens Board and this area was gradually increased until the national park was declared in 1971.
750 plant species are known to exist in the range including 71 species of orchid. There are also some 300 species of fungus found here.
Western grey kangaroos and brush wallabies can be seen during the day but most other animal species in this area are nocturnal and are not usually sighted by visitors.
Some of the species that are mostly nocturnal include, bandicoots, bush rats, yellow footed antechinus and possums.
17 species of reptile are known to live in the range as well as some more unusual creatures such as a giant earthworm, a type of trapdoor spider and some
unusual land snails.
The best season to visit the Range is during the wildflower season from early September to November. A new major addition to the park is the amazing
Skywalk built on Castle Rock.
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Attractions in the park include:
Bolganup Heritage Trail 600 m return, 30 minutes, easy.
Castle Rock 3 km return, 2 hours, moderate.
Devil's Slide 4 km return, 2 hours, moderate (slippery rocks in wet conditions).
Hayward Peak 3 km return, 2 hours, moderate.
Marmabup Rock 5 km return, 3 hours, hard.
Nancy Peak and Morgans View 4 km return, 2 hours, moderate.
The Pass 2 km return, 1 hour, easy.
NPW Website for more information
Best time to visit:
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