What – Hollow Mountain – Wudjub-guyan
Where – Northern end of Gariwerd Grampians
How long – 2.2km return
10 words – Great walk, climb, rocks and cave. Limited views when foggy
It is Week 26 and we are nearing the hump of our 52 walks and it is time to return to the mountains – our old friend Gariwerd.
Perched to the east of Horsham Gariwerd -or the Grampians- is often taken for granted by locals as just part of the landscape.
Not by me. I never tire of watching its changing moods and colours.
I love how this big mass of rocks sits on such a flat landscape and I hope that my body can sustain me to explore as much of it as possible in the coming years.
Today, however, Gariwerd is lost in a big fog and 360 degree mountain and landscape views are not looking promising.
I am walking with visiting student Emilie and we are climbing Hollow Mountain or Wudjub-guyan – a 2.4km round trip.
It is a well-defined track from the Hollow Mountain car park towards the rock. Don’t turn left down alternate paths, just keep heading straight to the mountain ahead.
We pass quite a few flowering plants but most of our focus is straight ahead – on the shifting mist.
At times the sun breaks through, spotlighting a rock – before disappearing just as fast.
We leave the formed track and follow yellow arrows up a rocky path to the cliff face where we veer right for a bit of scrambling and climbing.
The cloud seems determined to hang around. Distant hills appear and disappear and but we are getting the odd glimpse of blue sky.
The rock wall is pretty amazing. Some parts of the wall is black, as if singed by fire, other parts are rich ochre or muddy yellow.
A bit more climbing and we turn a corner to be struck by a breeze and rapid temperature drop. It has got to be snowing somewhere as we pass a series of rock pools filled with water from recent rain.
One pool resembles a big fat foot.
On a good day the views are amazing and you see how big the drop is over the edge. Today we sense the danger but just can’t see it.
What is obvious is the tree, lichen, mosses and lush patch of grasses that somehow thrive on this blustery peak.
More climbing takes us to the very top. No view but there is a tiny shrub of pink flowers growing in a crevice.
With the promise of fire-cooked bacon and eggs waiting down the road, we begin heading down.
It’s a different perspective descending. We notice how running water has carved mini river beds in the rocks and we climb into the Hollow Mountain cave.
How many people have watched the world from here over the years and what did they make of the eery fog that seems to descend from both directions and hang around the entrance?
At times we get hints of how wonderful the view would be on a clear day but mostly the clouds are just too persistent.
Towards the end of our descent we take time to look at the good mix of plants which seem to be flowering early this year.
It might not have been a clear day but clearly a great adventure no less.
Thanks Emilie, for a lovely walk – hope you enjoyed your first trip to the Grampians.
PS – And just in case you are wondering I have added some images taken on my last birthday when I climbed at dusk – so you can see what the view from the top should look like.
52 weeks 52 walks 