Hiking to the summit of Talyuberlup Peak makes for a perfect, compact little microadventure with views that are anything but! Explorer Megan Warner found out, even if things don’t quite go to plan, you’ll be glad you checked it out.

Highlights

  • Amazing biodiversity (great for bird watching and wildflower viewing)
  • Walk right through a mountain
  • Stunning photo opportunities
  • That completely out-of-touch feeling

Talyuberlup Peak

After itching for a sunrise hike for a couple of weeks, this was a microadventure well planned. Well, things don’t always go as planned…

We organised ourselves the night before so all we needed to do was fill up some thermoses and jump in the car ready for the one-hour drive to the Stirling Range National Park. We left home with what we thought was time to drive to the peak and reach the top for a spectacular sunrise… only to find a road covered in fog.

Our one-hour drive became one-and-a-half and I became more and more disappointed every time I checked my watch. The fog got thicker as we made our way inland.

We arrived at the Talyuberlup Peak picnic area and car park as blue hour was coming upon us through the fog. We donned our head torches and backpacks, then headed toward the beginning of the track. That’s where the disappointment ceased.

The track starts in a lovely grove of mallee trees and if you look up the track you can see the peak jutting out of the landscape like a dagger in the night (or dawn as it was). We clambered up the rocky track, as the cool, misty air awoke our lungs. As we reached what we thought was the edge of the summit, we came across a cave that led through the mountain (signs advise to not pause in the cave due to risk of rockfall).

After quickly passing through the mountain, with that feeling of stepping into another world, there is a view to be admired and yet another track to scramble up to reach the true summit.

We reached the top with wet dewy legs and grins as we relaxed with hot cuppas in hand and watched the remainder of the fog rolling over the range.

Not the sunrise I was anticipating, but better.

Interestingly, the Aboriginal name for the Stirling Range is Koi Kyenunu-ruff which means “mist rolling through the mountains”. The mist was believed to be the form of a spirit called Noatch; which means “corpse”.

Safety Note: Be prepared for changing weather conditions. This hike isn’t recommended after heavy rains or during rainfall.

 

Hike To Another World // Talyuberlup Peak - Stirling Range NP (WA), Megan Warner, mist, fog, peak, ridge, clouds

Essential Gear

  • Hiking boots
  • Head torch if attempting a sunrise summit
  • Water and snacks
  • Camera (with tripod for keen photographers)
  • Waterproof jacket
  • Thermos
  • A smile for the first ascent

How To Get There

Talyuberlup Peak is 100km north of Albany, which has heaps of other adventures of its own, or 380km south of Perth.

The car park and picnic area are situated on Stirling Range Drive which can be reached from Chester Pass Road or Albany Highway (via Cranbrook or Kendenup).

Activities

  • Photography
  • Birdwatching
  • Wildflower viewing (there are over 1000 species of wildflower in the Stirling Range)
  • Hiking
  • Picnicking

Skill Level

Intermediate

Distance Covered / Time Taken

2.6km return / 1.5-3 hours (depending on how long you’re mesmerised by the view at the top)