One of the things we had wanted to do on this trip was visit and climb Mt Warning. I guess we had seen it once on National Geographic and it looked like an awesome place. Mt Warning is the central Magma chamber of a HUGE volcano that erupted 2o million years ago. It was almost twice the height of the present Mt Warning but after years of eroding it now sits at 1157 meters from sea level (which is the surrounding country). Its lava flows covered 5000 sq kms and as far as 100 kms out to sea. Its caldera is the second largest and best preserved basin in the world, and it forms a huge sheer escarpment of mountains surrounding the central plug of World Heritage Rainforests which have hundreds of species of animals, birds and plants. Mt Warning was named by Captain Cook because he could see it way out from the coast and it warned him of a treacherous coastline. The Aboriginals named it Wollumbin..meaning “Cloud Catcher” because its height means it is often covered in cloud and rain, and it is of spiritual significance for them.
Well, why would we want to go there and climb this awesome feature....I don’t know, must be some sort of masochist part of our character. The topmost central cone of this mountain rises 200 sheer meters and the top can only be reached by climbing with a chain ....1157 meters up in the air! The bottom slopes to the vertical top are a steep climb of 4.4 kms, going through different kinds of Rainforest until the top is fairly rocky and scrubby. The grading is “Strenuous for experienced climbers only”...I am NOT one of those. Anyway, we decided to give it a go, even tho I had stubbed my toe a day earlier and it had swollen up and gone black....
The Camp Park was lovely, set in lovely big rainforest trees, with a little creek running thru it..we were almost the only campers because it is out of season. There were lovely birds, Brush Turkeys and different butterflies.
Well, the day dawned clear (the first fine day without clouds for ages) and we left after a breakfast of egg and bacon for energy...All I can say is it not for the feint hearted! The 4.5 kms going up is a constant climb, getting steeper and rockier as it neared the top. Most of the hike is in forest which is very pleasant, but even so it was sweaty work. After 2 and half hours hiking, we got to the vertical part and then had to scramble up steep rocks with the help of a chain rope which waves around as you cling to it. Fortunately the chain was on the right hand side and I could hold on to it with that hand because my left shoulder was not strong enough to haul me up..I used a walking stick to balance myself! That seemed to go on forever, but at last we got to the top where a lookout platform had views 360 deg and right into Queensland and the coast ..Byron Bay 42 kms as the crow flies. The weather was clear and although there were cloud s on some of the other peaks we could see for miles. The hike down the chains was not pleasant, going down backwards and for me a lot of it on my bottom, and after the 9.8 kms there was not a part of me that did not hurt. I am glad that we did it but won’t repeat that again in a hurry!
The next day we drove the surrounding mountain range called the Border Range which is the edge of the caldera..a huge escarpment surrounding Mt Warning in a Shield shape. The slopes were covered with thick forests of temperate and sub tropical Rainforest, huge trees with vines, palms, ferns, moss and very very beautiful. The views from the lookouts over the valleys and Mt Warning were breathtaking. One of our highlights was seeing a 3 meter Carpet Python lying sunning itself by the side of the road..
Photos:
View from the top of Mt Warning
Warning about Mt Warning!
The climb
Paul looking at the Carpet Python in the forest
View of Mt Warning from the edge of the caldera rim..Border Ranges. That view of the mountain is 15 kms away and it juts out into the sky in a pointed peak..nearly always covered in cloud.
Well, why would we want to go there and climb this awesome feature....I don’t know, must be some sort of masochist part of our character. The topmost central cone of this mountain rises 200 sheer meters and the top can only be reached by climbing with a chain ....1157 meters up in the air! The bottom slopes to the vertical top are a steep climb of 4.4 kms, going through different kinds of Rainforest until the top is fairly rocky and scrubby. The grading is “Strenuous for experienced climbers only”...I am NOT one of those. Anyway, we decided to give it a go, even tho I had stubbed my toe a day earlier and it had swollen up and gone black....
The Camp Park was lovely, set in lovely big rainforest trees, with a little creek running thru it..we were almost the only campers because it is out of season. There were lovely birds, Brush Turkeys and different butterflies.
Well, the day dawned clear (the first fine day without clouds for ages) and we left after a breakfast of egg and bacon for energy...All I can say is it not for the feint hearted! The 4.5 kms going up is a constant climb, getting steeper and rockier as it neared the top. Most of the hike is in forest which is very pleasant, but even so it was sweaty work. After 2 and half hours hiking, we got to the vertical part and then had to scramble up steep rocks with the help of a chain rope which waves around as you cling to it. Fortunately the chain was on the right hand side and I could hold on to it with that hand because my left shoulder was not strong enough to haul me up..I used a walking stick to balance myself! That seemed to go on forever, but at last we got to the top where a lookout platform had views 360 deg and right into Queensland and the coast ..Byron Bay 42 kms as the crow flies. The weather was clear and although there were cloud s on some of the other peaks we could see for miles. The hike down the chains was not pleasant, going down backwards and for me a lot of it on my bottom, and after the 9.8 kms there was not a part of me that did not hurt. I am glad that we did it but won’t repeat that again in a hurry!
The next day we drove the surrounding mountain range called the Border Range which is the edge of the caldera..a huge escarpment surrounding Mt Warning in a Shield shape. The slopes were covered with thick forests of temperate and sub tropical Rainforest, huge trees with vines, palms, ferns, moss and very very beautiful. The views from the lookouts over the valleys and Mt Warning were breathtaking. One of our highlights was seeing a 3 meter Carpet Python lying sunning itself by the side of the road..
Photos:
View from the top of Mt Warning
Warning about Mt Warning!
The climb
Paul looking at the Carpet Python in the forest
View of Mt Warning from the edge of the caldera rim..Border Ranges. That view of the mountain is 15 kms away and it juts out into the sky in a pointed peak..nearly always covered in cloud.
1 comment:
Wow, you two are definitly younger than your years.
Di Langlois
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