Canning to Monadnocks

At the halfway point between Canning and Monadnocks, this is a great place to stop and enjoy the beauty of the river but for us it was a quick stop because it was still raining. There are a few cool spots as you walk along the river where you get some nice photos of the forest, river and hills all in one. Again I would love to return on a day with better conditions for photography but on this day we still had 8km to go before reaching Monadnocks and another 7km to reach Sullivan Rock so started heading up the hill. For the rest of the day it's a steady uphill from around 240m ASL all the way to the finish at 450m ASL. The quality of the forest leading up the hill was the best of the day with some very mature trees and a great variety of plants in the undergrowth. The occasional tall Kingia was a taste of what was to come later but it was mainly Jarrah and Marri forest as we climbed up the 4x4 track leading away from the river. The drizzle and the misty conditions were very pleasant to walk through and one of the things I enjoy doing in the forests of WA is to grab a rogue Jarrah or Marri leaf every now and then and crush it in my hand, releasing the beautiful eucalyptus smell. I likened the combination of the smells of the rain, the crushed eucalyptus leaves, the gentle misting on my face and the relaxing tunes coming from the speaker in my hip belt as the Bibbulmun Spa Experience. Add to that the endorphins that come with exercise and it was pretty cool way to spend a rainy Sunday. Aron was a little reluctant to immerse himself in the full experience but could see where I was coming from.

Eventually a sign pointed us off the 4x4 track and on to single track that would be home for the next little section. The difference in the forest started to show almost immediately off the 4x4 track with more tall Kingia Australis plants popping up everywhere. These ancient plants grow really slowly so we figured some had been here much longer than European settlement and had seen a fair bit in their lifetime. One really cool spot that popped up after crossing a few ephemeral streams was a granite outcrop surrounded by the Kingia's. A nice surprise, it was yet another highlight of a pretty cool day on the trail. Heading up the hill again towards the Monadnocks Campsite the forest switched to She-Oak and went through a period of opening up to provide an expanded view to that really creeping looking and typical She-Oak scene of dead needles everywhere. It felt like we were closer to Monadnocks as this section reminded me of the bit between Monadnocks Campsite and Mt Cuthbert. This was a really cool section to walk through so I was thrown a little to reach Randall Rd and find that we would have to walk along a 4x4 track for the rest of the way. 

Passing through some bleaker areas where it was evident some clearing had happened previously, I kept expecting the track to turn off and head to the campsite on single track but this only happened right at the end. It wasn't all bad walking with some nice patches of thick forest but I think the day could be improved a lot if this last 4x4 section was re-routed through the forest on single track. We eventually reached the campsite and unsurprisingly found it empty (it was a rainy Saturday afternoon). Finally stopping for lunch as we had a dry place to sit we decided it was best to walk around Mt Cuthbert and Mt Vincent on the 4x4 track as visibility was going to be poor from the summits and the afternoon was getting quite late. If I didn't have work the next day (and some more food) I would have loved to stay the night and enjoy the campsite but real life was calling. The campsite is a really beautiful place up on the hill and set right in some great forest. There are plenty of tent sites and the Deep South style of shelter provides plenty of room. If you're looking for some great views of the Monadnocks then check out my Six Summit post for directions on how to get to nearby Mt Randall that is accessed from the campsite.