Walitj Meil Walk Trail
Porongurup National Park
Directions - Located 40 mins from Albany in Porongurup National Park, take Chester Pass Road north and follow this for 36km until you reach the turn-off for Porongurup Road. Keep going for another 3km until you see the signs for the Castle Rock Granite Skywalk. The Walitj Meil Walk Trail starts just down the path from the Castle Rock trail, look for the information boards under the sprawling tree.
The Hike - One of the newest walk trails in Western Australia, the Waltij Meil Walk Trail is an interpretive experience located right next to the popular Castle Rock Granite Skywalk. I kept seeing this walk listed when it was first built and I thought it was just a shorter option looping off the Castle Rock Trail, but I was wrong, it's its own thing.
Walitj Meil translates to Eagle Eye in Noongar, and rather than just being a nod to the traditional owners, there are plenty of interpretive signage along the trail to educate walkers about what you'll see, its role in the local environment, its cultural uses, along with some colonial history. Visiting the Porongurups on a warm day in spring, the main reason for my visit was to hike the Castle Rock Granite Skywalk to remind myself of the trail, and to get some updated photos. Finishing that trail, I was eyeing off the information boards for the Walitj Meil, and looking at the trail map, I thought why not. Initially the trail doesn't look like it's going to be any good, as the area just past the trail head is an exposed grassy area. Luckily you hug the edge of the forest, walking past lovely Marri and Karri trees, with the occasional views looking up the forested slopes towards Castle Rock. This first part of the loop is all uphill, although a gentle one, and at the top of the climb you reached the most exposed area of the walk.
If you've brought along a picnic, then there are a couple of tables to sit down and enjoy your feast, if you didn't then you can have a rest and marvel at the views of the Stirling Range through the tree line. Sometimes called the Sleeping Lady because of the shapes seen from the Porongurups, I always enjoy seeing the Stirling Range (which I would be exploring in a few days time). From here, you enter the forest once again for the downhill walk to finish the trail. This to me was the better half of the walk, with the towering Karri Forest providing a more natural setting. The wildflowers through here were more prolific, along with seeing a few granite boulders dotted around the place. The interpretive signage continues and it was fun to stop at each one and learn about all the endemic plants, and how they were used by the Minang People. Finishing the walk, I was glad I had decided to check it out, rather than continue to dismiss it for only being a one kilometre walk through what looked like lesser forest.
Final Thoughts – Porongurup National Park is a place I always love to visit and one that has become quite popular in the last few years thanks to word about the Castle Rock Granite Skywalk getting out.
There is a lot of potential for walk trails in the area, and I enjoy that this is not just a short trail through the forest, but one that serves to educate visitors about the local flora, fauna and culture.
The Walitj Meil Walk Trail, worth tacking onto a visit to hike the Granite Skywalk.
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