Profile for Vonsnrub - Aussie Bushwalking

This Year

Number of Walks Ticked

87.6km

Total Distance Ticked

All Time

160

Number of Walks Ticked

1,398.5km

Total Distance Ticked

Ticks

Name	Date	Difficulty	Distance/Duration
Pigeonhouse Mountain (Morton National Park)	16 Mar, 2023	Medium	5.6km return 3 hrs
Was easier than I expected it to be, only took me around an hour up and an hour down. If I had to compare it to one I've done before I would probably say Mt Warning. The drive in is fine for 2wd cars - however if you have a low car I probably wouldn't be driving like a racing car driver as there are quite a few pot holes. The track is very well marked, would be hard to lose it (unlike the track up the Castle). The ladder/stair section is pretty cool - always hoped they would do something similar on Mt Lindesay in SEQ.
Mt Gingera (Namadgi National Park)	2 Mar, 2023	Hard	20km return 8 hrs
Really liked this walk, was a lot easier to get to than Bimberi was. Loved the steep ascent at the beginning - similar to Mt Barney or Walsh's Pyramid gradient - no scrambling sections though. The track is very easy to follow, could have easily have done it without a GPS. Took us around 3hrs up and 3hrs down but we didn't really stop for a proper break until we made it to the top. Saw a couple of wallabies and one red belly black snake.
Jabal Umm ad Dami (Jordan)	7 Feb, 2023	Hard	2.8km return 4 hrs
The views on this mountain are unbelievable, some of the best I've ever seen. The company in the link description was fantastic, organised everything for us. Our guide also took us to a bunch of other landmarks on the way, cooked us lunch, brought us to great vantage points for the sunset. We then spent the night in a little guest campsite which was warm and comfortable. The scrambling is pretty straight forward with no exposure. Highly recommend if you are in the area, great place to get an eagle eye view over the desert of Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Mt Catherine (Egypt)	5 Feb, 2023	Hard	19km return 9 hrs
This was quite a bit more challenging than Mt Sinai - which we had completed the day before. Like Mt Sinai you are legally required to have a local guide accompany you to the summit. Our guide from Sheikh Mousa camp was fantastic! He even gave us a bit of commentary along the way showing us ancient ruins, and local water sources. We also had a dog co-guide who started following us as we departed the village early in the morning. I figured he would give up after around 10 minutes but to my surprise he came all the way to the summit, and all the way back down! Upon reaching the final zigzag section our guide allowed us to make the final push to the summit on our own while he remained and prepared our lunch. The view from the top is incredible, it's a landscape I have never encountered before, so much more barren than the view from any Australian desert mountain. I would probably only recommend this to peak baggers and experienced hikers, anyone else would probably prefer Mt Sinai. Mt Catherine is far quieter, we didn't see any other tourists in stark contrast to the hundreds of people who do Mt Sinai daily. It was very cold, we passed a waterfall frozen solid on our climb to the summit. If you go in summer prepare for intense heat, and the polar opposite in winter. Overall a great day out and a very worthwhile adventure.
Mt Sinai (Egypt)	4 Feb, 2023	Medium	11km return 4 hrs
We originally intended to walk up for the sunset, but we made good time and decided not to wait 2 hours at the summit for the sun to descend. Took us 2 hours up and we were definitely taking our time. The views are exceptional the entire way but get better the higher up you get. At the top we were greeted by a cat named Mohammad who I think we took more photos of than the view. There is also the cave Moses supposedly waited in to receive the commandments you can go and check out. It is quite a busy little mountain that attracts a lot more pilgrem-ey people than it does mountain fanatics, so there very well may be some delays getting up and down waiting behind people. Quite cool to hike up a mountain so culturally significant, would recommend it if you are ever in the Sinai peninsular. We did Mt Catherine the following day - both organised through the company in the description which I can't recommend enough!
Mt Banks (Blue Mountains National Park)	25 Jan, 2023	Medium	12.2km return 4 hrs
Nice easy stroll with only a very moderate ascent to the top of Mt Banks. There you will be greeted with some pretty average obstructed views - however still better than the view from the summit of Mt Hay. Overall this walk is quite similar to Mt Hay but possibly a little less scenic. That being said there are still some amazing views along the way!
Mt View - Pokolbin Lookout (New South Wales)	10 Jan, 2023	Medium	17km return 4 hrs
Nice easy walk. The only difficult part is knowing when to turn off the main track to get to the lookout as there are a few roads that shoot off to the right. If you get to the telephone towers you've gone too far. Really nice outlook! Can see the whole Hunter Valley from up there.
The Castle (Morton National Park)	28 Dec, 2022	Very Hard	14km return 10 hrs
Fantastic walk! Has been on my bucket list for quite some time but haven't been able to get a good weather window. Distance wise it isn't a very long walk but the scrambling sections are fairly time consuming. I would rate the scrambling as fairly comparable to Mt Beerwah and Mt Tibrogargan - probably less handholds but there are ropes which at the time of posting seemed fairly good. The day we did it, it would have been mid 30s and we went through a lot of water, so definitely recommend stocking up. Encountered a few people ascending and descending but we were the only ones doing it in a day return. I would absolutely do this walk again!!
Mt Jellore (Blue Mountains National Park)	8 Dec, 2022	Medium	10.3km return 4 hrs
Made the most of the good weather to go and check out Mt Jellore. Overall fairly easy hike. I felt the sections with rope were a bit unnecessary, but I suppose when it's wet they would come in handy. Saw a friendly echidna on the way up, fortunately no snakes...for once. View was a bit average, there isn't really any great vantage point, but was nice to get out and about.
Mount Sonder (West MacDonnell National Park)	12 Oct, 2022	Hard	14.1km return 4 hrs
Nice easy to follow track the entire way - would have no issue doing it in the dark with a torch. Quite similar to Mt Bruce in WA whereby you gain elevation relatively slowly due to the long horizontal component. The main difference between Sonder in Bruce is that Sonder is just a walking track, no climbing or scrambling sections. We elected not to go to the true summit as it was approaching 40 degrees and the route looked a bit dodgy and spinifex-y. And seeing as we were already covered in spinifex scars from our ill-fated attempt at Mt Zeil the day before, we were happy enough to enjoy the 360 views at the slightly lower peak.
Rawnsley Bluff (Flinders Range National Park)	20 Sep, 2022	Hard	13.4km return 4 hrs
Really enjoyable walk with some breathtaking views at the summit. The track is very well marked and signposted with an enormous cairn marking the end of the walk. I found the ascent fairly similar to the top half of Mt Maroon. While we were standing at the top we saw a huge plume of sand moving in from the desert so we started hightailing it to the carpark. As we descended we discovered it was a huge storm kicking up all the sand and we made it to the car just before it unleashed upon us.
St Marys Peak (Flinders Range National Park)	19 Sep, 2022	Hard	14.6km return 6 hrs
What a great adventure this was! Really nice well marked walk all the way to the summit. I would rate it as being about as difficult as Flinders Peak. The view from the top is really worthwhile, we were fortunate that the Wilpena Pound was so green and alive while we were there which was perfectly contrasted by the surrounding desert. South Australian National Parks strongly discourage doing the walk in summer so going between April and October is probably your best bet for reasonable temperatures.
Mt Ohlssen Bagge (Flinders Range National Park)	19 Sep, 2022	Hard	5.6km return 3 hrs
We went up just prior to the sunset and we certainly weren't disappointed. It's a fairly steep track but nothing too challenging. We encountered a few people on our way to the top but had the sunset all to ourselves. Felt pretty comfortable descending in the dark as the track is very well marked.
Mt Mitchell via the Wodi Wodi Track (New South Wales)	23 Aug, 2022	Medium	4.3km return 90 mins
Really enjoyable hike with some fantastic views. Can be quite popular on weekends but so far I have had the summit all to myself every time I have hiked it during the week. Would be an excellent place to watch the sunrise!
Mt Machar Summit (Glen Rock Regional Park)	20 Aug, 2022	Hard	11.4km return 5 hrs
Was pleasantly surprised by this walk. Unlike the neighboring Mt Philp there is a pretty decent track the entire way. The razorback is steep and challenging with some nice climbing sections but nothing death defying. The views are great, definitely a rewarding experience. Up the razorback I don't think it really makes much difference which side of the fence you stay on as you can switch between them when it's convenient to do so. The walk back down was pretty cruisy, just a gentle descent down the firetrail you intersect at the top of the razorback.
Mt Wondabyne (New South Wales)	28 May, 2022	Medium	7.7km return 2 hrs
Nice easy walk with a fun little scrambling section. Was well worth the stop on my way to Newcastle. View was a lot better than I expected given how small the "mountain" is. Kind of comparable to Spring Mountain in QLD.
Perdekop Mountain (South Africa)	12 May, 2022	Hard	13.4km return 6 hrs
This was totally worth the drive! The scenery along the way is absolutely spectacular, if there was any region of South Africa I would go back to visit again this would be it! The walk up was very gradual with lots of fantastic views along the way. Was unfortunately a bit overcast the day we did it but we still thoroughly enjoyed it. The ranger at the start of the walk said whilst Leopards are in the area they are very shy and rarely seen during the day. The walk reminded me a bit of the Kozy/Townsend Loop - although the views here are quite a bit better. Doing the loop in the opposite direction would be an awesome challenge, one that my sister was not up for so we stuck to the more popular clockwise circuit.
Lion's Head Mountain (South Africa)	11 May, 2022	Hard	4.3km return 3 hrs
We decided to climb it for the sunrise so left our hotel in the dark. Turns out a lot of other hikers had the same idea, saw a heap of people during our walk. It is a pretty gentle incline until you reach the start of the scrambling section. To give some context this is nowhere near as hard as Tibrogargan, the ladders and stakes in the rock ensure you have plenty of hand and foot holds. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the sunrise as the famous Table Mountain tablecloth of cloud swept over us just prior to the sun rising. Still a great experience with some nice views on the way back down.
Devils Peak (South Africa)	10 May, 2022	Hard	5.6km return 4 hrs
Cape Town is an amazing place to go hiking! Whilst Table Mountain is the most famous, Devils Peak right next door is definitely worth checking out. Unlike Table Mountain there is no cable car to the top so when you make it to the summit you feel like you have accomplished something. The walk was very well marked and we saw quite a few hikers out and about exploring while we were there. I would say it is similar in difficulty to Flinders Peak - possibly a bit easier. I would go as far as to say it's better than Table Mountain because you have the full 360 degree panorama.
Mt Bogong via Staircase Spur Track (Alpine National Park)	25 Apr, 2022	Very Hard	16km return 6 hrs
After everything I have heard about this hike I was surprised to find it had quite a gradual ascent. I mean yes it is like 3 and a bit hours of continuous uphill, but it is nicely graded and very easy to follow. I would say the gradient is similar to the ascent up Flinders Peak (except there is no scrambling on Bogong). The first 7/8s is in forest and the last 1/8 is open alpine terrain where you get your first glimpse at the amazing views. In my opinion Mt Barney (QLD) is harder than Mt Bogong so if you can do that you can do this. Saw a friendly Tiger Snake on the way back down.