Waymbuurr (Mt Cook) Walk, Waymbuurr / Mt Cook National Park - May 2022

The second (middle) lookout was the pick of the views I think.

Sam and I got as high up as Cooktown during our 2022 road trip before flooded roads forced us to head south again. It had been at least twenty years since we had last visited this historic town and we really enjoyed our time up here on this trip. The last time we'd visited we'd just passed through really, a quick stop at the bakery (which looks like it has burnt down) and then a drive up to Grassy Hill Lookout before heading off north towards Cape York. On this visit we had a couple of days in town so I had a bit of a chance to do a little walking and check things out a bit more.

Setting off and I can already see the summit... how hard could it be?

The first part of the walk featured some nice rock slabs. 

The walk that I'd had in the back of my mind was Mt Cook which is now known as Waymbuurr, which is what the 430 metre mountain is called by the local Guugu Yimidirr people. Waking up to blue skies I figured that today would be a good time to tackle the mountain as the weather forecast was for some more biblical rain to arrive today - and stay around for awhile. After a five minute drive from our accomodation I arrived at the well signposted carpark where I grabbed my pack and braced myself for the struggle ahead. Thankfully the track to the summit actually started off fairly easily and I was able to enjoy the scenery as I climbed the formed track through rainforest gullies and across some huge bare rock slabs. After about 15 minutes I arrived at the first lookout, this spot looks down towards Cooktown and gets a bit of the Endeavour River as well, so it's a pretty good view despite being fairly low on the mountain. 

The first lookout has a nice picnic shelter.

The first lookout gave me a bit of a look down over Cooktown and the Endeavour River - google Cook and Endeavour and you'll see the significance of this spot!

I've filled that big one away for future reference!

Now while my climb so far had been pretty easy that didn't mean that I wasn't sweating buckets, my clothes were already soaked in sweat as I shuffled my way up the mountain again towards the next lookout. After leaving the first lookout the track got a fair bit rougher as I climbed onto the main spur / ridge line that I'd climb the rest of the way up to the summit. Once on the spur I started picking up a bit more of a breeze which was a good thing as the sweat was dripping off me by now. After climbing the spur for 20 minutes or so I suddenly arrived at the short side track out to lookout number 2. This lookout allowed for views out across the Coral Sea and south a little towards the Daintree.

Things got a little bit more serious after passing by the first lookout. 

The rainforest floor is littered with huge rocks. 

The second lookout.

Looking south from the second lookout. 

Looking towards the summit from the second lookout - the walk was about to get a fair bit rougher. 

After slugging a bit of water at lookout #2 I grabbed my pack and set off for the summit. The track now became more of a pad as it headed upwards, ever upwards! For the most part the route was obvious, although there were a couple of times that I had to stop and think to myself "if I was building a track up here where would I go?" I guess it was another 20 minutes or so of fairly sustained climbing before I suddenly emerged from the thick rainforest onto the summit - and it was all fairly underwhelming really. The summit has a telecommunication facility and a helipad, although to get to the helipad I had to push through some head high scrub to find it. Once I did successfully find the helipad I climbed up onto it to check out the 'summit view'. Now I have to say it helps to be tall here as the trees around the summit do tend to block out the views a little, still I did mange to once again get some reasonable views out across the Coral Sea and down towards the Daintree again.

The going was fairly vague on the last section. 

I was looking for navigational clues as I climbed my way up the mountain. 

The summit wasn't the most scenic spot that I've visited. 

Looking south from the summit. 

I had a bit of company up on the summit - I think it's a Sea Eagle. 

There are some nice beaches south of Cooktown by the look of it.

Looking out over the Coral Sea from the summit. 

I spent around 15 minutes on the helipad I guess, however eventually the lack of shade forced me to start my descent. Having walked up the track half an hour ago you'd think that I'd be pretty ok with the navigation on the descent, however there were still a couple of spots where I had to stop and think about things on the higher section of the descent. After checking out both the lookouts again it was just after 12 when I got back to the ute - time to head back to our accommodation and hang out at the pool for awhile.

Dropping back down to the second lookout. 

The second lookout's Coral Sea views. 

More big rocks on the Waymbuurr Walk.

The black lichen covered rocks are pretty common up in North Queensland. 

The Dirt.

According to my GPS I walked around 6.1 kilometres and climbed about 447 metres on what I'd call a medium grade walk. As I've mentioned already this climb can be split into three sections punctuated by the lookouts. The first section was fairly easy, the next section got a bit rougher and the third section was pretty steep, rough and vague (but less than a kilometre). The local Cooktown Council has some free stuff online about walking up here. I used the notes and map out of the Woodslane book Best Walks around Cairns & the Tablelands along with me Alltrails App and my GPS topos.

Relevant Posts.

Carnarvon National Park to the Wenlock River Road Trip, 1997.

Nice easy walking back down on the lower slopes of Waymbuurr.

Waymbuurr Walk.

Back at the car park. There is room for around 4 or 5 vehicles here. 

Centenary Track & Whyte Island Circuit, Werribee Gorge State Park - July 2022

Junction Pool on the Werribee River.

I haven't really done a lot of walking since Sam and I returned from our North Queensland road trip, so with an overnighter planned for next weekend I figured that it was time to pull on my boots and go for a stroll. I decided to head over to Werribee Gorge State Park this morning and walk a couple of tracks that I've never walked, linking them together with a short off piste section. Arriving at the deserted car park down at Meikles Point Picnic Area just as the sun was coming up I was off to a fairly early start this this morning.

The Meikles Point Car Park was deserted when I set off this morning. 

The track heads off up those steps.

Initially I climbed up along a section of the very popular Werribee Gorge Circuit Track. This track climbs a spur from behind the long drop and while the climb certainly got the heart rate up it isn't super steep. After climbing the spur crest for a few minutes I picked up the walking track that more or less contours north west across the slopes to meet the access road and the Quarry Picnic Area. The somewhat convoluted walking continued for another 15 minutes as I climbed out of the Quarry Picnic Area, walked through a deserted car park, followed the access road out of the park and then almost immediately swung left back into the park along a signposted walking track - phew! Thankfully from this point on the walking is was pretty good. 

I had this nice little heart starter as I set off this morning. 

Swinging off the spur I turned left onto this walking track. 

Passing above the Quarry Picnic Area. 

After a short climb I left the Werribee Gorge Circuit and veered right onto Centenary Track and I was now on a track that I'd never walked before. Centenary Track is a very nice bushwalking track and I really enjoyed the contouring walk as I passed below Eastern Lookout. After around ten minutes or so of contouring the Centenary Track started dropping down, fairly gently, to Junction Pool along a broad spur. Junction Pool can make for a nice swimming spot in warmer weather, however with the temperature today well below 10˚ swimming wasn't on my agenda. Junction Pool is where the well maintained section of Centenary Track finished and I now picked up a rougher track that heads up Whyte Island.

I left the popular Werribee Gorge Circuit Track and swung right on to the Centenary Track. 

The Werribee Gorge State Park humpy.

Centenary Track mostly contours along below the Eastern Lookout here. 

Yellowgum

Dropping down the spur towards Junction Pool I started to get some views up into Werribee Gorge towards Falcons Lookout...

... as well as ahead towards Whyte Island.

The cliffs below Falcons Lookout is one of Melbourne's premiere rock climbing areas. 

Junction Pool.

Initially the track up to Whyte Island follows the valley of the Myrniong Creek for a few hundred metres before climbing steeply up the side of Whyte Island and onto the plateau like summit. Whyte Island is a volcanic mesa like feature and once up on top the walking was very easy again. With the circuit track running around the top of Whyte Island I decided to head around in a anti clockwise direction this morning for no reason other than I'd never walked it in this direction before. The top of Whyte Island is being revegetated and the trees up here are a lot bigger than they were on my last visit up here - the local population of roos seeming to approve judging by their numbers. After enjoying a bit of a break at the lookout whilst taking in the views down to Junction Pool and the Werribee Gorge I once again shouldered my pack and set off - now dropping back down to Junction Pool.

The track to Whyte Island is getting a little overgrown...

... and a little eroded.

The geology here is pretty amazing - this is fractured Basalt.

Looking back on my climb up to Whyte Island.

Whyte Island has the Werribee River Gorge on one side and on this side is Myrniong Creek has carved the deep valley. Incidentally the white rock in the valley is Granite. 

Once up on Whyte Island I went left.

I couldn't shake the feeling that was being watched when I was up on Whyte Island...

... the local mobs of Eastern Grey Kangaroos seem to be loving the revegetated woodland on the summit.

Whyte Island.

There is a fairly rough lookout up on the Werribee Gorge side of Whyte Island.

Junction Pool from Whyte Island. 

Looking across towards Falcons Lookout from Whyte Island. 

It wasn't just me enjoying the grassy track on Whyte Island. 

Around 15 minutes after leaving Junction Pool I left the Centenary Track and started climbing the fairly open slopes to my south. The climb up here was probably the most enjoyable part of this morning's walk I thought, the open forest making life pretty easy and apart from one final steep rocky section the gradient was good. Once I was up the rocky section I walked through some gently undulating country as I made my way south east to intersect with the Werribee Gorge Circuit Track near the Eastern Lookout. While the view from Eastern Lookout to the east features the Western Freeway climbing up the Pentland Hills and is a little underwhelming, the view north west along the edge of the escarpment features Whyte Island and it makes the short side trip worthwhile I reckon. 

Myrniong Creek has carved a pretty impressive gorge here. 

Back down at Junction Pool...

... it was time to climb again.

After climbing Centenary Track for awhile...

... I left the track and headed off piste towards Eastern Lookout. 

After the climbing eased off the off track stuff was pretty good really.

I'm about to emerge from the scrub onto the main Werribee Gorge Circuit Track.

Shortly after shuffling away from Eastern Lookout I once again left the Werribee Gorge Circuit Track, this time I was dropping down another tracks that I've never walked imaginatively titled as the Short Circuit Walk Track(SCWT). This track was actually a little dodgy for me this morning as I was walking with a bit of a sore knee and one of my trekking poles had fallen to bits down at Junction Pool (stay away from Mountain Designs trekking poles - they just don't last in my experience!). Not only was this descent down the SCWT fairly steep but the hard clay surface was also very slick so I was taking things very slow with my dodgy knee and one trekking pole. Eventually my descent (along with one unexpected ascent!) bottomed out at the old water race and a few metres later I agin joined the Werribee Gorge Circuit Walk - now down beside the Werribee River. Turning downstream today's stroll was pretty well over now as I shuffled my way back through the, now very busy, Meikles Point Picnic Area. After one last photo looking back along the gorge I jumped into the ute and headed off back home to Chateau Feral.

Looking across towards the Western Freeway from Eastern Lookout.

The view across to Whyte Island (just left of centre) from the Eastern Lookout. 

The descent down the Short Circuit Walking Track was fairly steep and very slippery. 

Nearing the bottom of the SCWT the sun finally made it's appearance.

Arriving at the old water race - my walk was almost over.

The Dirt.

According to my GPS I walked around 11.3 kilometres and climbed about 602 metres on what I'd call a medium grade stroll (Alltrails came in a little bit under those figures as usual). This little park is getting really popular now days although it seem as though most of the punters are here to walk the popular Werribee Gorge Circuit, still by the time I left there must have been at least 50 vehicles spread out between the three carparks (I only passed by around 10 people on the whole walk as I did it). The main Werribee Gorge Circuit and the Centenary Tracks down to Junction Pool is easy walking on good tracks. The Whyte Island loop is getting a little overgrown in spots and the climb is getting very eroded unfortunately. The off piste climb up to Eastern Lookout was very easy as far as off track walking goes - you'll need to be able to read a map and pick the path of last resistance on the ground though. The Short Circuit Walking Track was very hard clay and the surface very slick so trekking poles are handy here. Mr Tempest has written up this walk (apart from the short off piste section) I his book Melbourne's Western Gorges and there is a very similar route on AllTrails. 

Relevant Posts.

Werribee Gorge & Whyte Island Circuit, 2018.

Ingliston Granites Walk, 2020.

Once down on the Werribee River I headed downstream. 

Back down at Meikles Point Picnic Area I had once last look back into Werribee Gorge.