Bluff Knoll was one of the highlights of my road trip to Albany city in Western Australia. According to Trails WA, it is 1098m above sea level, 6.8km in length for a round trip and a grade 4 in difficulty. Minimal conditioning is probably recommended for this hike I'd say. You might want to prepare some energy bars and have at least 1.5L of water with you prior to commencing the trek. According to Google maps, it is a 1 hour 9 minutes drive away from the city of Albany with clear traffic. So to make it for the sunrise which was about 6:40AM then, we had to factor in 1 hour 15 minutes of driving to the Bluff Knoll carpark and 2 hours of trekking to the peak. Hence, it was ideal to get out of our Airbnb accommodation at 3:25AM.
We got up at 4AM instead.
Given that it would have been our first time there, we made the decision to wake up slightly earlier for safety reasons - to ensure that we were well-rested before the trek. As a result, we managed to catch the sunrise only halfway through the trek, rather than at the peak of Bluff Knoll. However, we definitely weren't dissatisfied as the view was spectacular. It's safe to say that my pictures do not do justice to our rewarding view from the peak that day. Planning a trip there could be daunting for some people, but here are some quick pointers to help you get prepared:
Decent level of fitness, or at least have some minimal conditioning
1.5L of water per person
Maybe at least 3 energy bars per person
Exercise towel to dry your sweat
Minimally a windbreaker: it gets really windy up there and extreme weather changes are common
Read up about the hike, find out as much information as you can
Sunrise / sunset timings change with the seasons
Check the weather forecast the day before to prepare the right outfit
Do take note that the actual temperature at the peak would not match the 'Bluff Knoll' temperature stated on the weather app, so do ensure you're looking up the right information
Wear long track pants if possible, you'll want to protect your skin
If you're hoping to catch the sunrise, it means you'll want to set off while it's still dark, so make sure to have a torchlight per person
Lastly, an image-capturing device because why not right?
Do check out more photos below!
All photos are shot with my Fujifilm X-T20 + Fujinon 18mm f/2 lens. Cheers keefi boi Bluff Knoll, Stirling Range National Park, Western Australia Fujifilm X-T20 Fujinon XF18mm f2 R #roadtrip #trekking #hiking #AlbanyCity #BluffKnoll #StirlingRangeNationalPark #WesternAustralia #Australia #fujifilm #fujifilmxt20 #fujinon #xf18mmf2
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