Bluff Knoll is the highest peak of the southern region of Western Australia. It’s about an hour from Albany and is worth making a day trip to climb to the summit. It takes about half a day to go up and down. It was an anticlimax to reach the top because there was no marker at the top to denote it as the summit. It’s always obligatory to take a picture with the summit marker to prove that you’ve done it but no marker could be found! Also, on the day and time we went, we were above the clouds when we reached the top and it was so misty that any view was non-existent. It makes for very average photos! On the upside, the cloudy weather meant that the climbing could be done at cooler temperatures. During our descent, the clouds started to clear so we could start to see the view.

The Granite Skywalk, Castle Rock is about half way between Albany and Bluff Knoll. Both attractions can be done on one day as we did but we were quite exhausted after two big climbs in one day. The Granite Skywalk climb is easier and shorter than the Bluff Knoll until the optional rock scramble part at the top. There is a lookout viewpoint which doesn’t involve doing the rock scramble but if you do the rock scramble part, you can access a higher more picturesque view point. It’s quite a difficult section with handholds fastened into the rock to assist people in climbing or scrambling up the rock. Clearly, the handholds were measured for average sized adult humans and quite tricky for smaller builds! To get to the top, there is a steel ladder which can be quite confronting for those with a fear of heights. The view from the lookout point at the top is very special and panoramic.