Known Aboriginal Name - Gariwerd
Kalymna Falls campground sits next to Mount William Creek, which runs clear and crisp over a bed of stones. It is a free campground with only five sites so it’s nice and quiet. Keep your eyes out for the resident black wallaby that can be seen pottering about, and keep your food in the car.
On a clear day there are lovely views above the trees of the rocky escarpment of Major Mitchell Plateau. From the campground the track to the top of the plateau begins as a wide 4WD track that takes you upstream, past Kalymna Falls, which you can check out by following a short path off the road.
As you continue along the road the incline gets steadily steeper and eventually the road turns into a narrow foot track through fern filled undergrowth. Below your feet you’ll find mossy clusters and mushrooms of various kinds, and above your head you’ll see the blackened trunks of eucalypts supporting armfuls of foliage. Once you reach Boundary Gap you are 3.6km from the campground and from there you’ll need both hands and feet to complete the last kilometre or so to the top of the plateau. That last part takes you over and through a pile of boulders. Find your way to the top by following the arrows. My sources tell me that the view from the top is pretty beautiful, if you can see it, and if you can’t, looking out onto a white abyss is pretty cool too.
If you’re more organised and have a bit more time there is a three-day hike that you can do all the way up and over Major Mitchell Plateau. Alternatively you can spend the night on top of the plateau and come back down the same way. There’s a nice campsite at the top, just make sure you bring warm clothes!
by Rachel Mclaren
2015
rachelmclarenphotography.com
thosewanderingdays.com
LFRF acknowledges all the Traditional Owners of the land [or country] and pay our respects to the Elders, past and present of all of The Grampians/Gariwerd area and urges you to please do the same.
