Porongurup National Park, Western Australia: What are the best walks?

The best walks in Porongurup National Park are the Granite Skywalk up Castle Rock, the Wansbough Walk to Devils Slide and the educational Walitj Meil Walk.

There are two types of walkers – those who like walking, and those who like clambering. Porongurup National Park in the south west of Western Australia caters to the latter.

How big is Porongurup National Park?

No-one’s going to mistake this for Australia’s biggest national park. Porongurup National Park essentially exists to protect the Porongurup Range, which stretches about 15km from east to west. The range isn’t exactly mountainous, either. The highest point is Devils Slide, at just 670m. There are several other spots above 600m, but the Porongurups are about shape rather than height.

The range looks like a series of oversized granite boulders. Over the millennia, the elements have combined to smooth out the granite hilltops, giving the rounded look.

View from Castle Rock in the Porongurup National Park. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

Porongurups walks: Wansbough Walk to Devils Slide

There are several walks in Porongorup National Park to tackle. If you want to get to the highest point, the Wansbough Walk heads towards Devils Slide. Branch off to the right near the summit. The 5km return walk from the Tree-in-the-Rock picnic area should take about two hours. It’s grade 4, so tough going in places.

The Tree-in-the-Rock picnic area has a cathedral-like feel, with tall karri trees providing a dome-esque canopy above. But another good option for sitting down with your sandwiches is the Castle Rock picnic area. This is the starting point for the best walk in Porongurup National Park – a 4.4km adventure to the top of Castle Rock.

Granite Skywalk in Porongurup National Park

The walk starts by passing through karri, marri and jarrah forest, past Balancing Rock, and to the base of Castle Rock. This is where the clambering starts – the Granite Skywalk is a suspended walkway that has been built around the massive granite outcrop. Reaching the upper lookout at Castle Rock can only be achieved by scrambling through and over rocks. The last stage is climbing a six metre ladder to the top. On a clear day, it’s possible to see the city of Albany, 40km to the south.

Don’t focus entirely on the granite outcrops, however. The Porongurups is a great place to see native wildflowers, especially in spring between August and December.

If native flora is your bag, then the best walk in Porongurup National Park is the Walitj Meil Walk. This 1km loop walk is fairly easy, and is dotted with interpretive signs about local plants and native animals. You’ll also learn about local Aboriginal culture and colonial history.

There’s a $15 per car entry fee to get into the national park.