The little brother to Stirling Range National Park, the Porongurups have been receiving some much deserved attention lately as a great place to visit and explore. I haven't spent a quarter of the time in this park compared to the Stirlings, but it still rates as a great place to spend a few days with some nice hikes and fantastic views.
This article will hardly be exhaustive and indepth because of this relatively low amount of time I have invested into exploring, however I will outline three great spots to photograph that are definitely worth your time.
The Granite Skywalk
The main event of the park. It's strange to see just how popular this walk is - I am tempted to refer to it's popularity as a phenomenon of sorts due in equal parts to it as being a fantastic experience as a whole as well as the power of social media. Walking elsewhere in the park you are tempted to assume you have the place to yourself, until you take a drive into the carpark leading to the Granite Skywalk and get directed to the overflow carpark because of the number of people there; it really is remarkable!
Saying that, it hasn't been open for that long, and it's undoubtedly still on a lot of people's To-Do list of things to cover - and it is great! The walk itself is simple enough, and the path is easy to follow. It's a steady climb that I have only done once in the dark, followed by scrambling over some boulders ( assisted by some strategically placed steel rungs ) and then a final climb up an enclosed ladder to the viewing platform - It took me around 45 minutes from memory from the car park to the Skywalk. There you have magnificent views in nearly all directions, only obscured to the west by the neighbouring hill and the top of the granite peak itself. You can see the remains of what I assume was an older structure, with some rusting anchor bolts still residing in the granite.
I climbed out of the platform, and I can confidently say that many others have as well. The promotional photo on the main Info board at the start of the walk was also taken from on top of the boulder. I would suggest good shoes as a minimum, as it's a long way down if you slip ( that was only mild sarcasm; if you slip you're basically dead ) and there are some crevices to cross to get to the top. I also faced some fairly strong wind, and so stayed away from the edges. I don't encourage anyone else to do this, but if you choose to climb outside of the walkway please take some sensible precautions. The view to the north will include the Stirling Ranges, as well as part of the walkway. The sun will rise well to the east and unless you take a panorama or use a very wide lens, it will likely be out of frame. The sun will set behind the hill to the west for much of the year, and I'm not even sure you'll see it dip below the horizon in any other time of the year except perhaps high summer.
Keep in mind that the southern ocean isn't that far away, and if the weather comes from the south ( as it often does ) it's going to get cold. I also wouldn't assume that the peak will always be clear; low cloud was busy drifting over the peak during my visit, before it completely enveloped the peak and reduced visibility down to 20 metres.
The balancing rock is also nearby, and although I stopped briefly, you need a rather wide lens to take it in, and after witnessing a fantastic sunrise, with the low cloud set in it didn't really merit any special attention from me in the moment aside from a quick snap ( breakfast was calling me! ). I intend to return and capture it properly sometime in the future.
Nancy Peak
Nancy Peak is part of a longer circuit that departs from the western carpark. This walk takes in a few minor peaks, and is a fairly straight-forward walk ( definitely no pun intended; emphasis on circuit walk ) mostly through bushland. The path is easy enough to follow whilst you are amongst the trees, however there are a number of spots along the walk where you break out of the bushland to find yourself in an open area with views in one or more directions. Here the trail can disappear, but while it's easy enough to pick your direction in the daytime it might become a bit more difficult in the night-time ( althought there are reflective marked spaces along the way to help ). I haven't tried this, but I expect it would be manageable; I simply haven't found a spot that I'd like to reach for a sunrise, so I don't have the motivation to find out either. Your mileage may vary - there are any number of vantage points out over the countryside that would make for a great photo. Saying this, there is one view in particular that interested me enough to return on a couple of different occasions for the sunset.
For my own enjoyment, on the western side of this circuit is a spot with a nice view out to the west, beyond Devil's Slide. A smallish boulder is perched on the slope, and I like this spot for a nice panorama. The sun will set behind Devil's Slide during the depth of winter, while in the height of summer it will set too far to the left, so sometime in May or August would be best. I access this spot by walking along the old road / firebreak and then up to the peak. Last time it took me about 40 minutes from the carpark, and although the trail does become a bit indistinct in places during the climb up to the peak, I haven't found it difficult to find my way back down while there is some twilight left in early Blue Hour.
There is another natural attraction on the Nancy Peak circuit, which isn't far from the carpark if you are walking in a clockwise direction, and that is the Tree in the Rock. It's just that, and considering that I was in a bit of a hurry, like the Balancing Rock I didn't pay it much attention. It's more of a curiosity than anything, but might be woth a good photo and I will undoubtedly pay it another visit to make sure I haven't overlooked it for no good reason.
Devil's Slide
This is a great place to shoot from, albeit a little more difficult to get to than Nancy Peak. The walk up takes you along the same track along the old road / firebreak until you reach the base of the peak and the trail then begins the climb on the exposed slope of the peak. The path goes in and out of bushland, and in places you need to have good footing as the slope is quite steep and a little too smoth in places. Still, I have climbed this in the dark and have found my way without any issues. About 45 minutes from the carpark to the top if you're pushing yourself.
The top of the peak is very open, being the top of a mostly rounded granite peak. There are views in all directions, and this would be a good place for both sunsets and sunrises. My favourite here is for sunrise, as there are views out over the plains with the Stirlings to your left, the remainder of the Porongurup range to your right, and some very impressive granite monoliths in the foreground. To get to some of these spots, you need to climb up and over the razorback ridgeline of the peak and walk around the northern side onto the slope on the eastern side of the peak. This area is fairly open with a gentle gradient. Take care, however, as the sides can drop off very sharply down 10 metres or more into the bushland below. I always keep my distance from the edges as much as I can.
Again, take caution with the weather. I have been up there in the rain and wind, and even had ice crystals landing on me! On that occasion, it was no surprise to find out that it had snowed on Bluff Knoll.
Any other spots?
Yes. There are other peaks in the park that can be climbed, however I have not had the interest to pursue them ( yet ). I have been informed that the trails to some of these peaks are very indistinct, and I would recomend a GPS and an EPLB in such situations. As for other interests in the area, vineyards are dotted around the edges of the park, as well canola crops that are grown seasonally. I drove around in my spare time, but never found any grand views that interested me that much. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so I would encourage you to explore a little bit anyway. There is an old farmstead on the Woogenellup Road that is rather handsome in a rustic sort of way, and can be easily photographed from the roadside without crossing into farmer's property. Unfortunatly, it seems that the owner of the property is not interested in planting Canola in front of the house, which is a shame because it would look amazing if they did!