Friday, 1 May 2026
Temp: 16-21°C
Wind gusts up to 78kmh
Distance 13.69km
Up 1011m Down 525m
Time 7:36 hrs Moving time 5:08 hrs
FB Bandaid right big toe
Food: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Shelter – Open wind Shelter with picnic tables and chairs

After a lovely social night with Molly and a really good sleep, we made an effort to get on our way early today. We started getting organised about 6.30am and thought we would be going by 8am, unfortunately it was almost 8.30am. This is a lot earlier than the 10am or later we started some days. The first 500m was down hill and then it was up for the next forever. We saw about 5 Gang Gang Cockatoos including a beautiful male one, it was early as they were eating their breaky. We also saw a few wallabies. It was a tough day climbing to the top of Redman Bluff with an elevation of 1017m. It was lots of rock hopping, boulder climbing and rock platforms which were all going up, up and up. It took us 5:12 hours to walk 9.8km and it was tough. From Redman Bluff the wind started blowing as we walked along the ridge, the views were amazing and then it was time to go back down. We walked through blackened forest just coming back to life. The grass trees, gum trees and banksia were all shooting new growth but the damage from the summer 2024/2025 was extensive. It feels like all the bugs and flies were killed in the fire as we have only seen a couple of flies and 1 mosquito since we started walking the trail. It was a long day of walking with only a short break for an electrolyte drink mid morning, lunch and photos. Once again the last 2km was back up again, just to see how much resilience we have. David was so patient. He could go so much faster but he gets to the top of a hill and just waits for me to get there. We arrived at camp at 4pm, so we had hiked for 7.5 hours which was way less than the 9 hours suggested time. Yeehah!

We met another couple tonight who had walked in from Mt William Rd. Then at about 7.30pm another 4 hikers came in from Redman Rd. A tough last stage for them to hike in the dark. Both parties are heading to Durd Durd camp tomorrow.

The tent will get a bit of a workout tonight as the wind is howling. We are in bed early as we need to start early again tomorrow to try to get to camp and set up before the forecast rain at 4pm tomorrow. Wish us luck.

National Parks Notes
 Day 7: (C3) Barri-Yalug Hike-in Campground – Duwul Hike-in Campground
Start: Barri yalug Hike-in Campground.
Distance: 13.2km
Grade: 4
Key elevation points: Barri-yalug Hike-in Campground 375m, Mt William 1167m, Duwul Hike-in Campground
Elevation: 940m up, 470m down
Names and meanings: Barri Yalug = ‘Parri yalook’: running river. Duwul = ‘Duwil’: the mountain.
Highlights: The biggest elevation change of all the GPT: Barney Creek (320m) to Redman Bluff (1017m).
Climb toward Seven Dials passing a section of historic raised water-fluming held up by dry stone pillars, large open rock-covered areas and moss beds. Descend Seven Dials and climb towards Redman Bluff (1017m high), marked by an historic rock cairn. Walk down from Redman Bluff and watch for a picturesque tea tree surrounded pond located at a small plateau. Hike a small corridor between the Mt William Road and the cliff edge before reaching Duwul Hike-in Campground.
Important safety information:
– Rainwater tanks at Barri-Yalug and Duwul Hike-in Campgrounds
– Serviced water tanks at Redman Rd Crossing and Mt William Road 2.