Mt Trio is 856 metres high and the walk is 3.5 kms return. It is Grade 4 - there is a very steep walk to the top and it eases as you walk along the ridges of the three peaks. There are great views of the peaks to the south west.
We started our walk around 7.20am and were back having coffee around 11am. This is the best time to walk – out of the heat.
It was very cool and windy with cloud which made the walking very pleasant.
We climb to the top of the hill on the left and then across the ridge to the top of the hills on the right.
After a bit of walking, we looked back to see the car park below and our car looking very small. The car park is the clearing in the middle of the photo.
These flowers are in bloom everywhere. Beautiful dark red, I just loved the colour.
Overcast – not great for photos, but very good for the hard walk.
A fairly rough track with lots of rough steps which are too high to step up onto comfortably. I used a lot of the ramps to the side of the steps to make it easier.
This will give you an idea of how steep the climb is.
These are the tiniest gum flowers that I have seen. Very delicately hanging in groups of about 5. We saw that the trees had been in bloom and were happy to find some still flowering.
Below is one of those O.M.G. moments – so totally surprised to see this Honey Possum – yes, they are so cute! and so small. (about 5cm plus tail) I have never seen one in the wild before. The most extraordinary long tongue quickly gathering nectar. I believe they are nocturnal, but with the cloud cover, this one was just staying out later. It was around 8.30ish when we spotted him/her.
There is nectar on the tip of each petal. Just see that little tongue go. The ranger said that we were extremely lucky to see the possum and even more so the length of time that we got viewing and photographing it.
It was a bit of a sliding door moment, if we had not missed the turn to Mt Hassell, we would have certainly not seen this little guy.
The grass trees are very different with the grey blue leaf and unusual flowering arrangement of single “flower” shoots (several out the sides of the top) rather than the single large stalk, that we have in the east.
Here is one showing the flower heads.
We have climbed up the steepest part, but it is still all up hill, the grade is a little easier.
The sky is starting to clear. We are now on the top of the first of the trio. The rocky crop is the hill which we came up the side of.
This is where we had intended to climb, but more than happy with our chance meeting of the honey possum :)
Mt Hassell 827 metres is in front of Toolbrunup Peak 1027 metres – both of which we plan to do as well. We are doing one summit each day.
Photo wise it would have been better sunny, but it was clearing and sunny on our way down and it was getting quite hot. We passed a couple going up and they were very hot and bothered. So hopefully not all mornings around here are overcast for our 7-11 walks.
Passed a small grass tree on the side of the track and could not resist a straight down photo.
We walked that – pretty happy with ourselves. We then set up the chairs and made ourselves a coffee to enjoy the view under a small shady gum tree. Back to camp for lunch and some R & R.
One down and four more to do…..
How lucky you were to see the honey possum! What a great find!
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