Mount Matilda
Wongan Hills Nature Reserve
Directions - Located a short drive from the centre of Wongan Hills, take the main road north from town and then turn left onto Wongan Hills-Waddington Road. Follow this for 10.5 kilometres until you see the sign for Mount Matilda. Turn right and follow the unsealed road (2WD accessible) all the way to the car park. The trail head is located next to the gazebo on the northern side of the car park.
The Hike - The final trail on a full day of hiking in and around Wongan Hills, I had deliberately saved the best for last. The Mount Matilda Walk Trail was the main reason I had selected Wongan Hills as a destination for today, having meant to plan a visit for many years but never doing so. Wanting to hike the best trail in the best lighting, I figured mid afternoon on a tempremental August day would be ideal, with the rain forecast showing the showers easing off by the afternoon.
Having enjoyed three hikes already, the walk around Gathercole Nature Reserve, the Christmas Rock Walk and the Wongan Wildflower Walk, I was ready to head away from town and to the final hike of the day. I wish I had more time to wander around Wongan Hills but time was getting tight, and as I pulled up to the bakery, a shower rolled through. It was nice to get a hot chocolate and muffin to warm myself up, along with supporting local business, and I was soon in my car ready to depart. If you've seen my other Wongan Hills posts, you'll have noticed it was the middle of canola season in this part of Western Australia. This meant the drive out involved plenty of golden fields, mixed in with lush greenery that wouldn't be out of place in the Shire. Arriving at the Mount Matilda car park, the rains had cleared, and the sunshine was lighting up the surrounding canola fields perfectly. I'll touch on this more a bit later but the nice scenery from having the canola fields there is a tragic story that hits home as you're exploring Mount Matilda.
Finishing off my muffin and hot chocolate in the car, I finally extracted myself from the warmth and had a wander around the trail head, with the gazebo housing plenty of information boards about the hike and the area surrounding Wongan Hills. Wandering to the edge of the fence where the views to the east were fields of canola, I took many photos before heading back to the car to get my gear ready. Noticing a colony of Donkey Orchids right near the old wooden sign for the Wongan Hills Nature Reserve, I took this as a good sign. The trail isn't technically a full loop, with a little out and back section leading from the car park to the where you start the circuit. This hobbit tale (there and back again) sees you cover a good chunk of the elevation gain of the hike, taking you up to where the good views start. Initially there is a little up and down that doesn't show up on the elevation chart, aided by metal handrails and stone steps. Here I walking super slow, as there were plenty of wildflower species hiding in the undergrowth.
Starting the climb, it didn't take long to cover the 70m of vertical ascending, where I was rewarded with views of the distant canola farms that stretch out in pretty much all directions. Along with the views, I spotted the first of what seemed like thousands of Sugar Orchids. Having spotted lots of different orchid species across the first two hikes of the day, the Wongan Hills Nature Reserve presented an opportunity to see a few more, starting with the Sugar Orchid. Reaching the loop section, the natural flow of the trail takes you in a clockwise direction, with several landmarks to tick off as you walk along. Now heading on a slight downhill section, there were plenty of wildflowers to photograph, as the vegetation kind of hugs you thanks to the closed in feel. Growing out of the rocky hills and shallow soils, there aren't large trees through here but stunted trees and Mallee varieties. Spotting another new orchid I hadn't seen today, a Greenhood variety was hidden well at the base of another plant.
A favourite photo of mine to take while out on the trails is a scene where you have a tunnel of vegetation directing your gaze along the path, and there was no shortage of that scene through here. Switching between photographing that, and the vibrant wildflowers kept my average pace down but this was my last trail of the day, and I didn't mind driving home in the dark. As I mentioned before, there are landmarks scattered around the circuit, with the first named one being the Wongan Valley View. Before then, a section opens up and provides similar views to what you'll get from the Wongan Valley View lookout, so of course I investigated. Returning to the main path after a few photos, I soon arrived at the official lookout and was suitably impressed with what was there. Looking to the south and west, the bright open skies with fluffy clouds in the distance set a false expectation about what was to come. Looking out over the endless yellow and green fields, you can see far off into the distance but the better views are looking south at the foothills of Mount Matilda.
There is a metal seat here for you to sit and appreciate the views but being one kilometre into the hike, I didn't feel the need for a rest. Backtracking to re-join the circuit, the walking continues to be relatively flat as you now head in a northerly direction. This isn't my favourite heading during the southern hemisphere winter, as the sun is lower in the sky, and right in your field of vision. The photos are worse for it but thankfully the trail takes you back into the low vegetation and mallee, where I instead focused on finding new wildflowers and orchids. There was plenty to see but this was one of the quieter patches of the walk in terms of flora sightings, unless you count the several colonies of Sugar Orchids I found around every corner. The trail twists to the left, and I was now walking towards the setting sun, still under the cover of the low vegetation.
Next on the list of named side trails was the Lake Hinds Lookout, located about two kilometres into proceedings. Given the direction the Wongan Valley View lookout, this is the first time you'll get a good look at Lake Hinds, a decent sized body of water that is fed from the east by Mortlock Creek. Easily visible from here thanks to the afternoon sun reflecting off the surface of the lake, the blue skies were slowly being replaced with darker clouds coming in from the west. This was a near-future Mark problem, so for now I would concentrate on photographing the sun streaming through the clouds, along with the distant rows of trees nestled between fields of canola that caught my eye. The Lake Hinds Lookout was perched further on the edge of the laterite breakaway, providing the opportunity to stand on the edge and look down at the woodlands on the lower slopes, along with looking north towards the Mount Matilda summit.
After soaking in the views for a while, I returned to the main trail once again and continued my journey north. The wildflower finds continued with a Pink Poker dangling in the breeze, one of the larger Hakea flowers, and one I enjoyed seeing during my time in Kalbarri the previous month. Starting to climb, this section takes you to the highest point along the trail, the official summit of Mount Matilda. It's only a 35m vertical gain from the Lake Hinds Lookout, heading up to the giddy height of 432m ASL. About halfway between the two points you'll come across a large sign pointing you in two different directions. To the right is the shorter loop trail leading back to the start, while heading left will take you along the full banana loop that I was completing this afternoon. Taking the left option, there were still many named lookouts and feature points to go, and I was excited to see them all. First up was the Mount Matilda Summit I mentioned before, and the views are similar to what you get at the Lake Hinds Lookout.
Before reaching the summit, there were a couple of little open spots on the edge of the slope, and being a bit curious, I decided to explore them. This turned out to be the right decision, as blowing in the breeze at ground level was a Chameleon Spider Orchid. It took some patience to wait for the opportune moment to photograph it being still, and in the end I got an acceptable photo. Happy to have found another Spider Orchid for the day, I was soon at the Mount Matilda Summit, a short side path leading to a rudimentary post that marks the high point. Normally I would search for the official trig point that is bolted to a rock but for reasons I can't remember, I didn't do that here. The views looking out over Lake Hinds and the surrounding farmland were spectacular, thanks mostly to the fluffy clouds, blue skies and streaming light. From here it's downhill for quite a while but much like the uphill, the gradients aren't steep enough to cause an issue with slipping over.
Heading away from the Mount Matilda summit, you enter some lovely woodland, complete with smooth trunked beauties and all kinds of gnarly shapes. Several clumps of Donkey Orchids lit up the group with a nice golden colour, along with a Dampiera species that was like a fluorescent purple. While I was busy getting down to ground level to photograph everything, the wind was beginning to pick up, and the skies behind me darkened quickly. It wasn't long before I felt the first specks of rain hit me, and soon enough it had turned into a bit of a downpour. After trying to power through and pretend everything was fine, eventually I had to stop and get out my rain jacket, otherwise both myself and my camera were going to be super soggy. Luckily it was only a brief shower, and after taking some pictures of the woodland looking moody in the grey conditions, everything returned to normal sunshine and blue skies. Next on the tour was a place called Speakers Chair, so named because of a group visit that included the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly TF Quinlan.
Wanting a good view over the surrounding area, the northerly most point along the walk provided such a view, and the name stuck. There is a more modern chair there now, where you can take a break and stare out over woodland covered hills to the north. This is the last of the views to the west, although the canola fields will return shortly. Heading in an easterly direction now, the change was a welcome one after staring into the sun for most of the hike so far. Walking through lovely woodland, I was looking forward to exploring the eastern side of the hill, and possibly discovering some different flora. Snaking through the landscape, you eventually reach Hancey's Hollow, another of the named points along the trail. The interpretive signage continued, with one explaining the microclimates this area experiences thanks to the different slopes, valleys and position relative to the sun. It wasn't long before the canola views returned, as you walk along the edge of the hill, still looking down at the woodlands, and across to the farmland.
With the sun on my back, and getting lower in the sky, the lighting was looking a treat as I walked along the northern section of the trail. Switching my gaze between the farmland views to the left and the excellent looking woodlands to my right, there was plenty to love about this part. Meandering along, I saw my second Jug Orchid of the afternoon, and this sparked a pretty good run of orchids in the next couple of kilometres. Walking in a southerly direction now, I had reached the bottom of the hill and the terrain started to become slightly undulating. Together with the abundance of Sugar Orchids, I found a nice patch where two more orchid species were hiding just alongside the trail. I first spotted a clumping of Chameleon Spider Orchids, which I had great fun getting down to photograph, and just as I was getting up to continue hiking, I spotted out of the corner of my eye a flash of yellow that turned out to be a Yellow Granite Donkey Orchid.
After that lovely double find, I had a smile on my face as I entered a different kind of woodland. Having been on the various exposed slopes of the hill for most of the walk, I was now in a protected area that was home to the taller Gimlet (Eucalyptus salubris) and Morrel (Eucalyptus longicornis), with a mass of broad trunks providing a fantastic photo opportunity. Before walking through the taller timber, it was time for a short side trip to what is dubbed the Wongan Wall. A path to your left takes you up a short climb, aided by another handrail, and to another lookout. The wall part refers to the natural rock wall on your left as you ascend, with more excellent farmland views waiting for you at the top. A sea of purple Dampiera provided a splash of colour to the dark orange laterite, and it was a nice spot to admire both the farmland, and the canopy of the Gimlet and Morrel to the west. After a brief rest here to take many photos, I descended back into the valley, excited to see what the last part of the trail had to offer.
From the Wongan Wall you walk in a westerly direction to head into the interior of the hill, and some scenery that I wasn't expecting. There is an avenue of Gimlet and Morrel trunks as you continue along, and I loved looking up to the canopy and seeing the little clumps of leaves. These trees don't provide the broad coverage of the wetter forests in the south west corner of Western Australia, instead providing a different aesthetic and surviving on what's available to them. Heading away from the valley, you start to climb up, with some nice views on your left looking up the hill to where the trunks continue to rise. Walking along a little ridge between two valleys, it's a short climb up to the lookout named Gimlet Gully. Finding another bench, I didn't have time to have another rest here, instead enjoying the views from the edge of the laterite cliff that looks out over the woodland below. The sea of trees from this angle looked pretty cool, along with the distant green fields extending to the north west.
With the light starting to fade a little, and a long drive home, I continued on my journey, enjoying the constant change of direction that the trail was taking me. From Gimlet Gully you do a little 180 degree turn as you follow the contours of the ridge, and are soon facing east again. The wildflowers through here picked up, and it was showcase of some of my favourites I had seen on earlier parts of this trail, with the Phebalium megaphyllum (white flower with yellow stamens) and the Pink Pokers being a couple of the highlights. While there isn't a named lookout along here, there is a great spot that looks down into the valley, and one that looked like it would be good fun to explore. Unfortunately you only gets views from above but up ahead there is the last of the named lookouts, Conways Corner. Not named after Charlie Conway, the fearless captain of the Mighty Ducks, this is another up and back side quest leading to views over the distant farmland (I feel like I've typed that out a lot writing this post).
Trotting down the hill to reach the lookout, the open nature of this little spur means the views are some of the best you'll get on this side of the hill. Helping that was the late afternoon light, distant clouds, and the lichen covered rock below the lookout. With an open sky feeling, I took many photos here at differing focal lengths, appreciating the wide vistas and zoomed in shots of the canola fields. Eventually it was time to move on, and tackle the last 500 metres of trail before finishing the loop section and returning back to the car park. Rising up the last hill of the day, this was just the cherry on top of what had been a thoroughly enjoyable trail. Large trees and open woodland ahead, sweeping views to my left, it was walking heaven in the late afternoon light. There was one last bench on the edge of the laterite if you wanted to stop and take in one last view but just ambling along at my own pace was enough for me to savour the stunning vistas.
Reaching the end of the loop section, I had a 60m descent to enjoy over the last 500 metres of trail, but before I started descending, there were some nice views looking south across to Mount O'Brien, a popular lookout you can drive up to. It was on my original plans for the day but time escaped me and I had to cut out that part. Having already walked this section before, I hadn't seen it from this view, so kept an eye out for wildflowers and details I may have missed on the way out. The light was fading a little and the valleys were cast in shadow, so it was a fairly expedient finish to a trail I had been on for almost three hours. Reaching the car park, the canola fields that border the road in were glowing the golden hour lighting. I stopped several times on the way out of the car park, photographing different views but being careful not to go into the fields themselves, which has been a big issue in recent years with people wanting photos of them right in the thick of the canola. Driving home in the dark, it had been a magical day exploring Wongan Hills, and hiking around Mount Matilda was the perfect way to finish.
Final Thoughts – Designated a Top Trail before the recent expansion by TrailsWA, that has typically been a good indication of what to expect for me in terms of quality.
Mount Matilda was by far the best trail I hiked around Wongan Hills today, with a combination of amazing views, abundant flora, and interesting woodlands providing a quality hiking experience.
Although I advise to visit between July and September to get the best wildflowers and orchids, this is a trail that based on views and the woodlands alone could be hiked outside of peak season, and still be a good trail experience.
If you only have time for one trail around Wongan Hills, then make it this one.
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