Unofficial guide · verify with Explore Parks WA / DBCA

Stirling Range National ParkUnofficial operator’s manual

Two days: marked peaks, not the Ridge Walk

2 days / 1 night (town, boundary camp, or booked Moingup Spring)Best for: People who want Bluff Knoll and a second marked peak without pretending they are doing the Eastern Peaks

Guide updated · verify Explore Parks WA / DBCA the morning you go

Day 1 Bluff Knoll (or Drive if weather/parking kills it). Night at booked Moingup, a boundary commercial camp, or Albany. Day 2 Toolbrunup only if you are a scramble party — otherwise Trio, Hassell or Talyuberlup. The Ridge Walk is not this itinerary.

Toolbrunup Peak in the Stirling Range, Western Australia, March 2007

Toolbrunup Peak

Gnangarra · CC BY 2.5 AU · Wikimedia Commons

Two days is how Stirling Range actually fits: one icon peak and one western peak, or one peak and a Drive, with a night in between. It is not a beginner Ridge Walk. Trails WA’s unmarked 26 km wilderness line is a different, experienced-party product. If that sentence made you defensive, read the Ridge Walk article and then come back to marked trails.

Sleep: Park Stay at Moingup Spring (seven unpowered sites, no drinking water, reopened November 2025) if you hold a booking; or Stirling Range Retreat / Mount Trio Bush Camp on the boundary (commercial, not park camping); or Albany / Mount Barker. Vehicle entry is separate from camping fees. Pay the live Park Stay camping total — this site does not copy a Stirling camping dollar table. Official camping is never affiliated.

Day 1 is not a death march so Day 2 still has knees. Do not stack Bluff Knoll and Toolbrunup on Day 1 because you “might get weather.” Official-before-money: alerts every morning. Fill all drinking water in town. No dogs. No fires. Dieback — clean boots at every trailhead.

Always check Explore Parks WA, Park Stay, alerts.dbca.wa.gov.au and Emergency WA before you leave town. PLB sensible. Trip intentions with a person who will notice if you are late. Not walked. Goreng and Menang Country.

Track status, weather, fees and closures change — verify on Explore Parks WA / DBCA before you leave, then use the timeline below as a planning skeleton only. In-park camping is Park Stay only (Moingup Spring) — never affiliated here.

Logistics hub: Plan your visit · Where to stay · Maps & planner · All itineraries.

Timeline

  1. Before you leave town

    Booking, water, alerts

    If Moingup is the night, confirm Park Stay on Wi-Fi. Fill all drinking water (jerrycans, not “there might be a tap”). Screenshot alerts, Emergency+, booking. No dogs, no firewood plan. If the booking failed, Albany is the plan — do not wild-camp. Pack a boot brush; you will use it twice.

  2. Day 1 morning

    Bluff Knoll (or Drive Plan B)

    Same shape as the Bluff Knoll day: early, entry station, south-side trail, reverse at any point. If the lot is full or weather is wrong, Eastern Lookout and a civil Drive. Do not “save the icon for Day 2 and bash Toolbrunup tired on Day 1.” 3–4 hours on Grade 4 is enough for one calendar morning.

  3. Day 1 afternoon

    Set camp or return to town

    Moingup: one booked site, no second bay on vegetation, pack out, generator windows 10am–1pm and 5pm–8pm, shared day-use BBQ. Town bed: reverse with daylight. Do not start a second summit after a late set-up. If you arrived late from Perth, lookouts only today — Bluff Knoll is Day 2 or not at all.

  4. Day 1 evening

    Camp rules, not a festival

    No fires. Headlamp. Cold nights June–September even after a warm Albany afternoon. Patchy reception — you already left trip intentions. Early night. Day 2 is the technical day if Toolbrunup is on. Do not walk into heath “to see more flowers” after dark.

  5. Day 2 morning — decision gate

    Scramble, steps, or lookouts

    Dry rock and agile party → Toolbrunup (about 4 km return, 3–4 hours, scree and scramble; turn around before the scramble if needed). Wanted steps → Mount Trio. Wanted Toolbrunup in the view → Hassell. Weather or fatigue → Drive lookouts and pack up. Do not start the Ridge Walk because you have a spare day.

  6. Day 2 — the walk

    One marked western peak, then stop

    Toolbrunup: unsealed spur may want high-clearance after rain — check alerts; reverse on the scramble if rock is wet. Trio: 3.5 km return, lots of steps, about two hours. Hassell or Talyuberlup if you named them last night. Then stop collecting. Magog is only if you accept possible overgrowth — not a “quick extra.”

  7. Day 2 — pack out

    Rubbish out, boots cleaned, reverse

    Pack out all rubbish from Moingup. Clean boots (dieback) before the next trailhead and before you drive to Albany. Debrief: did Toolbrunup belong on Day 2, or should it have been its own trip? Fuel is in town. Dusk wildlife on Chester Pass is still real on the way home.

Packing

  • All drinking water for camp nights (none provided)
  • Tent / swag as your booking assumes
  • Sleeping layer for a cold Great Southern night
  • Headlamp
  • Warm layer + shell for two summit days
  • Grippy shoes (scramble on Day 2 if Toolbrunup is on)
  • Rubbish bags (pack out)
  • Offline map + power bank
  • First aid + blister care
  • Park Stay screenshot if camping
  • PLB for the scramble day

Kit searches live on Gear · Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. All Booking.com links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Park entry fees, official day passes and official camping are never affiliated. Disclosure

Parking & access tips

  • One campsite per Moingup booking. Do not occupy a second “for the view.”
  • Day-use BBQ at Moingup is shared — not extra camping.
  • Bluff Knoll lot and Toolbrunup spur are different car parks. Plan B is lookouts, not a verge at either.
  • After rain, the Toolbrunup unsealed spur may want high-clearance — check alerts.
  • Boundary commercial camps have their own parking rules — they are not DBCA overflow.
  • Never leave bags visible at trailheads while you are on a peak.

Skip if short on time / energy

  • The Ridge Walk / Eastern Peaks unmarked line
  • Bluff Knoll plus Toolbrunup on Day 1
  • Walk-up camping if Park Stay is sold out
  • Fires, dogs, or extra vehicles on a Moingup site
  • A late Day 1 Toolbrunup after a long Albany arrival
  • Magog “because it is on the way” when the party is already cooked

Extra tips

Who this plan is for

  • Walkers who want two marked peaks without wilderness travel
  • Groups with a real overnight (booked camp or town)
  • People who will cancel Day 2 scramble if rock is wet
  • Not first-timers using “two days” as code for the Ridge Walk

Decision gates (say them out loud)

  • If Park Stay is not booked and you needed camp: Albany — do not wild-camp
  • If Day 1 arrival is late: lookouts only — Bluff Knoll is Day 2 or not at all
  • If Day 2 rock is wet: Trio steps or Drive lookouts, not Toolbrunup
  • If water is running low: reverse to town, do not ration into a scramble
  • If anyone talks about Ellen Peak: stop and read the Ridge Walk warning

What success looks like

  • Two honest products (or one peak and one lookout day) without a rescue story
  • Booked site in, booked site out, rubbish in the car
  • Boots cleaned. No dogs. No fires
  • The ridge still unmarked and unattempted

Next trip upgrade

  • Give Toolbrunup its own cool morning if Day 2 felt rushed
  • Read the Ridge Walk article so you know why it is not this itinerary
  • Use Where to stay for Moingup vs boundary commercial vs Albany

Related trail guides

Open the walk how-to for grades, honesty filters and official track context — then return to this timeline for the day shape.

  • Bluff Knoll (Bular Mial / Pualaar Miial)The park’s signature walk: 6.8 km return, Grade 4, to Bluff Knoll at 1098 m. Well signed from the south side of the parking and picnic area. Steps, a saddle with coastal views, then a ridge to the summit. Mist is normal. Popularity does not make it a casual hill. Not walked for this guide.
  • Toolbrunup PeakSecond-highest peak in the range at 1052 m. Official listing: 4 km return, good fitness required, 3–4 hours. Woodland beside a creek, then large boulders, loose rock and steep scree to a saddle on the south-west buttress, then a short steep scramble to the top. Not a shorter Bluff Knoll. Not walked.
  • Mount TrioShort steep hike: 3.5 km return, about 400 m of climbing, lots of steps, around two hours. Endemic mountain bells are a feature in season. Quieter than Bluff Knoll. Not a lookout ramble. Not walked.
  • Stirling Range Ridge Walk (Eastern Peaks) — overview onlyUnmarked wilderness route, not a casual multi-day. No designated trail, no reliable water, rugged terrain, changeable weather. Fatalities and costly rescues have occurred. Contact Stirling Range rangers or Albany District before you go. Register off-trail parties. Carry a PLB. This page is a warning, not a route guide. Not walked.

Official links to verify

Stays for this plan

Optional next steps once your timeline is set — Albany or Mount Barker beds. Tours on Tours; kit on Gear. Park fees and official Park Stay bookings are never affiliated.

Nearby stays

Albany (primary) · Mount Barker · Porongurup

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Some stay, tour and gear links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. All Booking.com links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Park entry fees, official day passes and official camping are never affiliated. Affiliate disclosure · Privacy