Toolbrunup Peak and Moingup Spring

Guide updated 13 Sept 2026 · not walked — verify Explore Parks WA / DBCA

Second-highest peak (1052 m) plus the only official public campground in the park. The walk is a scramble, not a shorter Bluff Knoll. The camp is Park Stay only, seven unpowered sites, no drinking water.

Best for: Fit, agile walkers and people who already hold a Moingup Spring Park Stay booking
Time: Peak: 3–4 hours return. Camp: overnight only if booked — not a day-use overflow lot
Short unsealed access off Chester Pass Road near Moingup Spring. 2WD in ordinary dry conditions; high-clearance after rain. Confirm live on alerts.

Verify conditions on Explore Parks WA / DBCA → · Park alerts

Decision summary

Best for: Fit, agile walkers and people who already hold a Moingup Spring Park Stay booking
Skip if: Skip the scramble if the rock is wet, if anyone is unsure on scree, if you already spent 4 hours on Bluff Knoll, or if you wanted a lookout picnic. Skip camping if you have no Park Stay booking and no drinking water.
Time needed: Peak: 3–4 hours return. Camp: overnight only if booked — not a day-use overflow lot
Dogs: Not anywhere in the park. 1080 baiting is ongoing.
Kids: Moingup day-use picnic: yes with supervision if you skip the peak. Toolbrunup scramble: usually no.
Entry / booking catch: Vehicle entry is not camping. Book Moingup on Park Stay WA. Pay the live camping total at booking. This site never affiliates Park Stay or park entry.
Today’s alerts: alerts.dbca.wa.gov.au — current closures are listed there

Not walked. Written from Explore Parks WA / Trails WA public pages. Fees and track status are planning figures — confirm live before you go.

Toolbrunup Peak in the Stirling Range, Western Australia, March 2007 — Toolbrunup Peak and Moingup Spring — Toolbrunup Peak
Gnangarra · CC BY 2.5 AU · Wikimedia Commons

Official alerts snapshot · 13 Sep 2026

Official notes for this section

Park status on this check: Confirm live. Snapshot checked 13 Sep 2026 against Explore Parks / DBCA alerts. It goes stale. Always open alerts.dbca.wa.gov.au the morning you travel.

Treat this snapshot as stale the morning you drive. Stirling Range is a fee park with a bookable campground, Grade 4–scramble mountain walking, and rapid peak weather. Fire danger, track status, Stirling Range Drive conditions and campground availability change. Open alerts.dbca.wa.gov.au and emergency.wa.gov.au before you leave Albany or Mount Barker. This site does not list live gates.
No dogs · 1080 baiting · no campfires. Official visitor notes: dogs and other domestic animals are not permitted; 1080 baiting is ongoing (poisonous to humans, dogs and cats); no campfires at Moingup Spring or in the park. Stay on marked tracks for dieback control. Confirm generator hours and current baiting notices on Explore Parks / Park Stay before you book.
Rapid weather on the peaks. Official safety: peaks are subject to sudden cool changes, rain, hail and strong wind. Do not enter the bush or use footpaths on extreme fire danger days. Carry layers even on a warm Albany morning. Bluff Knoll lookouts at the trailhead still count if the summit is in cloud.

Peak and camp — same district, different products

Toolbrunup towers over the western peaks. Explore Parks WA: fit, agile, prepared to scramble. Trails WA: 4 km return, Class 5 / extreme, 3–4 hours. Moingup Spring is the only official public campground in Stirling Range National Park. You can use one without the other. Stacking a late arrival, a new tent and a scramble is how ankles roll. Not walked.

Official-before-money: exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/site/toolbrunup-peak, site/moingup-spring-campground, parkstay.dbca.wa.gov.au, alerts.dbca.wa.gov.au.

The scramble

Woodland along a creek, then boulders, loose rock and steep scree to a saddle on the south-west buttress, then a short steep scramble to the top. Spring mountain bells and southern cross on the upper slopes. Out-and-back. Turn around before the scramble if it is the wrong day. Full operator notes on the Toolbrunup trail page.

Moingup Spring — Park Stay only

Reopened November 2025 after a bushfire destroyed the former campground. Bookings essential, Explore Parks / Park Stay only, up to 180 days ahead, one campsite per booking that you must camp on yourself. Seven unpowered compacted-gravel sites.

Facilities: flush toilets; food-prep and dining shelter with gas stove, dishwashing sink, tables; sheltered gas BBQ, tables and benches in the adjacent day-use area (shared with day visitors). Drinking water not provided. Untreated water may be available but is not guaranteed — plan as if you carry all drinking water. No campfires at any time. No dogs. Generators 10am–1pm and 5pm–8pm only. Pack out all waste; no bins. Do not empty portable-toilet waste into campground toilets.

Fees: per-person camping fee plus separate vehicle entry. Camping fee by card at booking. Vehicle entry may be paid with the booking, on arrival, or by Parks Pass (motor vehicles; not required for trailers including camper trailers and caravans — confirm live). The public Explore Parks camping-fees page does not publish a Stirling dollar table — use the live Park Stay total. December–April can be extremely hot with high bushfire risk. Nights can be cold June–September.

Boundary camps are not park camping

Stirling Range Retreat and Mount Trio Bush Camp sit on the northern boundary as commercial stays. List them on the Stay hub as nearby beds, not as Moingup overflow and not as DBCA camping. If Park Stay is sold out, that is an Albany / Mount Barker / boundary-commercial problem, not a reason to wild-camp in the park.

Who should not stack this with Bluff Knoll

Toolbrunup is the more technical marked day walk: boulders, loose scree, a real scramble. Explore Parks: fit and agile. Trails WA lists it as Class 5 / extreme — confirm live. A party that found Bluff Knoll’s steps “a bit much” should not treat 4 km as the easier afternoon.

Pairing ban: do not add Toolbrunup after a late Bluff Knoll reverse, a first-night tent at Moingup, or a wet-rock morning. Cooler next-day start, turnaround before the scramble, reverse with daylight to pack camp.

Kids and mixed mobility: use the shared day-use BBQ / picnic at Moingup if you hold a booking or are a day visitor using that precinct legally — not the summit. Confirm live site rules.

Unsealed spur, limited signal

The Toolbrunup parking area is via a short unsealed road off Chester Pass Road near Moingup. Ordinary dry 2WD is the usual visitor vehicle. After rain, treat it as high-clearance country and check alerts.dbca.wa.gov.au. There is no ferry and no tidal crossing.

Official materials point people at Smart Park Maps / Avenza because reception is limited. 000 needs reception. Download Emergency+ in Albany. A PLB is a realistic planning step for this scramble — not a fashion item for a picnic. Screenshot Park Stay and alerts on town Wi-Fi; coverage at camp is not a booking plan.

Highlights at a glance

Toolbrunup Peak 1052 m — 4 km return, scramble and scree
Moingup Spring Campground — 7 unpowered sites, Park Stay, reopened November 2025
Day-use BBQ / picnic shared with campers at the campground precinct
Quieter than Bluff Knoll on most days — still serious

Practical tips

Book Moingup on Park Stay before you leave town. Coverage at the camp is not a booking plan.
Carry all drinking water. Confirm live camp rules the week you go.
Toolbrunup: gloves, grip, turnaround before the scramble.
After rain, treat the unsealed spur as high-clearance and check alerts.
No dogs. 1080. Dieback — stay on the walk trail.

Facilities & services

Toolbrunup trailhead parking
Moingup: 7 unpowered sites, flush toilets, food-prep shelter with gas stove, dishwashing, picnic tables
Sheltered gas BBQ in adjacent day-use (shared)
No drinking water provided · no fires · no dogs · pack out · generator windows 10am–1pm and 5pm–8pm

Confirm toilets, parking and open facilities on the day via official sources and on-site signage.

Walks nearby

Grades, times and open/closed status change — open each guide and verify on Explore Parks WA / DBCA before you go.

Toolbrunup

hard

Second-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.

Grade: 4 km return to 1052 m — woodland, then boulders, loose scree and a steep scramble. More technical than Bluff Knoll
Time: Allow 3–4 hours return
Distance: 4 km return

View guide →

All trails

Itineraries that use this area

2 days / 1 night (town, boundary camp, or booked Moingup Spring)

Two days: marked peaks, not the Ridge Walk

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.

Full day from Albany (1–1.5 hrs each way + 3–4 hours on the walk)

Bluff Knoll day: summit if the mountain allows

The usual serious first day: early Chester Pass drive, pay at the entry station, Grade 4 summit from the south side of the trailhead, reverse with daylight. Lookouts are Plan B if the lot is full or the weather turns. Not a Perth day-trip.

Longer notes for this precinct — then come back to the area page for logistics.

Map

Orientation only — confirm trailheads and road status before you drive.

Interactive map — pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads and road status before you drive.

Open in Google Maps Get directions

FAQ — Toolbrunup / Moingup

Tap a question to expand the answer.

Is Toolbrunup easier because it is only 4 km?

No. It is shorter and more technical than Bluff Knoll — scree and scramble. Trails WA lists it as Class 5 / extreme. Confirm live.

Is there drinking water at Moingup?

No drinking water is provided. Untreated water may be available but is not guaranteed — plan as if you carry all drinking water from Albany or Mount Barker.

Can kids do Toolbrunup?

Usually no. It is a scramble on loose scree. Mixed-ability groups should use a Drive lookout or the Moingup day-use picnic, not the summit.

How do I book Moingup Spring?

Park Stay WA / Explore Parks only (parkstay.dbca.wa.gov.au). Essential. One site per booking. This site never affiliates camping.

Is there drinking water at camp?

Not provided. Plan to carry all drinking water. Untreated water is not a supply you can count on.

Can I camp if Park Stay is full?

Not in the park as a walk-up. Use Albany, Mount Barker or a commercial boundary camp. Do not wild-camp.

Stays after you plan Toolbrunup / Moingup

Optional Albany / Mount Barker beds after you plan this area. Tours live on the Tours hub; kit on Gear. Park fees and official Explore Parks WA bookings are never affiliated.

Nearby stays

Albany (primary) · Mount Barker · Porongurup

Hotels & stays in AlbanyPrimary last-town base — fuel, food, medical; ~1–1.5 hrs to Bluff Knoll
Mount Barker accommodationCloser inland staging than Albany for a dawn start
Porongurup staysSouthern neighbour range — useful on a two-park loop, not a Bluff Knoll dawn default
Cranbrook accommodationNorthern approach town on Chester Pass Road

All Booking.com links open in a new tab and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Official DBCA park fees and Park Stay bookings are never affiliated.

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

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