Do not be fooled by the name Little Cathedral in the Cathedral Ranges it is actually a mammoth of a hike, the view at the top, worth every drip of sweat. I went into more detail about the Cathedral Ranges themselves in my ‘Cathedral Ranges - Razorback’ blog and the amazing drive through the Black Spur to get there. There are so many amazing walks throughout these ranges I won’t bore you with all the ‘getting there’ details every blog, however it is hard not to as it really is the epitome of a scenic drive.
To start this walk you need to park in the Neds Gully car park, make sure you park in the large car park that’s there, not the small one as you first pull in. You need to turn left (it’s very obvious, it won’t be hiding from you) into the large grassy car park. The first car park you will come across with signage and information is a 15 minute load/unload zone which is there for the campers. If you are camping at Neds Gully then you need to park here, carry your equipment the short 50 metre walk over the bridge and then into the camping area, and then relocate your car into the main carpark. If we were staying overnight we would likely choose Neds Gully over Cooks Mill purely because it’s well off the main road and your not going to suffer from plumes of dust covering you every time a car drives through the camp area, like they do at Cooks Mill. It’s a beautiful campsite with 15 campsites of which a can accommodate a maximum of 6 people per campsite, it is often busy but still a tranquil setting and for $26.80 per night get you can’t ask for more. There is a drop toilet there, so go on book a night there online and go.
The river that you cross is ‘Little River’ and even in the middle of summer it is freezing cold perfect for soaking your tired feet in once you have come back down from the top and your feet feel like they may fall off. On our way back to the car on this particular occasion, we spent some time splashing about and relaxing (recovering) in this pristine river. Parks Victoria advise against drinking from it, but from memory I did and had no repercussion. I would recommend giving your face a good splash before heading home if your there in the summer, which it was when we were last there.
As you ascend up the really quite steep sections at times, you will find some really lovely spots to sit down and take in the view. At this stage of our walk we stared in awe at what we had set out to reach the top of, that’s right Little Cathedral itself. What a view, this is my favourite place to stop and reflect on the moment and just take it all in. Up you get let’s keep going!
It is quite a long walk to the top compared to many of the others in the area that are faster as the go straight up. This one is more of a meander, gently ascending to your destination, giving you more time take in your surrounds don’t let that fool you though there is still plenty of adventure and your legs are going to feel this. Much of the track is rocks, so you do need to be vigilant of your footing. I have to admit (and this is something to laugh about, don’t let it put you off) all three of us ended up unintentionally on our bottoms at some stage this particular day. Three times, yes I clearly remember it, three times I landed on my well padded saviour coming back down that day and yes I am still laughing about it.
When I mentioned earlier that it’s more a meander than a straight up, I did say there was adventure, that was my way of saying there are parts that do actually go straight up. This section was incredibly steep and you do have to scramble up it, and be carful not to slip straight down it. It is not hard just watch where you put your feet.
At the top and my goodness, no matter how many times I get to the top and look at this view I never tire of it. It is a take your breath away view, what I love doing is looking down and seeing landmarks that we drove past to get there. I think to myself my goodness I am so glad I have a family that are happy to explore this great state of ours and not just keep driving past it. As much as I love reminiscing about being there, there’s nothing like being there and I would love to be there today. The reality is that as I am writing this it’s the first day of winter cold, wet and worse of all slippery. I myself wouldn’t walk up there today, I’m sure there are many that would but I slip over enough all by myself without the added help from rain and wet slippery rocks. Winter is the best time of year to head up there though in my opinion, just pick a dry day however the cooler the better I think as you will warm up quickly.
So beautiful, I love all the different colours on display up the top. Go on get your feet on the move and enjoy this for yourself.
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