Mount Imlay Summit Hike

Mount Imlay Summit Hike

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Posted 2022-12-16 by Lorraine Afollow




How challenging can a 6km hike be, right? "I'll be up and back in an hour" I said to my teens rather matter of factly as I headed out the door. Naturally they weren't interested, nor cared to hike Mt Imlay with me.

From Merimbula NSW I travel south past Eden, for about 15min until I go through the tiny town of Kiah which consists of a service station and a few houses. From here it's a right hand turn from the highway onto Burrawang rd. Follow this road all the way to the starting point at Burrawang picnic ground



Whilst the signage at the beginning of the walk estimates the hike takes 2-4 hours return. I thought it was possibly on the generous side of things…However, on this occasion, I can say that the estimate is spot on! It took me just over two hours, stopping only for a few quick photos along the way.



I do feel calling the starting area a 'picnic ground' is a tad generous however as there are no facilities as such, nor a picnic table in sight. But, there is some signage with information about the area.

The walk starts at a shoe cleaning station to prevent weeds being transferred. Be warned though that the area you need to step onto to proceed through the station sinks much further than anticipated and I ended up with both shoes fully submersed in very cold water… An unexpected dunk right at the beginning of the hike wasn't great! Soggy wet feet and heavy boots to start the trek uphill. You've been forewarned LOL.







The trail ascends right from the beginning of the hike, along a fairly straight line to begin with, and is easily defined at this point but as you go further up, it becomes rockier, narrower and somewhat overgrown from lush regrowth bought on from the spring rainfall we've had. At no point, though was I ever concerned that I was going to lose the direction of the trail.


The higher you go, the steeper it becomes, and the more difficult. Eventually needing to rock scramble, whilst paying particular attention to your foot placement on each step so as not to easily roll an ankle on the loose rocks and steep terrain.

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The outlook is a stark reminder of the devastating bushfires that ravaged many parts of the Bega Valley during the summer of 2019- 2020 season. It swept through with such ferocity that parts still haven't regenerated. Yet, mother nature still manages to shine. Spring blooms are plentiful, and there's a delight in seeing the land healing.





The hardest part of the hike is actually the descent back down. It's steep, rocky and easy to do an ankle.

Once you return to the picnic ground, however, I'm sure you'll feel a mixture of relief, and satisfaction from reaching the summit of Mount Imlay.



#aboriginal
#attractions
#escape_the_city
#natural_attractions
#near_bega
#nsw
#outdoor
#parks
#picnic_spots
#walks
%wnbega
80860 - 2023-06-11 05:59:16

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