Not put off by the forecast, Rongy and I headed out hoping to catch a weather window. Reckoning the better chance would be on the coast of our little corner of the South West of Western Australia, as opposed to our other consideration of heading to an inland crag towards Perth. Based on this we decided on Bobs Hollow, which may seem strange as during winter the build-up of moisture behind the cliffs eventually results in a slimy substance oozing out of, and coating the surface of the rock making climbing pretty horrendous. However, I felt it was too early for this to happen and we stuck to our guns:
It felt like an age since we had been here, so much so that we even forgot the directions and ended up heading to Cosy Corner. Driving some twenty kilometres too far to the south before realising the error of our ways. It didn’t worry us too much, as the windscreen wipers were being worked and that fortunately eased up as we got closer to our destination. Checking my images, the last time I came here was March 2021, with Tomski, Dan, Mikie and Howsie. I recall it got fairly busy down at Bob’s on that day and that is a key reason I have not been back for so long:
During COVID times Bob’s became very popular and it was not uncommon to find up to fifty people here, which based on the number of climbs is very busy. Today, walking in, we were pretty sure we would have the place to ourselves. Not only because it is winter, but as per the forecast early belts of rain floated above the ocean, threatening land fall. Walking on regardless of the view out to sea, there was a distinct difference with the scenery. My Walking in Circles book describes the landscape vegetation in this general area as being a mix of Holly-leaved Banksia (Banksia ilicifolia), Western Sheoak (Allocasuarina fraseriana) and dense coastal heath:
Normally on the walk in the vegetation would be head height or higher. This prevents you seeing where you are going, and certainly stops you enjoying the vistas from the elevated position. Today, however, we had a clear view in all directions for the entire walk. In December 2021 a bushfire ripped through this country and burned 5,200 hectares. A similar occurrence happened in 2006, which my trusty Walking in Circles book references stating that it would take several years for the vegetation to recover. Well it has been over two years since the 2021 fires and the vegetation was knee height at best:
We also noticed the vegetation coming back included a lot of Yellow Tailflower (Anthocercis littorea), easily identified by the yellow flower a few images up. This is one of the coastal heath shrubs, being native to Western Australia and known to grow on coastal limestone and dunes. The plant can reach a height of three meters, but has a very long way to go to reach that size. Indeed we found very few remnants of the taller pre-fire vegetation, a sign that this place really was ravaged. That said, as always, it was a lovely walk and even better on arrival the rock was not looking to shabby:
Another rain belt made land fall before we managed to get on a climb, but which such a steep overhung cliff it was easy to find shelter. Using this time to warm up the upper body muscles by having a boulder, which drilled home what we were in store for. It has been awhile since either of us have climbed routes of such a physical nature and we wondered how long we may last. What was on our side, however, was that we had not set our sights too high. Being out for the scenery, experience, and enjoyment. All of which was boosted as we scored that weather window we had been hoping for:
Relishing having the place to ourselves, mostly dry rock, and the right attitude to what we could achieve today I also kept an eye out. Spotting Welcome Swallows (Hirundo neoxena) flying in and out of their nests made of mud that were safely tucked away in the many holes in the rooves of the caves, and occasional Nankeen Kestrel (Falco cenchroides). The former darted about catching insects on the wing, while the later skilfully used quick shallow wingbeats to allow it to stay horizontal in one position as it searched for prey. There were also a few spiders out, and the above tiny specimen caught my eye despite only being approx. half a centimetre long:
With some 5,000 species of jumping spiders I didn’t fancy my chances, but am fairly confident that this is a female White Garland House Hopper (Maratus scutulatus). This species is common in coastal locations, including in the South West of Western Australia. Despite their miniature size jumping spiders are known to be efficient and stealthy hunters, just like a cat they pounce on their quarry holding nothing back. For such a small creature I was also surprised to read that if they bite you it can result in local pain/inflammation, and at times mild illness. My next find can also cause us humans pain, if we are foolish enough to get too close and allow the stiff barbed hairs penetrate our skin:
This one was always going to be a hard ask to identify. There are some 20,000 species of moths and butterflies found in Australia, and of these less than 5% of their respective caterpillars are known. I’ve attempted to work it out, but haven’t found anything despite taking note of quite a few very distinctive markings on my hairy find. We unfortunately also came across an even less savoury creature. A human who felt it was OK to go walking in a national park with his two dogs, which he even allowed to roam off the leash. Who when challenged on this point turned aggressive, but it fortunately did not come to blows:
Rather than expend energy on such an individual we continued to climb, and the rock was more than willing to sap our strength in a far more enjoyable way. Maybe even quicker than we would like to admit, but we had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the six lines we picked off. After which we felt very content, and no other climbs were calling out to us. Therefore, despite the great conditions continuing to provide the ideal opportunity to stick about, we opted to finish up and enjoy the hike back out. Passing quite a few responsible people, out for a walk without any dogs, and who were also enjoying for the weather window:
Sandbagged 