Mt Glenrowan is Where You Need to be For Sunrise in Wangaratta
The 9km return hike to the summit of Tim-been-er / Mt Glenrowan is easy to navigate, not too long, and offers spectacular views across the Ovens and King Valley and the Victorian Alps – making it the ideal sunrise hike.
We acknowledge that this adventure is located on Waywurru Country, the traditional land of the Waywurru people who have occupied and cared for this land for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.
Highlights
Following The Ridge Track
After a week of pre-dawn wake ups, on our last day in Wangaratta, all the We Are Explorers crew wanted was a sleep in. We’d PACKED our schedule with adventures and were starting to feel the pull of the pillow.
But Tim-been-er / Mt Glenrowan was calling, and we’d heard we simply had to be at the summit for sunrise. So at 4:30am, we tumbled out of bed, grabbed our pre-packed coffee supplies and snacks, and hit the road.
After about a 20 minute drive out of town, we arrived at the Ridge Track car park, just off Taminick Gap Road in Warby-Ovens National Park. We were the only ones who’d decided to take on the track in the dim morning light, but we weren’t complaining.
Donning our head torches, (handy for avoiding potential spiderwebs that may have been weaved in the night) we began the first short climb up to the ridgeline.
For the most part, the track follows a wide fire trail, with a few bitumen sections. It’s never steep for long, but it does undulate up and down a few hills along the way.
As the light began to lift, we started spotting kangaroos and rock wallabies camouflaging themselves amongst the scrub, both humans and roos stopping to stare at each other for a while.
Reaching The Summit
We were told it takes an hour to reach the Tim-been-er / Mt Glenrowan summit, and that was correct to an absolute tee (and we were walking quickly to try and catch the morning light!). So be lenient with your pre-dawn self and allow around an hour and 15 minutes to trek from car park to summit.
The last leg of the hike saw the treeline to our left start to open up as the sweeping vistas of the King Valley below came into view.
The valley was still awash with thick, white mist, and thousands of trees popping their heads above it all.
We found ourselves a spot to sit, and I whipped out the coffee, tea, and stove to brew everyone up something warm as we drank in the view.
And Back Again
One of my favourite parts of a sunrise hike is getting to see the gorgeous area you just walked through again in the daylight! It makes it feel like a whole new track and experience.
As we began our trek back to the car, we noticed dark, looming clouds start to drip, drop on us from the west, while the gorgeously bright sunrise was still shining on us from the east – you know what that means….
A hard and fast downpour gave us a good drenching as we picked up the pace on the last few kilometres.
We arrived back at the car by 7:45am, positively soaked and stoked on what we’d achieved and witnessed in the dawning hours of the day.
Essential Gear
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Headtorch
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Sturdy shoes
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Camera
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Jumper
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Coffee and tea supplies
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Hiking stove
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Possibly a raincoat!
How To Get There
The hike to the summit of Tim-been-er / Mt Glenrowan follows the Ridge Track, which starts by the car park off Taminick Gap Road in Warby-Ovens National Park.
The trailhead is about a 20 minute drive from Wangaratta.
Skill Level
The track is wide and easy to navigate. There are some small inclines, but nothing too intense.
Distance Covered / Duration / Elevation Gain
9km return / 2.5 hours (with time for tea at the top!) / 169m