Mt William and the Major Mitchell Plateau.

A 4WD management track continues down to Boundary Gap which is a pleasant, sheltered spot for lunch. From there the walking track goes straight up to the top of the plateau. I expected it to zig zag up because of the gradient but it's marked as a straight line on the map, so when we couldn't clearly make out the track we simply headed "straight up". There are some obstacles on the way up in the way of small cliffs/ large rocks but these seem to funnel you to the track at the top.

Once on top of the plateau the track is very easy to follow, with boardwalks protecting swampy areas from erosion. Despite the effort involved in the walk it is a very popular one and a toilet was flown in to the campsite as the water had become polluted. Take your water from as far upstream of the campsite as possible and if in doubt, boil it first. This is no place to become sick.

The eastern edge of the plateau is lined with cliffs. This is also the eastern edge of the Grampians, with its slopes dropping steeply to the plains of Western Victoria some 800m below. Needless to say the views are fantastic. The top of the plateau is typically covered by stunted alpine eucalypts, making it a very exposed walk in either summer or winter.

 If you ever want to learn about the effect of mountains on local weather this is the place to be. The plateau receives over 1000mm of rain per year while the adjacent plains get a little over 600mm. This is part of the Great Dividing Range and one of the things it divides is the weather. It can be raining to the south and sunny to the north. But by far the most impressive weather phenomenon is a temperature inversion that not only fills the valleys of the Grampians with fog in the morning but also the covers the plains and hills to the east with the nearest visible land being Langi Ghiran some 40km away.