Mt Noorat
Mt Noorat is an impressive scoria cone with multiple eruption points situated about a kilometer north of the town of Noorat. The main crater is appoximately 600m wide and 150m deep, which is below the level of the surrounding plain.
14th March, 2013
Having driven up the side of Mt Noorat on the way home from our Mt Napier excursion in 2012, we had always wanted to visit this magnificent eruption point again. An opportunity arose on a bleak Sunday afternoon, and we decided to have a go at walking up to the summit.
We visited Mt Pornden and several other eruption points on the way, so we started running out of time in the end. The weather improved only marginally on the trip there, and the light wasn't the best for photography. But we persevered and we got some nice shots.
The volcano itself is a very noticeable amongst the flat terrain, although you cannot see the main crater from the plain. There is a road up the Southern side of the mountain which takes you up a valley which looks like it could have been an eruption point, one of many that are visible around the slopes of the main cone.
Near the top of the road there is parking next to the access track, with some interpretive information. Once we climbed over the style, we walked up hill for about 20 minutes to get to the main crater. The complex landscape is hard to interpret, but it would appear that the main crater is probably the most prominent simply because it's the last feature to erupt, and many others would have been covered. I can't help but compare it to Red Rock in that respect.
To the left of the track on your way up is what looks to be the remnants of another crater, with communications towers on the highest point on the rim.
The main crater is amazingly deep with steep sides. There are trees on the sheltered western inner slope and a prominent spatter rampart on the eastern rim.
It is a pleasant walk around the rim, with nice views of the surrounding country side and other volcanoes in the area. You can make out lava flows to the north of the crater and more of the possible covered eruption points.
After dawdling earlier in the day and stopping on many occasions on the rim waiting for some sun to poke between the clouds, we really didn't get to spend enough time up Mt Noorat. We'll definitely be returning to this feature soon.