Conway Circuit (formerly Whitsunday Great Walk)

Getting there

Forestry Road from Airlie Beach

Travel west along Shute Harbour Road for about 10 km and turn left onto Brandy Creek Road. Follow this road onto Forestry Road through to the car park. This is the start of the Conway circuit.

Forestry Road from the Bruce Highway

One kilometre north of Proserpine (or 65 km south of Bowen), turn off the highway onto Shute Harbour Road. Travel 12 km before turning right onto Brandy Creek Road. Follow this road, and then Forestry Road through to the car park.

Maps

Find the comprehensive circuit map here.

Route/Trail notes

The tropical refuge of Conway National Park combines lush rainforest with magnificent views. The Conway Circuit takes you on a 28km journey through Conway State Forest starting at Brandy Creek (approximately a ten minute drive from Airlie Beach) and finishing in Airlie Beach.

Highlights of the Conway Circuit include wandering through majestic tropical rainforest, relaxing by seasonal creeks and looking beyond coastal townships to the Whitsunday islands. Tantalise all of your senses by looking for the blue flash of a Ulysses butterfly, smell lemon myrtle flowers and listen for the distinctive call of the Wompoo Fruit-Dove. With tracks of varying distance and difficulty, everyone can explore the Conway Range.

The entire Great Walk is intended to be a three day escape but you can choose shorter walks that are linked to the main track, accessible from Brandy Creek or watch out for the annual ‘Run the Whitsunday Great Trail’ event.

For a shorter walk, start the trail from Kara Crescent in Airlie Beach. After approximately 1 hour, you will get to Honeyeater track junction. Take a right turn which will take you on a 1.5 hour return track to a lookout offering magnificent views over Cannonvale, Dryander Range, the Whitsunday Islands and beyond.
Kingfisher Circuit and Wompoo Walk are also shorter walks that are part of the Conway Circuit, both are accessed from the Forestry Road car park.

The Specifics

Conway circuit - 27.1km

Walking: 3 days and 2 nights is recommended, however can be done in under 6 hours.

Riding: 4 hrs (fit and experienced riders)

Kingfisher circuit - 2km return

Walking: 1.5 hrs

Wompoo way - 7km return

Walking: 3.5 hrs

Riding: 45 mins

Honeyeater lookout - 8.2km return

Walking: 3 hrs

Riding: 1.5 hrs

Permits/Costs

For those looking to get amongst nature and sleep under the stars, the National Parks of the Whitsundays offer a variety of designated camping spots for you to enjoy the serenity (permits required). Discover some of the ‘off the beaten’ track hidden gems of the Whitsunday Coast, from picturesque views and spectacular waterfalls to the flora and fauna of the rainforest.

Campers must be self-sufficient:
• Take your own drinking water
• No fires permitted - use gas or fuel stoves for cooking
• Return all of your rubbish and dispose of thoughtfully
• “Take only pictures and leave only memories”

Camping fees are applicable if camping. However, not all of the trails require camping.

Fees for camping permits in national parks and other protected areas, forest reserves, State forests and recreation areas, from 1 July 2015:

$5.95 per person per night, or $23.80 per family per night;
$3.30 per person per night for students and accompanying adults on approved educational excursions.

Other References

Find more info on the Department of National Parks, Sports and Racing's site here.

GPS Tracks

No GPS available for this walk yet.

Comments

I completed the entire track + the honey eater lookout trail in one day in 30 degree heat. It took me about 8 hours. The final uphill section can be quite gruelling after hiking for 6 hours straight.

Thankfully there are a lot of watertanks on the way for filling up water bottles, just remember to purify the water before drinking it.
The lookouts, particularly honey eater lookout was quite scenic

Beware of the snakes and spiders. On the journey I ran into 7 snakes , although mostly harmless beware and stay alert. Also beware of the massive spiders that have set up webs in the middle of the path. They are quite intimidating and could cause some damage.

Overall good hike that doesn't really need 3 days to be completed.
Andy on 16 Dec, 2020

Did the 8k up to Honeyeater Lookout and back from Airlie Beach, great walk but relentlessly uphill on the way up, a real burner. Great view at the top. Clear track and signage, you can't get lost.
nathan woodcock on 2 Oct, 2019

Beautiful walk in the Conway National Park. You can do the whole circuit in a day or varying lengths at each end with a 2 hour to half day length. Transport or a transfer is required to reach the trail head at the brandy creek road end of the trail.
Absolute Airlie provide guided tours & transfers in the area. www.absoluteairlie.com.au
Absolute Airlie on 27 Oct, 2018

Only did honeyeater lookout track but couldn't find the walk on here to tick! Well. I came across a backpacker who was a bit frustrated by the length of this track. Although it is about 3.6km round circuit, it certainly feels longer. There are several inclines and the track winds down and around regularly. You feel like you're going up and down in vain.
Nevertheless the views are amazing and second to none. I saw one snake on the track but there'd be plenty more around haha. Also quite a few goannas and some gorgeous butterflies!
Overall I'd recommend this track but be prepared for the humidity. A snake bandage be a good idea too.
J_Jenwren on 4 May, 2018

Conway Circuit - Grade 4 - 27 KM One Way.
Completed the whole circuit in one day. We started at Brandy Creek and finished at Kara Crescent in Airlie Beach.
We started hiking at 5:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

There were plenty of wild boars,goannas and leeches(though it rained a couple of days before the hike).

The trail is marked almost every kilometer.
A few steep sections between 10km to 16 km mark and between the last 3.3kms.

Overall it was good fun!
Anah Alfonso on 31 Mar, 2018

Did complete the whole circuit (27.1km) but don't remember how long it took. We started early morning and finished early afternoon. The last segment of the walk is especially difficult, being quite steep in terrain. However, there are shorter walks (such as Wompoo, or to the first camp) that are a lot easier for everybody to attempt. Beautiful scenery and constant bird calls being heard. My dad and I did this track (him with a 20kg pack) while he was training for Kokoda and found it incredibly helpful.
complikate on Jan, 2013