Mt Blaine Summit Trail

A challenging track to the summit of Mt Blaine. The trail consists of steep inclines and rock scrambling. The summit provides 360 degree view over Brisbane, Ipswich and the scenic rim and a great view of Flinders Peak. The track goes up the northern side, over the summit and back down the southern side. High level of fitness, off track experience, scrambling experience and solid boots are all recommended. Do not attempt this climb if you have knee problems, nervous conditions or vertigo.

Lookouts

Scrambling or Climbing

Eucalypt Forest

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Getting there

Take the Mount Flinders Road offthe Ipswich-Boonah Road at Peak Crossing. Follow this unsealed road to the end which terminates at the Flinders Plum Picnic area. Take the Mt Blaine Hiking Track from the picnic area and follow it to the end which is at base of the mountian. A council information sign marks the start of the route.

Maps

Which maps cover the area?

Route/Trail notes

From the council sign follow the fire trail up the incline to the barb wire fence. Continue past the fence and locate a rough track on the right which leads uphill. Follow the track through the scrub until you reach a hillside of loose rocks. There a lighter coloured rocks in the middle which mark the path up and you can regain the track at the top of the rocks. The track continues to climb through the scrub. The track is overgrown to the sides with scrub and grass but the track is easy to see as it is defined on the ground and the dirt is red. There are parts with loose rocks and a scramble up a large rock face which can get slippery. Past the scramble the scrub gets a bit thicker but it is hard to diverge from the track. After some time you will reach the summit and enjoy the views. When you want to go down find the trail on the other side of the peak. Look for the big Prickly Pear. This side of the mountain is covered in dry vine-forest and is more dense. The ground is more rocky and there are a lot more loond slipping hazards. At the base you join up with the Skyline Ridge track and walk back to the picnic area.

Alternatively you can go in reverse. Take the Sandy Creek Track from the picnic area and after 1.6km you will reach a junction where you go left of the creek. Walk a further 600m up the hill and you will reach the trail head for the southern side. There are clear markers indicating the start of the track. The track is not very visible.

Permits/Costs

No permit needed/Free

Other References

How can I find more info? Any guide books?

GPS Tracks

No GPS available for this walk yet.

Comments

Only a short hike as far as distance goes but definitely a hard one as it's very steep and the track is quite unstable as in loose rocks etc. We did it after a small ammount of rain which made most of the track soft muddy and slippery. Wouldn't like to go after heavy rain. Easy to lose the track coming down and had a bit of a battle with overgrown shrubbery across the track. And most of the tree trunks we used for hand holds were prickly. Enjoyed the challenges of this hike. Would be tough on a hot day.
ian parker on 28 Sep, 2024

We did the circuit in two and a quarter hours (including Mt Catherine). Its' a good steep climb with no exposure to speak of. Coming down on the southeast track, you have to be careful on the scree (gloves are good to protect your hands in case you slip over). Once the trail levels out in the eucalypt forest, the trail is quite indistinct, but keep heading downhill and you should eventually find the Sandy Creek track.
Michael D on 13 Jul, 2024

You start on the Sandy Creek Track which is about 20 metres from the track to Flinders Peak. After a few metres a sign then directs you to turn left over a dry creek bed. The Sandy Creek walk keeps going. From here it's a reasonably steep 4WD track up the mountain. We veered off to Mt Catherine (signposted), a 600 m return track. On returning, we continued up the slope till we came to the saddle. Here we turned right. This track takes you to some scree and a bit of a rock climb. After the rocks a dirt foot pad appears and takes you to the top of the mountain There are clear 360 views at the top.

The way down the eastern side is surprisingly easy to navigate. The track begins about 20 m down from the summit. You should see a orange triangle indicating the direction. Orange triangles will guide you to the base of the mountain. The track has been cleared and is fairly well defined. No problems with Lantana. Halfway down you encounter the slip and slide scree for about 150 metres. After that it becomes a walk in the park through the Eucalypts and Hoop Pines along Sandy Creek. Took us just over 3 hours all up. Distance is about 5.5 km
Jeff on 9 Jul, 2023

After the start at plum picnic area the trail goes up steep and appears to be quite boring. Higher up it gets narrower up to a point where you doubt it is the trail. Climbing over loose rocks and through dense vegetation brings you to the top. The 360 views up top are breathtaking. The continue trail on the other side is even harder to follow and massively overgrown. The loose rocks are quite treaterous and the branches to hold on to are often spikey. Watch where you grab! A tough trail, but worth the effort.
Marc Wingelaar on 23 Apr, 2023

Excellent. The view, not the track. Good description on Oct 3, 2021.
Wanderlust on 10 Apr, 2023

From the Flinders Plum carpark, follow the Mt Blaine hiking track marker up a steep firetrail until you come to a sign marked Mt Blaine saddle. Be quiet in this area and you will see the resident wallabies. Continue STRAIGHT past this sign and you will find a sign marked Mt Blaine Summit track. From here, the track is extremely steep and you need a good level of fitness to continue. The reward once you get to the top is a fantastic 360° view of Brisbane City, Main Range and Mt Flinders. The track down the eastern side of the mountain is not very well defined (use the large cactus as a reference) and has no markers - you'll need a good sense of direction and bush sense to stay on the track. The scree is extremely loose and caution is advised. I would not recommend trying to ascend the mountain via this route. Once at the bottom of the scree, keep left and you will come across a sign describing the change in forest types. Continue down through an easy track of beautiful eucalyptus woodland and you will eventually come across Sandy Creek track. Continue right (downhill) This is a leisurely stroll down a wide firebreak through pine trees and old cattle yards and is full of bird life. This will take you back to the carpark. All up it was around 6km and 2.5 hrs.
Ryno87 on 3 Oct, 2021

Very challenging, but rewarding! Really feel like you're climbing a mountain as there are parts that are near vertical. Wear clothes you don't mind ruining, as you will get dusty and maybe snagged on rocks/branches etc.
Tori on 12 Sep, 2021

When you come to the sign(s), at the fork, veer to the right. About 30-40 metres along the correct path you will see a park bench up the embankment to the left and will come to another sign in another 50m or so. After summiting, we tried desending the East face as described in previous comments, but were unable to find an established path due to the overgrowth.
Cory Hoesing on 17 Apr, 2021

Saw an eagle hovering 10m above the summit just as I arrived, it circled around in the wind looking at me
Angus Small on 15 Aug, 2020

Steep challenging hike. Lots of loose dirt and rocks. be careful
BeckNWood on 9 Aug, 2020

Quite a steep climb, requiring a bit of rock scrambling and using you hands as well, many loose rocks so make sure you are wearing sturdy footwear. No thongs or sandals!! Also don't try this if you are uncomfortable with heights as there are some near vertical sections on unstable ground. A minimum of moderate fitness to do this one, so if you get puffed going up a flight of stairs, or have bad knees, this one ain't for you.

Coming down, while definitely easier than going up, is also more dangerous as you pick up momentum, especially on the loose rocky section where i fell over (LoL) Other than that, it's an awesome bang for buck climb with great views, and a good workout for your thighs!! Not a lot of room on the summit so don't go with a large group.
Nittus on 3 May, 2020

Awesome hike, very steep but short. Its difficult to find where it starts and the track tends to get a bit overgrown in places. Follow the barb wire fence up the hill till you see a narrow track. Very easy to miss.
Joel Bideganeta on 10 Feb, 2020

Tough walk..The initial part of it is along the fire trail which is quiet steep, so this will keep the heart pumping. You then come to the sign for the start of the trail to your right. path is easy enough to follow in most places. There is a rocky bit where you scramble up, loose rocks all over to take care as you will slip (especially whilst descending). After a point you pretty much bush bash all the way to the top (not difficult). The views are amazing and are 360. best views of flinders peak that i have seen.
Ashwin on 19 Oct, 2019

Would definitely recommend wearing boots or shoes with ankle support as the loose rocks could easily result in a twisted ankle.
Pped on 5 Oct, 2019

Lots of rocks and very steep. Some of the rocks are loose so take your time to carefully work your way upwards. No shade at the peak but plenty of views of surrounding mountains. You will probably get a dusty bum by the end as its slippery on the way down.
ebbers on 28 Jul, 2019

Great scramble to the summit, make sure to go left at the Mt Blaine Saddle if approaching from Flinders Plum. Don't get caught at the summit after dark like me, it was horrendously dangerous
Angus Small on 28 Jun, 2019

You can glimpse a view of Brisbane city on the top, Be very careful going down - slippery dirt and rocks.
Aggy on 7 May, 2019

Great steep walk which I did twice in the last week. The loop walk from Flinders Plum picnic area return (4.5 km total) took me 3 hours the first time but only 1.5 hrs the second (travelling reasonably quickly). The first and last sections of the trail are on well maintained 4WD tracks. The Mt Blaine trail itself is a narrow foot trail over rough terrain with some scrambling (and slipping). I recorded the route on Wikiloc the second time as I lost the trail twice the first time I did it. At the barbed wire fence the foot trail commences running parallel to the fence on the right. If doing the loop walk, depart from the summit down the east side. The trail becomes obvious 5 metres down.
Wig on 10 Aug, 2018