Profile for Vonsnrub - Aussie Bushwalking

This Year

Number of Walks Ticked

306.3km

Total Distance Ticked

All Time

193

Number of Walks Ticked

1,830.7km

Total Distance Ticked

Ticks

Name	Date	Difficulty	Distance/Duration
Mt Wagawn (Lamington National Park)	12 Jan, 2021	Medium	18km return 7 hrs
The directions others have given in the comments are accurate. I started from Hayters Road and climbed up via the Bushrangers Cave. Was very very similar to Mt Cougal. Similar quality of track, similar terrain, similar intensity - only the views aren't quite as good. I mostly had no issues with the track, someone has gone to town with the pink ribbons which made it a lot easier. There is one nice view right before the Wagawn sign where you can see all the way out to Mt Warning. I continued on after that and went and checked out Mt Hobwee (took about 45 minutes each way from the sign). I quite enjoyed the day, even if it was a little ... leechy. Saw a friendly Echidna on the way up in the long grass, thankful it was an echnida and not a danger noodle.
Mt Hobwee Circuit (Lamington National Park)	12 Jan, 2021	Medium	18.2km return 8 hrs
I stopped by after climbing Mt Wagawn from the Bushrangers Cave. The walk is pleasant enough, apart from a few trees that have collapsed on top of the track. The stretch from Wagawn to Hobwee is a very gentle incline, sort of similar to Mt Mitchell. Fair bit of water up there after all the rain, so if you are a leech enthusiast you will be in for a treat. The view from the top is fairly average but I still enjoyed the detour.
Mt Doubletop (Main Range National Park)	26 Nov, 2020	Hard	6km return 3 hrs
Great walk with fantastic views and a really nice vantage point of Spicers Peak to the north. Alot of it is trackless and it's very easy to go off course so definitely bring a GPS if you have one. There is a nice clear track between the two summits and a little camp site in the saddle.
Springbrook Pinnacle (Springbrook National Park)	20 Nov, 2020	Hard	20km return 7 hrs
Very scenic walk with heaps of things to see along the way! We did the whole Warrie circuit and the pinacle and it took just over 5 hours at a comfortable rate stopping to see all the attractions. The path to the pinacle from the circuit is great, certainly not a bush bash. The climb up the pinacle wasn't overly hard, if you can do Tibrogargan you can do this. There seem to be a number of ways up it but I think the easiest way is the most direct way straight up from the path (not going around the base of it). Saw a couple of snakes on the way back to the circuit, both were in a hurry to get out of our way so didn't get to identify them. Very well spent day, the views were fantastic, would be great to see all the waterfalls immediately after rain.
Mt Clunie (Mt Barney National Park)	12 Nov, 2020	Hard	10.1km return 5 hrs
Directions to the starting point were accurate, although it was a bit intimidating hopping the gate to follow the border fence when technically the road is closed due to COVID. The first 2/3 of the hike is undulating and relatively pleasant with occasional views of Wilson's Peak. Then you reach the beginning of the steep section and it quickly becomes rather unpleasant. I think there must have been some fires through this area which brings some good news and bad news - good news: you get some nice views while you are climbing up, Bad news: Everything that has regrown has spikes, thorns, prickles and other spikey ornaments attached to it. Makes it very difficult when you are trying to walk up a 45 degree slope but you can't touch the ground because the dirt is filled with spikes, the rocks are covered in prickles, and the branches are all covered in thorns. My advice would be to wear long pants, sleves and have some gloves. When you get into the rainforest section it becomes nice again - still steep but nowhere near as hard going. No view from the top but still a well spent day. Can't believe that fence goes all the way to the top, the photos don't do it justice, it is diabolically steep!
Mt Chowan (Mt Jerusalem National Park)	2 Nov, 2020	Medium	9.4km return 4 hrs
Followed the GPS track in the description but found it a little misleading. I would probably opt to stay on the gradually ascending firetrail rather than take the steeply undulating track off to the left. The track doesn't offer any views the firetrail doesn't have (I would probably say the firetrail views are slightly better). The GPS track at one point directs you to enter a gate with a large NO TRESPASSING sign - which you don't encounter if you stay on the firetrail. And technically the GPS track doesn't actually go to the top of the mountain, had to find my own way for the last part (which was easy enough). The last little section to the summit has a faint footpad but would recommend keeping your bearings when you get the trig station on the top, so you don't walk back down the wrong side of the mountain. Otherwise pretty easy, no need for GPS.
Bald Rock Summit (Bald Rock National Park)	10 Oct, 2020	Medium	2.9km return 90 mins
Really fun walk, quite similar to the Pyramid although probably not quite as steep. There are really fantastic 360 degree views at the top. Definitely worth stopping in if you are in the area, doesn't take very long to go up and down it (even if the sign recommends 3 hours). Probably took us less than an hour return to do it with photo stops along the way.
Mt Borumba (Conondale National Park)	27 Sep, 2020	Medium	13.4km return 4 hrs
The day use area was packed today (Sunday), did not expect the Dam to be as popular as it was. In saying that, I didn't see anyone else hiking up the mountain. Did the circuit as per the wikiloc track. The walk itself is like a combination of Mt Mermaid and Mt Allen. Unfortunately due to all the trees you will struggle to get many views along the way. The view at the top is pretty nice, even if it is only a smal window through the scrub. The descent was pretty intense, very loose dirt and rocks on a very steep incline. If you can walk down it without falling over you must be a lot more coordinated than I am. Saw heaps of goannas and a friendly tree snake.
Paddy's Peak (Mt Barney National Park)	20 Sep, 2020	Medium	8km return 3.5 hrs
Not a bad little hike with great views along the way. It's not as high as its neighbors, but it gives a great perspective of them all. The area was badly burnt during the fires and I think the track suffered as a result. However the terrain is quite open so don't have to do any bushbashing. Bit of spider web bashing though. Nice walk if you don't want to tackle one of the larger mountains but still want to check out the area. GPS would be good, but probably not totally necessary if you are experienced hiking in areas with faint tracks.
Mount Cooee (Glass House Mountains National Park)	19 Sep, 2020	Medium	4km return 2.5 hrs
So the description is accurate, after you get off the firetrail it is pretty close to trackless. There are some faint markings, and there is a rough track running across the top, but for the most part you just have to make your own way up and down. There are some nice views on the North Eastern side out towards Mt Beerwah. It's a lot like mt miketeebumulgrai, except slightly worse in the track department, and slightly better in the view department.
Mount Bartle Frere - Eastern Approach (Wooroonooran National Park)	12 Sep, 2020	Very Hard	15km return 12 hrs
Extremely well marked track, would be very difficult to get lost. The walk can be broken down into 1-3km - moderate walk with occassional steep parts, 3-4km - becoming steep, 4-5km - very steep, 5-7km becoming less steep, reach your first boulder field just before the helipad. 7km to summit - scrambling up a big boulder field. None of it is technically difficult, and certainly not navigationally difficult, but it is constant uphill for hours on end. I found the boulder field was about as difficult as the one up Cradle Mountain. Was great to briefly be the highest person in QLD, even if I was freezing and wet and had no view due to the clouds. Excellent hike, I highly recommend it! I also recommend preparing for a lot of leeches if it's wet.
Mt Castle (Main Range National Park)	5 Sep, 2020	Very Hard	12km return 7 hrs
Very draining hike, even though you are technically losing elevation you are constantly steeply climbing/descending, bush bashing, scrambling, attempting to find the track. The views along this hike are unmatched, however the summit views aren't quite as good as the view from the Mt Castle lookout you pass early on. I would say this hike is very similar to Razorback Mountain, possibly a bit harder. So long as you don't go along the cliffs at the start it's not too bad. We tried to check out the cliffs and I came very close to falling when a huge boulder I was leaning on dislodged. Perhaps this ridge was once passable, but I assure you it is no more. I wouldn't even do it with ropes, you just can't trust the rock. The track is surprisingly good despite the fires, but it can be tricky to follow at times so I would recommend a GPS.
Mt Widgee (Wide Bay Burnett)	24 Aug, 2020	Medium	10km return 2 hrs
Was a bit nervous about driving to this one considering the description really emphasizes it is 4wd only. Took my Subaru Forester up to the parking area and it was a pretty decent road. Probably wouldn't want to take a Getz or a low car up there, but certainly an suv with a bit of clearance isn't going to have any trouble. From there it is a pretty undulating walk along an actual 4wd track that follows the ridgeline . There are some good views, especially when you reach the hangliding launch area where the view is fantastic. Walk a bit further and you will reach the end of the road where you will have to take a faint footpad off to the right to get to the summit. The track is pretty clear, sometimes hidden by the masses of grass trees. If you continue far enough you get to what appears to be a weather station and the view there is absolutely stunning. Kind of similar to the Spring Mountain walk except there's only one road, and the view is a lot better. Only place you may run into trouble is retracing your steps and getting from the summit back to the 4wd track, so just be vigilant on the climb so you remember where to descend.
Mount Goolman (Ipswich - Flinders Goolman Conservation Estate)	22 Aug, 2020	Medium	5km 2 hrs
I started at Hardings Paddock picnic area and walked the long way past Goolman lookout. The vast majority of the walk was along undulating firetrails which have the ocassional sign. When you approach Mt Goolman look out on your left for a footpad that shoots up the side of the mountain. The footpad is pretty well marked and has ribbons up the whole way. This track is pretty steep the whole way up, sort of reminded me a bit of the Tunbubudlas in the Glasshouse Mountains. The view at the top was pretty obstructed, but it was still an enjoyable way to spend a morning. Took me 2.5hrs return from the Harding's Paddock picnic area.
Charlie Moreland to Mt Allan (Conondale National Park)	16 Aug, 2020	Hard	8.8km return 3 hrs
Very well marked firetrail track starting at the surprisingly popular Charlie Mooreland camping site. It begins nice and flat then quickly becomes quite steep - not ridiculously steep like the firetrails in Brisbane Forest Park, but still moderately steep. Not sure if the firetower is actually open, the sign at the start of the walk said it was closed but the door at the bottom of the firetower staircase was open, so who knows. Took me around 1hr up and 45mins down.
Mt Cotton (South East Queensland)	15 Aug, 2020	Medium	3.5km return 75 mins
It's not a bad little walk, sort of similar to Mt Elimbah in terms of physical exertion. There is a bit of a confusing network of trails but if you keep heading uphill you will get to the top. There are some alright views, and on a clear day you can see Mt Lindesay and Barney out in the distance.
Mermaid Mountain (D'Aguilar National Park)	9 Aug, 2020	Medium	18km return 5 hrs
I started from the Lake Manchester Day use area so I could combine it with a walk around the dam. Was a long walk, took me around 6 hours return with constant walking. I turned off from the dam walk just at Light Line road (however there is a small track just after that road that starts off as a creek bed that is a lot more direct). From there it get pretty steep! There are parts of the walk where you using your hands to ascend, and keep in mind this is a fire road, so it's pretty crazy just how steep it gets. After getting to the top, turn left to walk to the lookout. The lookout has a nice view of Lake Manchester and all the way out to Main Range.
Mt Razorback (Lamington National Park)	2 Aug, 2020	Very Hard	15km return 8 hrs
Full days walk, we went all the way to the summit. If I had to compare it to mountains I have done before I would say it is similar to Mt Ernest and Spicers Peak. There are some fantastic views, and some very precarious cliffs. When we arrived we were a bit surprised to find the sign on the fence, we decided to do the right thing and call the number - we had no reception so this meant driving back to Beaudesert. When we did get reception and called we discovered the phone was disconnected. Because of this we decided not to drive in but instead walk, there are plenty of signs saying it is private property but my understanding from other people who have done this mountain is that the fields on the left and right of the road are private, however the road itself and the track are okay to use. The track is pretty easy to follow for the most part, but beyond the cliffs to the summit, they get very faint. I would personally recommend not walking to the summit as there is nothing to see there anyway (besides a small pile of rocks). Even in winter we saw snakes in the knee high grass you have to walk through so we were pretty on edge. The walk to the top of the cliffs was excellent despite being very slippery and steep. Do not do this track in the wet!! All in all a good day up a lesser known mountain.
Brian Burke Reserve / House Mountain (South East Queensland)	28 Jul, 2020	Medium	5km return 2 hrs
Nice cruisy walk up the mountain via the firetrails. There are a series of maps along the way, which is handy because at the start it's a bit of a labyrinth - sort of like Spring Mountain. Like others have said there are some partial views through the trees but I would probably leave your camera at home.
Flagstaff Mountain Lookout (Kamilaroi Walking Track) (New South Wales)	17 Jul, 2020	Medium	5.5km return 2 hrs
From the Oxley lookout follow a well marked track to the top of Flag Staff mountain. The track is quite popular and easy to follow. There are a few tracks which split off to other destinations such as Wallaby Rocks. At the top there is a nice Bench of Reflection with an incredible view. Not overly hard but it is quite steep in parts. Great walk to do if you have 2 hours to kill.