This Year
0
Number of Walks Ticked
0.0m
Total Distance Ticked
All Time
1
Number of Walks Ticked
56.0km
Total Distance Ticked
| Name | Date | Difficulty | Distance/Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Conondale Great Walk (Conondale National Park) |
27 Aug, 2020 |
Hard |
56km return 4 days |
|
| This was my first solo multi-day hike and boy was it good. I chose to go in the last day of winter (as suggested on the Great Walk page) which meant I saw no leeches and didn't get any ticks, though wearing long pants and sleeves also helps. While it is possible to do the hike in two days, why would you? Take the time and enjoy the scenery and the birds. I walk at a reasonable pace and generally take half the amount of time suggested on the map, even with regular stops to look and listen. This was good as it allowed me to arrive at the next camp, setup, have lunch and then explore the waterfalls that are close to each camp site. The track is well marked, with the only way you could miss a trail sign is if you weren't paying attention, or it was missing, which was not the case when I did it. There is only one sign on the way from Tallowwood to Summer Falls which seems inaccurate as it states 9.9km, imply you have walked 7km, when this is not the case. On section two (Wongai to Tallowwood), there is a bit of debris across the track to navigate but that just adds to the sense of hiking through the rainforest, and is in no way an inconvenience. Be sure to take toilet paper with you, as both Wongai and Summer Falls were out of toilet paper; Wongai due to its proximity to Booloumba Falls carpark area and Summer Falls due to its popularity as an overnight hike (I'm guessing). In terms of distance, the is accurate, as you would expect. Using GPS alone is severely hampered by the dense tree canopy, so don't rely purely on a simple GPS for distance or navigation and instead take a fit-for-purpose unit. You might have good coverage and satellite lock at the entrance, but this changes quickly once you enter the dense forest. Overall, this is an excellent walk through some amazing vegetation with plenty of animals to see and hear. |
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