Profile for Steph T - Aussie Bushwalking

This Year

Number of Walks Ticked

0.0m

Total Distance Ticked

All Time

Number of Walks Ticked

174.4km

Total Distance Ticked

Ticks

Name	Date	Difficulty	Distance/Duration
Border Track (Lamington National Park)	13 Aug, 2022	Hard	21.8km 7 hrs
Completed this walk from Binna Burra to O'Reilly's using the bus exchange. We royally missed the deadline for afternoon tea, taking 7 hours to complete the walk. It was raining the whole time, with small, constant bogs to navigate, and we arrived at our destination freezing and achy, but proud of ourselves. There were a few mild uphills but mostly flat. Nothing to see at lookouts but cloud this time, but beautiful diversity of plant-life. Would like to do this again in dry weather to see the views. Only 1 leech & no ticks (too cold apparently).
Lake Cressbrook Walking Track - Day Use Area to Full Circuit (Darling Downs South West)	10 Aug, 2022	Medium	7.5km return 3 hrs
One of our favourite walks in the Toowoomba Region with lots of pretty views and wildlife. My kids are used to walking longer distances and managed this well with snack breaks, but most kids would probably have had enough with just the short circuit. Good playground at the day use area and great toilet/shower facilities at the camp grounds.
Dr Roberts Waterhole (Girraween National Park)	31 Jul, 2022	Easy	1.4km return 30 mins
We did this side track as an add-on to the Underground Creek walk, thinking it would be a bit boring by comparison. We actually enjoyed this spot the most. The adults enjoyed the peaceful feel of the waterhole (a wide, clear section of the creek, not stagnant or stinky). The kids spent a long time exploring the boulders by the creek - still a challenge for little arms & legs but no sheer drop offs to worry about. Saw a cormorant & lots of wombat holes.
Underground Creek (Girraween National Park)	31 Jul, 2022	Medium	3.8km return 105 mins
Gentle walk with only a few short flights of stairs. The wave-shaped rock formation was a wonderful surprise after seeing so many of the typical stacked boulders of Girraween NP. Even in winter there were many flowers out on show today - banksias, purple peas, various wattles and countless puffs of white-flowered bushes, as well as a bracken fern section and some grassy marshland. My 5&7 year old kids loved climbing on the rocks, though with close supervision as the drop off is a bit concerning for young ones.
Granite Arch (Girraween National Park)	30 Jul, 2022	Easy	1.7km return 30 mins
Easy walk with young children, with lots of mini rock faces to climb, hollow trees to hide in & outcrops/rock passages to explore. Wattles are out in radiant splashes of yellow all along the path.
Castle Rock (Girraween National Park)	30 Jul, 2022	Hard	4.4km return 90 mins
Well marked trail. Lots of steps, but these are broken up by short flattish sections to give you a breather. While the challenge of the Pyramid is its steep rockface, I found Castle Rock more interesting, with a few narrow passages to pass through, folds in the rock to ascend and short scrambles using hands. The ledge section others have mentioned was extremely accessible - wide footpad and basically flat. There's a curved drop off to your left but that's several metres away. Might be heart-stopping in wet weather but on a fine day like we had today it was no problem. Views from the top are sensational. The plant-life is also quite different here than the northern walks. Took us 2hrs 10min with lots of stops for photos.
The Pyramid (Girraween National Park)	30 Jul, 2022	Hard	3.8km return 2 hrs
Did this walk today with my fit 77 year old father. We set out early (before 7am) and had the summit to ourselves. The neverending stairs were a killer, even in the cool of the morning, but walking up the rock face itself wasn't too physically taxing (unless you have knee/ankle issues). The first section is very steep, but if you want extra peace of mind you can veer slightly left of the dotted line and hold onto the low, rocky wall that leads you most of the way to the top. Don't give up when you reach the steep, wide passage between the rocks. The other side of this becomes much easier and the summit is just around the corner. Loved it. Will take my kids next time.
Grasstree Track + Bridle Trail + Redwood Forest Walk Loop, Redwood Park (Toowoomba)	27 Jul, 2022	Hard	7km return 2.5 hrs
Path very wet today due to recent rain/flooding. Some damage to the trails.
Grasstree Track - Eagle's Nest Trail Loop, Redwood Park (Toowoomba)	14 May, 2022	Hard	4km 2 hrs
Gorgeous walk with great variety of plant-life & views from the top. Due to recent rain, there is a sign at the trailhead saying 'proceed with caution'. The trail is very slippery after rain. Ferny Gully Walk has been temporarily closed due to flood damage.
Cooby Dam Lakeside Walk (Darling Downs South West)	13 May, 2022	Medium	4.42km one-way 90 mins
Dam water level very high at the moment - some extra lovely views. The path was closed just before the footbridge (and was the last two times I visited), meaning I couldn't get all the way to the dam wall. Still worth the visit.
Irongate Conservation Park (Darling Downs South West)	17 Apr, 2022	Easy	1.2km return 20 mins
An easy and interesting walk, with very different plant life to other walks in the Toowoomba Region. Flat the whole way around. Lots of ant nests in the middle of the path and a couple of golden orb spiders across the path in shaded sections - carry a stick! Saw a huge goanna.
Crows Nest Falls Circuit (Crows Nest National Park)	2 Apr, 2022	Medium	4.5km return 2 hrs
Water flowing swiftly over Crows Nest Falls at the moment thanks to the recent rain. Creek crossing at The Cascades is pretty-much underwater - watch your step. Multiple families enjoying a swim at Kauyoo Pool & Bottlebrush Pool today - the water is looking cleaner than it has in months. You can even hear the creek flowing far below you from Koonin Lookout. So good to see the vegetation thick and healthy after the 2019-2020 fires.
Mt Basalt (Darling Downs South West)	8 Mar, 2022	Hard	1km return 30 mins
Completed with kids for the 3rd time. They love the scramble. Was overgrown and hard to locate the beginning of the path up to the second peak today. Interesting plant-life - different to any other park in the Toowoomba Region.
Applegum Walk and Hartmanns Park Circuit (South East Queensland)	2 Mar, 2022	Medium	3.74km return 1 hr
This is a favourite re-visit walk for our family. Water was rushing today which made the metal bridge creek crossings more exciting. The kids love sitting in the sandstone caves where the creek bends and looking for turtles at the waterhole.
Mt Peel Walking Tracks (Toowoomba)	16 Jan, 2022	Medium	3.4km return 90 mins
A family favourite - my kids love the scrambling sections, but I prefer the Red Ash Circuit for its unique vegetation and small birds. Quite an exposed walk in summer. Worth waiting for a cooler day.
Sandstone Overhang - 'The Caves' (Ravensbourne National Park)	13 Jan, 2022	Medium	4.8km return 2 hrs
Love this walk. Explored a little further past the caves today and found a disused carpark next to a dirt road. Might be a useful shortcut for a future visit (pretty sure it's a dry weather road only).
Palm Creek Circuit (Ravensbourne National Park)	9 Jan, 2022	Medium	3.6km return 75 mins
Nice contrast to the Rainforest Circuit, with lots of picabeen palms, native ginger and some eucalypt forest. Not veryshady - nicer in cool weather. Saw two goannas today. The caves side-track is worth the extra short walk. My kids were not fans of this walk (it's a bit of a slog in hot weather).
Cedar Block Circuit (Ravensbourne National Park)	14 Dec, 2021	Medium	500m return 20 mins
An easy walk with kids. Great to have a shady spot to go in summer, with the added fun of playing on the big fig tree and gorgeous views at the lookout.
Redwood and Jubilee Parks Loop (Toowoomba)	10 Dec, 2021	Hard	11.6km return 3.33 hrs
Lots of hills and not much shade in summer. Tracks are wide but some intersections are poorly marked. Probably better to do this one in shorter sections until you know your way around.
J.E. Duggan Park - Wallaby Walk and Sensory Trail (Toowoomba)	7 Dec, 2021	Very Easy	600m return 15 mins
Amazing little park with one of the best lookouts in the region. Lots of accessible features & facilities making it ideal for wheelchair/pram users. There is a playground across the road.