Name | Date | Difficulty | Distance/Duration | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mt Maroon (Mt Barney National Park) |
27 Aug, 2021 |
Hard |
6km return 4 hrs |
|
Mt Maroon is on Yuggerah country. This one was tough - it brought me to near tears and slight panic - and I would not recommend going alone, like I did, unless you are good at navigating or have a compass/AllTrails. Both which I did not until now... lesson learned. The view was absolutely stunning and worth it, however I did get lost a couple of times coming down and it can be really disorientating. It took me 1 hour 50 minutes up, and 1 hour 20 minutes down. Most of the hike is actual scrambling and I would recommend hiking shoes. I do think this walk requires a good level of fitness at minimum, and for me it was challenging but certainly not impossible or tempting to turn around at any point from a fitness perspectives. It was a fairly heavily trafficked walk even though I went later and on a weekday. | ||||
Mt Cooroora (Sunshine Coast) |
24 Aug, 2021 |
Hard |
2.6km return 2.5 hrs |
|
Mt Cooroora is on Kabi Kabi country. This was certainly a mountain - for my first time it took me 1 hour to walk up and 40 minutes down. Most of the hike is actual scrambling and walking up steps, and the chain is really helpful and makes it a lot easier so I would say you don’t necessarily need scrambling skills due to that. I went out and bought gloves for the chain after reading all of these comments, then didn’t need to use them at all once there (this could be as I regularly do heavy weights at the gym without gloves and probably am conditioned - if you’re the same then I recommend you save your money). I do think this walk requires a moderate level of fitness at minimum, and for me it was challenging but certainly not impossible or tempting to turn around at any point. I stopped a few times for breaks on the way up and the views are gorgeous for most of the ascend, then stunning at the top. The walk is well marked, some of the pathway is covered by a nice amount of shade, but there is also a lot of sunny spots. It was a fairly heavily trafficked walk even though I went later and on a weekday. | ||||
Lake Manchester loop (Brisbane Forest park D'Aguilar National Park) |
23 Aug, 2021 |
Medium |
17km 5 hrs |
|
Lake Manchester is on Jinibara Country. This walk was really gorgeous, and took us about 4 hours and 20 minutes walking time at a fairly steady pace with a few stops to take photos and drink water. We took the counter clockwise route, as the clockwise option had a ankle-depth stream covering the pathway and we chose not to risk wet feet from the beginning (although of course we did have to walk through this stream at the end). There are some very steep inclines, followed by very steep descents, some of which are incredibly slippery even with hiking boots. These were balanced with a lot of flat walking time in between. I do think this walk requires a moderate level of fitness at minimum, and for us it was just the right mix of challenging without being overly difficult. The walk is well marked, most of the pathway is covered by a nice amount of shade from gumtrees, and there are really stunning glimpses of Lake Manchester for many parts. At about 15-16kms out of 17kms in total, we stopped to have a picnic by the lake, which was really peaceful and gorgeous. | ||||
Purling Brook Falls Circuit (Springbrook National Park) |
21 Aug, 2021 |
Medium |
4km return 2 hrs |
|
This walk is on Yugambeh Country. This is a gorgeous and really achievable walk - I would say suitable for most. It took me just over an hour at a reasonably steady pace with some stopping to take photos. The walk is well marked, with a tidy pathway, some gorgeous views, and of course the falls are stunning once you’re at the bottom. Not to steep or too much ascending/heart stopping required. A nice one to knock over before a day at the beach etc. |