The rainforest and waterfalls of the Blackall Ranges provide the stunning backdrop to this Queensland Great Walk which, other than the heat, is an easy 58.8 km over 4 days.
It is funny how circumstances can converge to create something entirely unexpected.
We were staying with a friend in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland and idly flicking though the area on Google, the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk sprang out at me.
I realised it was only about 5 km away from where we were staying and at only 4 days, seemingly quite manageable. We had the time in hand and it would be an adventure: I rang the Queensland Parks, three campsites were rapidly booked and we were set.
DAY 1 (16.1km)
Our friend kindly dropped us off at the beautiful Baroon Pocket Dam at 8 am for our first day on the track. As we made our final adjustments, we discovered Big Mistake Number 1: we had forgotten the mossie repellent!
As a friend later remarked, we had obviously been away from Australia too long to forget something so vital and indeed as I write this a week or so later, it would appear I have a bad case of measles!
But back to the walk: delving into the dense forest, we soon came to our first detour which led to a jumbled rocky area of the Obi Obi Creek which flows down from the dam. It is a popular local swimming spot.
Huge blackbutt trees loomed above us, although when we examined a fallen giant, it was surprisingly hollow. We passed one that offered a shady seat beside the path, which was easy to follow with dappled shade filtering through the high green canopy above us; in places there are non-treated wooden boardwalks to protect a rare hip-pocket frog Assa Darlingtoni.
The Narrows revealed a deep, tight gorge in the creek with a small swimming hole above it, after which we climbed gradually to the Baroon Lookout from where we could gaze out over an expanse of unspoilt forest.
Looking down, it was easy to see all the scattered piccabeen palms which made it look very tropical – they are a food source for many animals and birds, including the wompoo fruit doves whose booming call resounds through the canopy.
Here, after 2km, we left the day walks behind, dropping down gradually to the creek again which ran dark and slow, hemmed in by primordial vegetation which cast deep reflections in the pools, the stillness disturbed only by flitting colourful butterflies.
After further undulations, we reached Flat Rock, a flat rocky outcrop above a slow moving waterhole in the river, where we stopped for morning nibbles, enjoying the turquoise flash of small kingfishers. We found our first leech of the trip!
The lush forest continued with some huge strangler figs, the original tree lost to view – a friendly hiker who stopped to chat said some of them were over 500 years old. The seeds lodge high in the host tree and actually grow downwards, gradually killing it.
Entering the Kondalilla National Park, we bore left at a junction to the base of Kondalilla Falls which was not a very spectacular spot. A further section of steps led to the lookout over the entire 90 m falls but they were fairly sparse at that moment and not living up to their aboriginal name which means rushing waters.
However, what were spectacular were the Rock Pools which we found higher up: a wonderful natural pool near the top of Skene Creek, with its own mini falls. Hot and sweaty after the steep climb, it was sheer delight to plunge into the refreshing icy waters.
We lingered there over lunch, amused by the resident goannas – one actually swam across the pool at one stage, scattering swimmers in all directions.
Steps continued to a divergence of tracks: either leads on the grassy day use picnic area. From there, it was an uphill climb to the car park and some road work for us.
A local told us that the Parks had tried to buy a section of forest so that this road section through Flaxton could be avoided, but they hadn’t succeeded, leaving us a steady 0.8 km bitumen incline, with little shade, up to the main road, where a shady bench under a jacaranda was quite welcome.
Once we got our breath back, we had 20 minutes along the main road to Flaxton Mill Road. The route turns off here but 200 m beyond, on the main road, there is The Barn Cafe which does great coffee, cakes, lunches and a $9.50 cream tea: well worth the small detour.
The final 3 km to camp was mostly on bitumen again, the road lined with pleasant houses with lush gardens and two hidden graves which belonged to an early pioneer and his wife.
Finally we turned off on a forest track which took us to Flaxton Walkers Camp, which was just a series of clearings in the forest, each with a wooden platform. We also had a loo, a water tank, and 3 other campers in residence.
I asked them if they had booked the trip recently as the ranger I had spoken to the day before had told me there was no one else on the track, but they said they had been planning it for months. They lived in the area and knew the walk, but had never done it as a whole before.
I explained that we lived in England and it turned out that one of them was English.
‘It is so good in England, you have so many paths you can walk on through private land. You are not allowed on private land here’.
Simon later growled at me:
‘They’re lefties!’ so whether they were or not, that is what we called them for the rest of the trip!
The evening was quiet other than birdsong and we were in our tent early. The strangest thing I find about Queensland is that they don’t have daylight saving, so although it was approaching the longest day in the height of summer it was dark by 7pm.
Day 2 (13.1 km)
We were awoken in the night by sounds of gnawing and discovered Big Mistake Number 2: don’t store food in the tent in the Australian bush!
When Simon investigated, he found a hole had been chewed in one side of the tent. Within sniffing distance of our food stash, the bush rat had obviously been disturbed just in time; we put the food in our rucksack, stuffed a shirt in the hole and went back to sleep.
Sometime later I had a rude awakening when something scuttled over my head – the big eared bush rat was now inside the tent and having some difficulty in finding the exit. We eventually shooed him out, hoping that was it for native wildlife in the night.
I told the Lefties the next morning and was sharply reprimanded: one has to put one’s food in a bag and hang it in a tree. They obviously thought what total novices – oh well, at least we were talking about a bush rat and not a bear!
We then surprised them by hiking out of the camp at 6am whilst they were still having breakfast. It wasn’t the most inspiring place so we decided to have ours at Baxter Falls, 35 minutes below in a deep valley.
We found a nicely situated rock immediately in front of the pleasant falls and Simon had a quick dip whilst we boiled water for coffee and porridge. The Lefties turned up briefly but headed on.
15 minutes later we followed, crossing a wire suspension bridge over the creek then starting the 230 m climb up the other side. Thankfully, after some initial steps, the track wound up gradually and we even caught up with the Lefties where the trail emerged on a road. After an uphill stretch on bitumen, we decided to take a break at the top, allowing them to overtake us again.
Having checked our telephone (reception is fairly sparse on this walk) we turned left along the main Kenilworth Road, passing a colourful plant shop. Our route bore off to Mapleton Falls, passing three smart B & B’s in quick succession.
Pencil Creek falls 120 m over an escarpment to create the falls, again with little water on our visit, but there were fabulous views over the Mary River Valley. We glimpsed a peregrine falcon against a backdrop of scattered farms and clearings.
At this stage I sought the help of a friendly ranger who was tidying up in the area. Big Mistake Number 3: make sure your shoes are up to the job. I was wearing some old favourites but after a 4 year Covid break, they were rapidly falling apart.
As the ranger strapped up my boot with duct tape, he told me that he had been responsible for putting the track and bridge in through Baxter Creek. Finally, and with a couple of pieces of wire just in case, I was able to proceed with some confidence.
The path continued through tall trees, winding past some huge strangler figs, before emerging on a road which we crossed into the Linda Garrett Reserve.
The palm frond strewn track through a verdant rainforest of palm groves, turpentine, brush box and blackbutt follows the dark windy headquarters of Gheerulla Creek where fallen logs lay submerged. There was peace and birdsong: an immense green immersion with filtered rays of light breaking through as we picnicked on a bench by the stream. It is an important refuge for the rare Great Barred Frog and the Marbled Frogmouth bird.
Emerging on a wide firetrail, we found ourselves in a very different type of forest as tall eucalyptus were now the predominant tree.
It was a 34° day with little shade on the track and after about 2 sweaty kilometres, we took a break under a tree – I think we briefly even fell asleep. Eventually we reached Ubajee Walkers Camp, another series of clearings in a blackbutt forest.
Our lateness had not gone unnoticed and there was a remark from one of the Lefties to the effect that they thought we had stopped at Mapleton. I only hoped they didn’t spot the duct tape: I am sure not one of their shoes would have ever dared to fall apart en route!
Later we strolled down to the nearby lookout to see a huge wooded valley below us with a distant dark spur and escarpment: our route for the next day which looked rather awe inspiring. We were in bed by 7 pm, our circadian rhythms adjusting to Queensland time and our food bag now firmly suspended from a nearby tree.
DAY 3 (13.5 km)
A kookaburra’s cry and the banging of the toilet door heralded dawn. I cannot believe that not only was I awake at 4.30 am but prepared to get up!
We packed up and left Ubajee at 5.10 am, our path instantly starting the descent into the Gheerulla Valley, on a widely looping track.
At the bottom we swung downstream to follow Gheerulla Creek to the Gheerulla Campsite, some 8 km in total.
The track was initially quite wide with a couple of rude but short up and downs. The first creek crossing was just a causeway over some crudely cemented logs and none had any water in to cause problems.
We stopped at the third for breakfast, the creek black and turgid under a cliff strewn with lianas and roots.
After the last crossing the trail became narrower with vegetation infringing at the sides but it was pleasant walking, the creek never very far away so we had the gentle sound of running water to accompany us. Somewhere en route, the duct tape parted company from my shoe so Simon wired the sole to the upper which worked brilliantly – note to self, carry a small piece of wire on future trails for such emergencies!
There were several tempting swimming holes en route but we found the best at Gheerulla Campsite. This is not signposted off the Great Walk for some reason although we knew we were getting close thanks to Maps Me and saw the rough path leading down from the trail.
We crossed to the other side of the creek on a (luckily) wide fallen log and found ourselves in the small campsite opposite the loos. I love how in Australia you can be in the middle of nowhere but there will be a smart loo with paper, sink and sanitizer!
Just 100m downstream we found a fabulous swimming hole with a wide pebble beach and I’m afraid to say we didn’t move again until 3 pm – it was just too divine a spot! It was the perfect place to sit out the heat of the day, with frequent dips to cool down, although Simon worried about the little crayfish nibbling his toes.
As the heat of the day waned, we set off on the next 4.6 km to the Thilba Thalba Walkers Campground, 346 metres above us. It was still quite hot but these are easy climbs that wind around the hills with helpful steps and shady trees.
Gradually an expansive view was revealed over the valley towards Kenilworth and to the densely forested hills around us. We stopped for tea at the Thilba Thalba Lookout then wandered on the last easy kilometre to the camp.
This was largely set in the middle of a scribbly gum forest but there was a viewpoint just beyond it which had nice views over the Gheerulla Valley. There were also 2 picnic tables, always a welcome addition.
The Lefties took great delight in telling us that their friends had just visited and bought a bottle of champagne – apparently the road is only 300 metres away. One is never as far away from civilisation as one thinks on this trail! Later we had our revenge when we told them we did the Larapinta Trail in December!
We had supper then beat the retreat to our tent: the mossies were ferocious and once we were safely inside whined around the tent like enemy aircraft.
I awoke Simon at 10 pm: I could see lightning flickering in the distance so he put the cover of the tent on.
The storm rumbled closer and Big Mistake Number 4:– don’t buy a $10 tent from Vinnies and expect it to be perfect. We had checked: it looked new, unused and intact. However when the rain came, we discovered the waterproofing on the cover was virtually non existent!
After some frantic mopping the rain eased and we settled back to sleep. An hour later Big Daddy arrived: torrential rain with thunder and lightning. It was the latter that did for us: never very happy in lightning at the best of times, when one actually heard the crash at the same time as the lightning and heard it crackle it was time to abandon the sodden tent and seek sanctuary in the loo. Simon was dressed but I gathered my clothes and did a naked flit.
Eventually the storm passed and we returned to mop out the tent again. Marooned on our sleeping mats and exuding damp fumes we finally got some sleep.
DAY 4 (11. 2 km)
After our disturbed night we slept in until 6 am, hearing the Lefties pad past us for the final time, no doubt congratulating themselves on being the first to break camp for a change.
However they had left themselves with a long day back to Ubajee then a walk out, having set off clockwise on the loop.
We in contrast had a gentle 2.8 km wander to start with along overgrown tracks to the next viewpoint of more forested hills.
A stretch of rainforest followed which was hot, humid and wet, the paths strewn with decaying vegetation whilst lianas entwined in the lush growth. Mosses and leeches attacked us so at every stop we had leech checks.
The trail emerged on a road and crossed over, the overgrown stoney path paralleling it until it converged and crossed again to the trailhead for Gheerulla Falls.
The old fire trail dropped steeply into the valley and a rough track led to the falls. These were very pretty ones, falling into a deep dark boulder edged pool. We found an entry point and had a quick dip to cool down.
As we lingered over lunch, with a horrible sense of déjà vu we started hearing distant thunder and decided it was time to head back up to Ubajee Campsite, in theory finishing the circuit/walk en route at the base of the climb.
The thunder became more violent and we hastened up. In the end we covered the 2 km 215 metre climb in a record (for me anyway!) 32 minutes, but we were 10 minutes too slow. Just before the top, torrential rain and hailstones started coming down, some quite painful.
Finally we reached the camp and dived in yet another loo where we could watch out the remainder of the storm. The lightening came very close again and a cricket ball sized hailstone bounced past Simon’s head. I feared for my car parked 6 km away: Big Mistake Number 5: give your friend the keys so he can move it if necessary!
Eventually it cleared and we actually had quite a nice evening. From the lookout we could see pockets of mist rising from the valley we had walked down the previous day.
To keep our dodgy tent off the sodden ground, we put it on one of the wooden platforms and after a final noodle dinner, retired to bed.
Last day (3.5 km)
Our last night of the walk was thankfully still and quiet and it was a nice way to finish. Feeling refreshed, we awoke to the birdsong cacophony of a fine morning. We packed up and walked the 3.5 km to Mapleton Park Day Use Area within an hour, the route following broad fire trails. The last 1 km had been backburnt on the edges so all was blackened, but the Day Use area was a lovely, lush spot.
We rewarded ourselves with breakfast then shouldered our packs for the final 5 km home to our friend’s house where a welcome shower awaited us.
It had been one of the scrappier Great Walks with it’s odd loop, road work and an ending in the middle of nowhere, but nevertheless an enjoyable one.
Aftermath
The following day, showered and far removed from the previous day’s tatterdemalion state, we headed on. The car had thankfully escaped the hail storms and we had an exciting drive down an extremely steep and narrow road towards Kenilworth which nestles in an unspoilt valley with isolated farms.
There are some good foodie stops at Kenilworth; the Kenilworth Dairy for cheeses and chutneys, the locally famous donuts from the Kenilworth Bakery, and reliable pub food from the popular Kenilworth Hotel.
8.5 km south of the town, the Fig Tree Walk lies at the junction of the Mary River with Little Yabba Creek.
A 1.1 km boardwalk leads through the riverine rainforest, neatly encapsulating everything we had been through on our walk, minus the leeches and mossies.
There is an enormous strangler fig, far bigger than anything we had seen, and lots of happy birds flitting through the canopy – I can’t recommend it highly enough and if a Great Walk isn’t for you, it really is a far easier option!
NOTES
Information on the walk can be found here and maps here. The 58.8 km walk is straightforward with good tracks well signposted throughout and a map was never necessary. Anyone with a reasonable level of fitness should not have any problems. Just keep in mind it may be hot and carry plenty of water.
Camping
There are 3 walkers campsites en route: Flaxton, Ubajee and Thilba Thalba which are $7 per person per night. All have wooden platforms, toilets and water tanks. Another possibility is the Gheerulla Campsite on Gheerulla Creek before the climb up to Thilba Thalba: although only a fairly easy 8 km along the valley from Ubajee, it is a lovely spot to spend the day. However there are only 3 campsites there (the best is No. 1, from where there is a super elevated view of the swimming hole) so early booking would be advised. All can be booked online with the Queensland National Parks.
The alternative, which I think might actually be preferable, is to swing clockwise on the loop after Ubajee, and walk straight through to camp at Gheerulla Creek, missing out Thilba Thalba walkers camp (other than as a water stop) . It would be a 16 km day but the climb would be done early in the day and then the last bit is all downhill – with a lovely campsite on the river at the end.
The following day there are several alternatives: 8 km back to Ubajee, with the climb done early, and a 2.9 km walk to the meeting point at Leafy Lane Trailhead or a 3.5 km walk to the Mapleton Day Use Area (the latter could be reduced by 1 km by meeting at the Gheerulla Trailbike Trailhead which is en route). Otherwise, it is only 1.6 km back to the Delicia Road trailhead for Gheerulla Falls, from the junction where the Ubajee climb starts (effectively the end of the circuit/walk).
Finally, if you get to the Fig Tree Walk near Kenilworth, there is a beautifully maintained free campsite on the other side of the road which I would highly recommend.
Accommodation
This would be a very easy walk to do if you had friends to shuffle cars and meeting places as there are so many access points en route. It would be quite easy to get picked up at the end of every day and stay in one of the lovely B&B’s in the area.
Some we passed en route include:
Secrets on the Lake at the Baroon Pocket Dam – this is in a lovely location right at the start of the track and was highly recommended by our friends for great food and luxury tree house accommodation.
Soon after you emerge from the climb up from Baxter Falls onto Suses Pocket Road, there is Mapleton Peaceful Provence B&B with lovely views and a swimming pool.
There are 3 B&B’s in quick succession on the short stretch of road down to Mapleton Falls but The Falls Farm Smith House would appear to be the most highly rated.
Just above the Kondalilla Falls car park, there is the https://kondalilla.com/ and a little further on The Falls Montville with six secluded rainforest cottages and bedrooms within the Manor House.
After that, it becomes more difficult and there isn’t any accommodation on the actual track, so a pick up would be necessary.
Near Mapleton, Mapleton Springs has an infinity pool and good breakfasts whilst the Mapleton Public House in the heart of town has bar food and a terrace with a fabulous view.
Getting There
Other than helpful friends, the local B & Bs may help if you are staying with them. Suncoast Cabs on 131 008 have contacts in the Hinterland and Mystic MountainTours run tours and transfers to order. A bus from Nambour passes through Mapleton towards Maleny and can drop off at the Baroon Dam road junction, but it is a steep 5.5 km walk down to the dam.
