Cedar Creek Falls

Date: 2 Feb 2014

This past weekend we headed to the D'Aguilar National Park to do an off track walk along Cedar Creek. I say off track because there are no formal markings, however it is extremely hard to get lost while following the creek as it is wide and rocky for most of the way.

Purling Brook Falls

Date: 31/12/2013

Some bushwalks are popular for a reason. Often because the spectacular view to effort required to get there ratio is fairly high. The Purling Brook Falls walk in Springbrook N.P. definitely fills this quota. The falls themselves can be viewed from a lookout easily accessible from the carpark along a concrete path. However, things only get better as the walk progresses and to answer the question of one walker heading in the opposite direction as we were heading back up the hill... "Yes it is worth going down there".

No Excuses

There really is no excuse for not getting out in the bush in S.E. Queensland when it is just so damn easy. Well, except for maybe the odd hail storm or two that we've had lately.

This past weekend Maree and I decided to head to the J.C. Slaughter Falls picnic area to fit in a quick walk between other engagements. This is part of the Mt Coot-tha Reserve which is maintained by the Brisbane City Council (more information here). We decided to head up Ithaca Creek to try and get away from most of the crowds, so started on the summit track but headed up stream as soon as we hit the creek.

Spikey grass trees along the creek

A New Perspective on Girraween

Date: 5 - 8 September 2013

Those who have kept an eye on this blog will probably have realised by now that Girraween is a favourite place of mine. This time a birthday trip was on the cards so Maree and I took a couple of days off work to make it a super long weekend, invited a few friends and off we went.

Goolman Lookout

Hardings Paddock Picnic Area

Date: 14 Aug 2013
Having been very busy working on the house recently I was glad to get out for a leisurely walk on the Ekka public holiday. Maree gave me the idea of heading to the Hardings Paddock picnic area within the Flinders-Goolman Conservation Estate as she was out there last week for work. We had previously done the Flinders Peak walk and at the time noted some of the other smaller peaks in the region but never had a chance to go back.

Another Day at Frog

An all too familiar scene for those heading to Frog on the weekend

Climbers, as would many people involved in a specialised hobby/sport, have their own language. Whether it's talking about gear, describing a route or simply talking about where they went on the weekend, it is part of what forms a community around an activity. My brother and I have to be careful at family gatherings as we will talk at length about anything climbing related, essentially excluding the rest of the table from the conversation. My Wife, despite not climbing herself, has also been forced to learn the language and these days is also quite fluent.

When answering the question of "what did you do on the weekend?", one response sure to baffle all but the dedicated climber (or climbers spouse...or the occasional bushwalker) is: "We had a great day at Frog on Saturday". Firstly, is Frog a place? If so, where is it and what do you do there?

Good Times at Urbenville

Date: 8 - 9 June 2013

As local readers are well aware, the weather in the South-East Corner (and no-doubt beyond) hasn't been the best lately. Apart from short cold spells, Winter hasn't really hit yet and the rain has stayed well past its welcome for this time of year. This has made climbing and walking opportunities few and far between. We were determined to get out and do something over the recent long weekend though, and the destination was Urbenville just south of the border.

Another Week in Tasmania

Date: 14 - 22 April 2013

As mentioned in my previous post, I managed to get down to Tassy twice this year and this would be my second trip. This time was for my honeymoon with my beautiful wife Maree and once again The Apple Isle didn't dissapoint. The itinerary for the trip included Freycinet Peninsular (again), Tasman Peninsular, Bruny Island and Hobart.

Two Weeks in Tasmania

Date: 23 February - 10 March 2013

I first visited Tasmania in 2008 with Maree. We spent a week touring in a campervan and we loved the place. I've been wanting to get back there ever since and this year I'll be lucky enough to get down there twice. The first trip was with Tom and we spent two weeks walking and climbing at Ben Lomond, Freycinet Peninsula and Mt. Field.

Note: As usual be sure to click on the photos to see the full resolution version. They come out a bit blurry when reduced in size.
Note 2: This is a fairly extended trip report so it might be best to grab a coffee first. ;)

Girraween in July

New Boots (16) with Wattles at Turtle Rock

Date: 23 - 29 July 2012

After a busy first half of the year I was really looking forward to a bit of time off from work. The frequency of my bushwalking posts has diminished this year mainly because the majority of my spare time has been taken up with rock climbing instead. It is just another way to enjoy the bush and the outdoors and often includes walking as well. So basically it's win win as far as I'm concerned.

So during the last week of July, Tom and I decided to get in a solid few days of climbing at one of our favourite places no matter what the activity: Girraween.

Mt. Matheson Circuit

Date: 9th June 2012


Looking to make the most of the long weekend Maree and I decided to head out for a walk. We decided on a circuit starting at Spicers Gap on the Main Range heading up Mt. Matheson. The walk started from the picnic ground next to the Spicers Gap campsite and was built by the National Parks Association. The track is nice and wide most of the way and had some really interesting features and a different outlook of the surrounding area.

Mt. Cougal

Date: 6 April 2012


This walk had been mentioned numerous times on the bushwalking forums and the views had always looked great so we finally got a chance to do this in April. The drive from Brisbane took  a while but once you leave the highway and head into the Currumbin Valley it is very pleasant.

Starting up hill immediately the walk follows the border fence nearly the entire way to the peak of the mountain, making route finding extremely easy. The track wasn't maintained though and the first section passes through some very overgrown grassy sections covered in cobblers pegs. I would recommend wearing full gaiters.

Overgrown track

Before long you are greeted with some great views back up the valley and across to Mt. Cougal and Mt. Tallebudgera

First view of Mt. Cougal and up Currumbin Valley

Binna Burra: Lower Belbird Circuit

Looking across to Ships Stern

Date: 28 Nov 2011


After having our Girraween trip cut short by rain the week before we wanted to get out for another walk while we were still on holidays. Trying to avoid the heat somewhat we headed for higher altitude and shady rainforest at Binna Burra. We decided on the Lower Belbird Circuit which I remembered as a highlight of the Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk.

Girraween Again

Sunset behind Mt. Norman

Date: 21 - 22 Nov 2011

Maree and I have started a bit of a tradition of taking holidays during this week over the last few years and we weren't going to skip this year. After our previous trip to the park in September we decided that we'd like to go back and explore it in further detail without the limitations of a single weekend. The highlight of the trip was definitely an overnight walk taking in Mt. Norman and Twin Peaks.

Warbonnet Blackbird

I have been curious about camping with hammocks for a couple of years. Their supporters claim many advantages over more conventional tent camping methods including:

• More comfortable for sleeping
• Dual use as a chair
• Lighter weight
• Quicker to set up
• Easier to find a spot to set up camp

A recent flurry of interested on the Bushwalking Australia Forums prompted me to have another look and after some (fairly brief for my standards) research I ordered a Warbonnet Blackbird Hammock in double layer 1.1oz/yard ripstop nylon. I ordered it with the adjustable webbing suspension and picked up a pair of Petzl Ange biners to get it up and running. This hammock comes with built in bug netting and a structural ridge line to aid in set up. I also ordered a ZPacks Cuben Fibre Hammock Tarp which is still on its way.

I received it at the start of last week and was burning to get out and give it a test run somewhere for the rest of it. My back yard is lacking any strong enough supports to do this easily. The picnic area at the base of Flinders Peak provided the perfect spot to do this and I had it up in no time (copping a few wierd looks from onlookers in the process). I'm sure there is plenty of room for tweaking, but getting it up and hanging was very easy.

Hanging in a creek bed

Flinders Peak

Flinders Peak Pano

View towards the Great Dividing Range

Flower at the peak

View to the North-West

Let me know if you would like any further details on this walk and I will convey them via email.

Cold, Windy but Beautiful at Girraween

Date: 10 - 11 Sep 2011

Day 1:

Main Range at Sunrise from the Highway

Maree and I decided to get away for the weekend to Girraween N.P. near Stanthorpe. We got away to an early start on the Saturday morning which meant we got to the camp site by about 8:30 in the morning. There was a moderate number of people camping in both the Bald Rock Creek and Castle Rock Campsites and we chose the latter as we hoped there would be more exposure to the sun.

By 10:00 we were set up and ready to go. The plan for the day was to head out to The Sphinx and Turtle Rock to investigate the climbing opportunities there. The track heads off from the Southern End of the campsite and is also the starting point for the Mt. Norman and Castle Rock walks. The walking was extremely pleasant with the clouds clearing to a beautiful day and the good quality track providing easy walking up a gradual incline for most of the way. The only downside was the wind which was gusting to around 30 to 40KM/H.

McHale Goodness

This has been a long time coming. I started out on a quest for a new pack late last year after going through a few that I wasn't completely happy with. Eventually, after trying on a number of packs and doing extensive research on the internet I decided to contact Dan McHale in the USA to get a custom pack made.

I initially decided on a Little Big Pack 36 as the base for the pack. I wanted the volume to start at around 40L and extend up from there with various options to maybe 50L - 55L. I hoped for it to be useful for overnighters without having too much extra bulk but also be capable of carrying enough food and gear for possible climbing adventures and extended walks in the future. I made the decision from Dan's advice to increase the diameter to a 37 inch and I'm glad that I did because the pack that I've ended up with is spot on in this regard. I see myself using it for all but the most basic of fast overnighters.

Material wise I went all out. I figured that this sort of opportunity dosn't come along too often and I want something that will last a long time to come. Therefore almost the entire pack and accessories are constructed with 100% woven dyneema. The only exceptions being some select sections of the harness, the daisy chains and the water bladder pocket. The latter being constructed of cuben fiber.

The whole process from first contact took roughly 6 months. I had the demo pack for a couple of these months in the middle. This is a long time and I'd say this could be attributed to the materials and customisation that I wanted, the slow speed of email communications and that Dan is just very busy.

As far as the options go I wanted the pack to be very configurable. This has probably come at the cost of slightly increased weight but I think it was worth it. All options and loops can be removed from the pack to bring it down to its most basic form with a roll top closure bag with an awesome harness. The options that can be added are:

• Front pocket with a draw string and flap closure. This is a sizeable compartment with its own compression straps and attaches to the front daisy chains using an adjustable shock cord system. This means that you can use the space behind it to store large items aswell.
• 2-Layer Summit flap. This is a simple lid with a small zippered compartment in the top.
• 2 x Standard hip belt pockets. Good sized hip belt pockets with zippered closure. Very handy.
• "Triple Threat" pocket. This is the bladder pouch that can either be hung inside the pack, attached to the underside of the summit flap or attached to the side of the pack.
• Removable ice axe/walking stick upper and lower loops.
• Fully removable side compression straps
• Plug & Go Bayonet frame extension system. This includes the bypass "load lifter" straps. This system allows the frame to be extended, significantly increasing the capacity and load carrying capability of the pack.

The weight of the pack has come out slightly higher than I was expecting. In its most basic form it is roughly 1.45kg. With all options added it gets up to around 2.05kg.

Edit: I've played around with it a bit more and am even more impressed with its configurability. It can be stripped down even more than my first attempts and still be usable. With the frame, back pad and hip belts removed the weight comes down to around 850g. In this configuration it is similar in features and not too much heavier than my Golite Peak but still larger in capacity, tougher and more comfortable.

Can't wait to get out and give it a go. Here are some pictures.

Stripped down side view

Stripped down using roll top closure

Stripped down harness side

P & G Bayonets inserted, bypass straps attached (in red)

All accessories attached

All accessories attached

Sylvesters Lookout to Mt. Castle

Campsite on Mt. Castle

Date: 1 August - 2 August 2011

Walkers: Tom and Myself

Notes:
Day 1
Well I promised in my previous post from Hole in the Wall that I'd be back to this area soon. Wasn't sure it would be this soon, but Tom was heading off overseas this weekend for 6 months so I thought this would be a great place to take him as a fairwell.

Using my experiences from the last trip I decided to concentrate on the best bits from that walk and add in the trip to Mt. Castle. This walk was also recommended to me by some posters from the Bushwalking Australia Forums and avoids any access issues. The only downside being that the car journey in to Goomburra and on to Sylvesters Lookout takes a bit longer.

We arrived at the lookout by about 10:30 in the morning and after doing a bit of repacking got on the trail by about 11. The steep section after Sylvesters lookout wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered. Probably due to it being at the start of the walk rather than after 8 hours of bush bashing. We once again detoured to the old Sylvesters Lookout, however this time ventured out to the tip of the rocky spur through a clump of massive spear lillies and was rewarded with a more expansive and unobstructed view.

View from Old Sylvesters Lookout

See the notes from the previous walk for more details about the track up till Laidly Creek Falls Campsite and on to Hole in the Wall. We took the direct ridge route to HITW again and having a second person this time meant we were able to get some action shots.

First Downclimb Section

Negotiating the Ledge above HITW

We reached HITW in around 2 hours and stopped there to enjoy the view and to eat lunch in the shade. The temperatures were surprisingly hot and reached 30 degrees in the middle of the day. From there we decided to follow the ridgeline as much as possible and between HITW and Boar's Head there was only one section where we had to deviate from the ridge line.

Ridge After HITW

Tricky Downclimb Before Boar's Head

Before long we arrived at the minor peak of Boar's Head where there were great views in all directions. From this point the track headed downhill again but still following the ridge which by this stage was wider and even had room for numerous cow pats from adventurous bovines making the trek from the paddocks below. I was once again amazed at the number of spear lillies that cover the cliffs in this area, some of which even had some huge flower stems seen below.

Spear Lilly Flower

Tom Vs Spear Lilly

The ridge soon narrowed to a razorback where we attempted to stick to the ridgeline. Once again there was only a single section that we had to bypass to the right because of a large step up in the ridge before we reached the base of the cliffs that line Mt. Castle. From here we traversed North under the cliffs until we reached a break where it was possible to start heading up-hill towards the peak. This was a steep grassy slope broken up by a couple more rock scrambles but before long we had reached the ridge and then the peak.

The campsite was located directly on the main peak of Mt. Castle and was padded with grass and broken up by some small gums and grass trees. It had an amazing view to the East however, care was taken not to venture too far in this direction because of the size and sheerness of the cliffs here.

Mt. Castle Campsite

After setting up camp we went for a wander down the ridge to the South of the campsite towards the cliffs that we had reached the base of previously. The ridge here extended out to a narrow pinnacle with amazing views back along the Eastern face of Mt. Castle. Great care needed to be taken along this section though as the drops on either side were significant.

Looking Along the Southern Ridge at Sunset

Tom En Route to the Pinnacle

Myself Negotiating the Narrowest Section of the Ridge

View Towards Mt. Castle from the Pinnacle

Overnight we were terrorised by some small critter and after apparently not learning from our Conondale walk that small critters enjoy nibbling on silicone we awoke to Tom's Sea to Summit collapsable bowl and cup completely torn to shreds and my water bladder drink tube with a hole through it. These annoyances were far outweighed however by the views we got to the East with the early morning fog sitting in the valleys below.

View to the East from the Campsite

View Towards Mt. Edwards with Fog

View North-East from the Campsite

Day 2
We were soon packed up and back on our way. We decided to follow the track notes and take what we thought would be a more gradual route down by heading North to the Mt. Castle saddle then skirting back around. In the end this route was harder to follow and if you weren't careful you could easily end up lower on the mountain than intended. In hindsight we should have just gone back the way we had come up.

From there we back tracked along our route to HITW where we once again took advantage of the shade. We then decided to take the waterfall route back to the Laidley Ck Campsite for a bit of a change. This was definitely worth a look with the large cliffs leading to the waterfall crossing. There was only a trickle of water here and we were careful about where we walked on the slippery rocks. Although, there was a large enough shelf for this to not be too dangerous.

Cliffs leading up to Laidly Ck. Falls

The scramble back up to the campsite was reasonably steep but easy to follow. From here we re-traced our route back to the carpark. One highlight along this section was spotting a massive wedge-tailed eagle soaring overhead. Overall the distance travelled was at the shorter end of the scale but the views and scrambling make this a very memorable walk.

GPS Tracks

Just a quick note. I have GPS track files for all walks completed after October 2010. I haven't looked too much into the best way to host the files but if anyone is after a GPX file for a particular walk just let me know and I can email it to you.

Edit: From Tony's advice I've started uploading them to OpenStreetMap. Here is the link to my collection so far.