Cooloola Recreation Area visitor guide - Department of National ...

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Photo: Robert Ashdown, Queensland Government Walking around Cooloola Walking is a good way to experience Cooloola. Tracks range from short circuits to long hikes and lead to some of the park’s best features. Walking track classification Most of Cooloola’s walking tracks are class 4 walking tracks, except for some See ‘Walking safety’ on page 18 of this guide. Photo: Briony Masters, Qld Govt. boardwalk tracks (Searys Creek and Kinaba) and the shorter tracks, such as the class 3 Carlo Sandblow track (600 m). Take time to read the classification details before walking out into the park. Study the map in detail. Class 4 track Australian Standards • Distinct tracks with junctions signposted, rough track surfaces with exposed roots and rocks. • Variable in width, muddy sections and steep grades likely to be encountered. • May be extensively overgrown; hazards, such as fallen trees and vines, likely to be present. • Caution needed at creek crossings and naturally occurring lookouts. • Moderate fitness level with bushwalking experience and anklesupporting footwear required. • Moderate level of navigation skills recommended, involving self-reliance in first aid and coping with weather hazard situations. Track Distance/Time Description 1 Teewah landing track 4 km return 1 hr 30 mins 2 Kinaba track 12.2 km return 4 hrs 30 mins 3 Mangrove self-guided walk 4 Elanda circuit via Mill Point 5 Elanda to Fig Tree Point 6 Melaleuca circuit at Fig Tree Point 500 m circuit 20 mins 5.1 km 2 hrs 10.6km one way 3 hrs 30 mins 500 m 20 mins 7 Boronia trail 1.8 km one way 1 hr 8 Fig Tree Point to Harrys camping and day-use area 9 Harrys camping and day-use area to camp site 3 10 Camp site 3 to Cooloola Sandpatch 11 Harrys camping and day-use area to Wandi waterhole 12 Wandi waterhole to Neebs waterhole 13 Neebs waterhole to Mullens car park 6.6 km one way 2 hrs 30 mins 12.8 km return 4 hrs 30 mins 12 km return 4 hrs 9.5 km one way 3 hrs 30 mins 13.1 km one way 4 hrs 30 mins 8.1 km one way 2 hrs 30 mins Walk from Lake Cootharaba through coastal heath and woodland to Teewah Beach. A side track to Seawah Hill (4 km return to Teewah Landing track) offers spectacular views from the river to the ocean and to Noosa Heads. Walk to Kinaba through paperbark and cabbage palm wetland. Follow the self-guided walk along the boardwalk from Kinaba through the mangroves. Walk through allocasuarina and paperbark forests. Take a 400 m side track to Mill Point and follow the self-guided historical walk to the site of a timber mill township that flourished from 1862 to 1892. Walk through the Elanda Plains and open woodland to the remnant rainforests of Kin Kin Creek (4.7 km). Cross the footbridge and walk to Fig Tree Point, a further 5.9 km. Also see ‘Long-distance walking tracks’ in this section. Follow the boardwalk through paperbark and cabbage palm wetland. Branching off the Cooloola Wilderness Trail (700 m from Kin Kin Creek footbridge) on the northern bank of Kin Kin Creek, walk through rainforest and woodland to Harry’s Hut Road. This track follows part of the Cooloola Wilderness Trail through some low lying areas of open and closed forests. Also see ‘Long-distance walking tracks’ in this section. Paddle across the river from Harry’s Hut and follow the walking track along the river to camp site 3. Walk through coastal heath along a low sandy ridge from camp site 3. The track ascends through blackbutt forest to the Cooloola Sandpatch for panoramic views over the ocean and national park. Walk next to the upper Noosa River then change course into the remote western river catchment system, ending at a camp site beside a naturally-dammed section of the Noosa River catchment. Also see ‘Long-distance walking tracks’ in this section. Walk through pockets of scribbly gum, melaleuca and wallum banksia woodlands before relaxing at a camp site beside a large waterhole. Beware of traffic when crossing the Cooloola Way. Also see ‘Long-distance walking tracks’ in this section. Continue walking through a mix of woodland and heath communities towards Mullens car park. Also see ‘Long-distance walking tracks’ in this section. 6
Long-distance walking tracks Long distance walkers should walk in small groups and take a map and compass. Cooloola Wilderness Trail 47.9 km, three to five days This track follows mostly level terrain and winds through heathland and rainforest. It connects East Mullen car park (off Rainbow Beach Road) to Elanda Point. Camping is available at Neebs and Wandi waterholes, Fig Tree Point and Harrys camping areas. Bring gas or fuel stoves, as campfires are not permitted. Walkers need to be relatively fit; it can be strenuous in high summer temperatures. Low-lying areas are wet all year round, but never walk here after heavy rain; flooded creek crossings are too dangerous. It may be necessary to cancel walking at short notice. Be prepared to make alternative arrangements when tracks are closed. Check before leaving home. Search for Cooloola Conditions Report or park alerts online at www.nprsr.qld.gov.au. Cooloola Great Walk up to 102 km one way, five days Camping is limited. Bookings are essential to ensure a place in one of the four walkers’ camps. Do not undertake the Cooloola Great Walk without a topographic map, a compass, reliable communication and navigation gear. Photo: Briony Masters, Qld Govt. Photo: Robert Ashdown, Qld Govt. For more details search for Cooloola Great Walk on www.nprsr.qld.gov.au. Please note: topographic map sale points are listed under the ‘Further information’ section. Track Distance/Time Description 14 Rainbow Beach to Carlo Sandblow 15 Rainbow Beach to Coloured sands 3.8 km return 1 hr 30 mins 6 km return 2 hrs 16 Searys Creek 250 m return 10 mins 17 Dandathu circuit at Bymien 18 Bymien to Poona Lake 19 Freshwater camping area to Freshwater Lake 20 Freshwater Lake circuit 21 Freshwater Lake to Bymien 22 Rainbow Beach to Bymien 23 Teewah Beach to Double Island Point lighthouse 24 Rainbow Beach to Double Island Point Cooloola Wilderness Trail Cooloola Great Walk 250 m return 10 mins 4.2 km return 1 hr 30 mins 2.4 km return 50 mins 4.7 km return 2 hrs 17 km return 5 hrs 15 km return 5 hrs 2.2 km return 45 mins 30 km return One full day 47.9 km one way Three to five days Up to 102 km one way. Five days Leave from the QPWS information centre car park in Rainbow Beach and follow this track through woodland to a natural sandblow with extensive views east and west. Walk east along the beach from Rainbow Beach township to where spectacular eroded cliff lines expose coloured sands. Start at the roadside car park (off Rainbow Beach Road) 7.5 km south of Rainbow Beach and follow the boardwalk to reach a stream that flows through wallum and low woodland. Enjoy an easy walk through rainforest. From Dandathu track, climb a rainforest-clad high dune before descending to Poona’s white sandy beach and tea-coloured waters of this perched lake. Walk through scribbly gum woodland and open forest to Freshwater Lake, flanked with reeds and twisted paperbarks. The lake is often dry. An easy walk through rainforest and open forest and woodland, along part of the Cooloola Great Walk and around the lake. Pass through scribbly gums, blackbutt and rainforest, passing Poona Lake through carrol scrub Backhousia myrtifolia understorey. From Carlo Sandblow follow a section of the old telegraph line through undulating terrain of woodland and rainforest to Bymien picnic area. Starting from the southern side of the headland, the walking track to the lighthouse is steep, but has fantastic views. Please do not enter the mowed grassed areas at the houses. An early start is recommended. From QPWS information centre in Rainbow Beach walk along a sandy bush track along the high dunes before crossing the Leisha Track to the Double Island Point toilet block. Continue along the northern beach to reach the historical Double Island Point lighthouse. This long-distance track offers a wilderness experience with wildflowers, chattering birds, cool clear waterways and solitude. Best time to visit is wildflower season; late winter to early spring. This three to five day walk is a combination of tracks 5, 8, 11, 12 and 13 on the map. Also see ‘Long-distance walking tracks’ section. This five-day walk links the Noosa North Shore to Rainbow Beach via the high eastern dunes known as the Cooloola sandmass. The track winds through rainforest, tall eucalypt forest, dry coastal woodland and heath plains. Also see ‘Long-distance walking tracks’ in this section. Photo: Briony Masters, Qld Govt. 7
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