Bushwalking Itinerary, 2001

Meetings are held a week prior to each trip, usually on a Friday at 5.00pm outside the fitness centre. If you intend to come on a walk but can not make it to the meeting, you should contact Simon Roebuck prior to the meeting.

Sunday 18^th March, Alligator Creek Falls

This is a 17 Km return day trip to some spectacular Rock Pools at the southern limit of the Wet Tropics. Often festooned with butterflies (and the occasional mossie) this is an excellent introduction to North Queensland. The walk passes through a variety of habitats including woodlands, vine thicket and rainforest, to the base of Mt Elliot. The Falls are a series of cascades, that drop about 150m.

The grade is moderate. However, on a hot day, be prepared for the tiring conditions. Walkers should take a packed lunch, sunscreen, hat, water and a little repellent may be appreciated.

Sunday April 1^st, St Margrets Creek

St Margrets Creek is a favourite desination among local bushwalkers. Just 40km south of Townsville, the creek is extraordinarily beautiful and an ideal place to spend the day exploring numerous swimming holes, waterfalls and water slides, or just soaking up the lush, native surrounds.

To get to the Creek, one has to drive to the Mountain View Caravan Park. There you will have to pay a $2.50 entrance fee to walk across private land to the creek. The track is well maintained, though much of the walk to the creek is infested with exotic weeds and vines. The real beauty and splendor of the area awaits at the creek.

Once you reach the creek, a track continues up stream for another 20 minutes to a famous water hole with perhaps the fastest, longest and most exhilerating natural water slide you are ever likely to come across. Be careful however, if you start your slide from the wrong place, you will end up on the rocks at the bottom ( not the water). From the water slide, you can venture further up the creek for another 1 1/2 - 2 hours before eventually coming to a stunning water fall. This walk however is not for the unfit or faint hearted (a lot of rock hopping and bush bashing required). If you are planning to make it to the falls, you will need to give yourself a full day to get there.

Saturday 14^th – Monday 16^th April (Easter Weekend), Mt Bartle Frere

Mt Bartle Frere is Queenslands largest mountain peak, 1622m. It is a dense rainforest clad mountain on the tropical coast just north of Inisifail, the wetest region in Australia. The area is unique in all of North Queensland, as the tops of Bartle Frere, and its neighbour (Mt Bellenden Ker) contain a wind swept, stunted - almost alpine like vegetation, remininscant of some of the large tropical rainforest peaks found in Papua New Guinea. One of the most interesting aspects of the walk is the noticable decrease in the height of trees with increasing elevation.

The climb to the top of Mt Bartle Frere (15km return), is a formidable task, given the temperatures and humidity experienced in NQ. The plan is to drive up Josephine Falls, which is at the foot of the mountain and stop there for lunch. In the afternoon we will hike up to a small camp at Majuba Creek, about 1/3 of the way up the mountain. We will stay here over night, and leaving our packs behind, climb the steep ascent to the top next morning. A reasonable level of fitness is required to make it to the top, and some awkard rock hopping is required. It is wise to bring warm, wet-weather clothing as temperatures average 14-18 degrees cooler than the coast, and sudden thunderstorms often roll in - creating hypothermic conditions for the unwary. On a clear day, the veiw from the top is astounding. This, combined with a well deserved sense of accomplishment is what makes this trip such a memmorable and rewarding experience.

Saturday 5^th – Monday 7^th May, South Mole Island

For bushwalkers, South Mole Island is undoubtably one of the most interesting barrier reef islands. The island has numerous walking tracks that mostly follow open ridges and tops, providing excellent panoramic views of the Witsunday Islands. Access is via ferries that regularly travel between Shute Harbour and the Resort, on the North side of the Island. Plans for this long weekend trip are undecided, but it is likely that we will walk over to Sandy Bay at the southern end of the island (4.7km). This seclude bay is sheltered from the south-easterly winds and is a perfect camping spot.

Saturday 26^th - Sunday May 27^th Paluma/Rainforest Weekend

Paluma is probably the most popular scenic attraction close to Townsville. The area is surrounded by upland rainforest, forming the southern end of the Wet Topics.

The plan is to leave after lunch on Saturday, and head up to little crystal creek for a swim (1 hour drive). After an hour or so of exploration or relaxation, we will continue up to the top the Paluma Range, and out to the Dam (antother 45 mins drive). This area is an ideal camping spot and retreat. For those who are interested, we will watch a colony of 5000 or so microbats emerge from a tunnel under the dam, and later spotlight around the edge of the lake. Others might just prefer to relax around a camp fire. In the morning, those who are keen on birdwatching will hit the forests in search of elusive golden and satin bowerbirds, chow chillas, whip birds, catbirds and riflebirds. On the way back we will stop at Birthday Ck Falls, perhaps for yet another swim, the Ivy Tea cottage and of course - Frosty Mango.

Sunday 1^st – Saturday 6^th July, Hinchenbrook Island and/or Cape Bowling Green

Hinchenbrook Island is Australia's largest island national park. A 32km trail runs along the east coast of the island. The island is renown for its diverse landscapes which range from open woodland, rainforest, mangroves, melaleuca swamps, beach forest and mountain escapements. The Thorsborne trail follows unsurpassed stretches of coastline and numerous waterholes.

The walk is not difficult though some areas are rough to traverse. To help minimise impact to the areas and to maintain the wilderness setting, permits are issued for a maximum of 40 people on the Trail at any time, and the largest group size is six. July is also the most heavily booked period of the year, and we may already be too late to organise this trip. Numbers will be limited to six people only, and the cost will be approximately $150 + food. This includes a $90 transfer fee to and from the island.

As a alternative plan, for those who miss out on Hinchenbrook, 2 day (40km) hike along Cape Bowling Green, just north of Ayr is suggested. This is a lesser known coastal wildness experience that almost measures up to Hinchenbrook. However, with no fresh water available along the entire journey, it is perhaps even more adventurous and demanding. The cape itself is a remarkable spit that extends 20km out to sea. Mangroves line the western shore, and a cyclone battered beach makes up the trail we will be walking along the eastern side. The aim would be to walk a staggering 25km in the first day. This would include the 15km walk to the light house, an ideal spot to camp, as well as the 10 km return walk to the magnificant cape tip. On the second day we will retrace the 15km back to Alva beach.

Saturday 21^st- Sunday 2^nd July, Broadwater

Broadwater is one of the nicest camping areas we know, situated approximately 60km northwest of Ingham, the area is mostly lowland rainforest, extending into upland regions of the Cardwell Ranges.

Broadwater is a great place to relax or go exploring. On past bushwalks, students have trekked upstream and li-loed down. If we are really adventurous, there is an all day walk upstream to a spectacular water fall. Though seen from afar on many occasions, no one in the club has yet made it to the falls.

Sunday 12^th August, Wallaman Falls

Wallaman Falls is Australia's largest single drop waterfall. Situated 60km west of Ingham- the falls are one of North Queenslands most spectacular scenic attractions. The falls are shrouded in mist over much of the year, and the volume of water changes from a raging torrent in the summer to a sparse 'rain-like' shower in winter. It takes approximately 1/2 an hour to descend the 2km walk to the bottom of the falls. The scenery undergoes some spectacular changes from open forest, to dense permanently moist rainforest. The pool at the bottom is an excellent swimming hole, though extremely cold this time of year.

Saturday 25^th - Sunday 26^th August, Jourama Falls

Jourama falls is yet another excellent waterfall and popular scenic attraction. Downstream there are many waterholes suitable for swimming. The walk to the falls look out is only small, hence I am not sure we can really call this trip a bushwalk - but it is a lovely place to visit none the less. There is always the opportunity to explore around the creek, and this could be combined with a walk along one of the northern beaches

Saturday 8^th – Sunday 9^th Sept, Magnetic Island

Magnetic island has some great walking tracks and splendid beaches. A walk travelled by few, is that from Nelly Bay to Horseshoe bay, some 17km in length. A possibe plan would be to walk the 10.5km hike from Nelly Bay to Arcadia on Saturday, then catch the bus to Horseshoe Bay to stay at Geoffs place for the night (since camping is not permitted on any of the beaches). Then next morning, we could hike from Horseshoe Bay around to Balding Bay, Radical Bay, Florence Bay, Arthur bay and back to Arcadia.

Saturday 28^th-Sunday 29^th Sept, Dalrymple Gap Walking Track

Situated near Five Mile Creek, south of Cardwell, the Dalrymple Gap Walking track retraces the original overland path of George Dalrymple from his home at the Valley of Lagoons to the port of Cardwell in 1864. The walking track is 10-15 kilometres long, depending on whether we want to hike all the way over to Abergowie, or simply return to the eastern side of the Cardwell Ranges. The former would require an overnight trip and car shuttle at the end- the latter, just a day trip. The track passes through open eucalypt forest, which change into rainforest on the western side of the range. The track meets up with Dalrymple Creek, which is an excellent camping spot and place to swim.

Sunday 13^th Oct, Many Peaks Range

The Townsville Town Common is a fascinating wetlands, consisting of mangroves, grasslands, swamplands, woodlands and the Many Peaks range. The area is most famous for its amazing diversity of waterbirds, particularly in the wet season. Many Peaks flanks the northern side of the Common, in between the salt marshes an the sea. A 12 km walking track extends along the slopes and tops of the range and down into the northern end of Shelly beach. On the return journey, one can avoid the walk back over the range, taking a route that passess through the salt marshes and grasslands to a freshwater lagoon and bird hide. From here it is just a 2-3km walk back to the car park at Palleranda.

Saturday 27^th – Sunday 28^th Oct, Mission Beach

Before settling in to the weeks of study ahead, it would be nice to have a totally relaxing trip, and do nothing but lie on the beach for a day or two. Mission beach is just perfect for this. There are however a number of nice walks in the area we could go on, including a climb to the top of Bicton hill, the Licuala walking trail, and the lovely walk along South Mission Beach down to to Kennedy Bay. Accomodation will be at a cheap backpackers.