It’s time to get your hiking boots on. The weather’s ideal and the
Sunshine Coast Great! Walk through the Blackall Range beckons. It lies around 90 kilometres north of Brisbane in the Montville area amidst scenic, cool-retreat hinterland.
It also meanders through some jaw-dropping natural attractions in the Kondalilla and Mapleton Falls National Parks, Maleny and Mapleton Forest Reserves, and Delicia Road Conservation Park.
Flex those calf muscles, and indeed a few others, in preparation – especially if you intend to do the full 58-kilometre, four to six day hike!
Of course, building up slowly might be a better option for most of us, so a half-day stroll or
short walk might be a good way to warm up.
The walk has also been divided into various
longer sections should somewhere in the middle work for you.
The landscape ranges from warm, subtropical rainforest and tall eucalypt forest to spectacular waterfalls and gorges. The views are magnificent.
One of the main highlights is Kondalilla Falls, where Skene Creek drops a mighty 90 metres into the rainforest and the spectacular valleys and gorges of Obi Obi.
Keep eyes and ears open for a splendid variety of wildlife. The area is renowned for over 100 bird species, including majestic peregrine falcons soaring overhead, 70 kinds of reptiles, and an abundance of frogs including the rare Australian marsupial frog.
If you’re keen (not to mention experienced) enough, start the 58-kilometre walk at the Booran Pocket Dam and finish at Delicia Road in the Mapleton Forest Reserve.
Walkers’ campsites are available and must be pre-booked.
Of course,
good planning is essential. You must be very well prepared with safety know-how and equipment, along with a topographic map, which is available from the EPA. Mobile phone coverage in the area is unreliable.
By the way, all walking times and distances mentioned both here and the website are one way.
