Dunethin Lake

Dunethin Lake

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Posted 2024-02-12 by Elainefollow


Off the beaten track, you'll find Lake Dunethin - Bli Bli's hidden gem - a small inlet on the southern side of the Maroochy River. The locals call Dunethin Lake the 'Frying pan' - I suspect this is perhaps because of its shape - but this is a location that has something for everyone.



With exceptional views of the Ranges, this little gem provides picnic tables, a jetty, boat ramp and Dunethin Rock for the more energetic, so it's idyllic for a family day out, away from the crowds. Fishermen have their choice of fishing the protected inlet of Lake Dunethin or the Maroochy River itself, with catches including mangrove jack, bream, flathead and mud crab.



Dunethin Rock is the perfect viewing spot for the local kookaburra population too.

In the 1880's steamships from Brisbane would paddle up the Maroochy River as far as Dunethin Rock. A decade or so later smaller mailboats carried sugar cane to Dunethin Rock where a horse-drawn tram would carry the cane to mills in nearby Nambour.



I love local legends, don't you? There's an Indigenous Dreamtime story regarding Mount Ninderry, which one can view from Dunethin Lake. The legend goes that a young Aboriginal warrior called Coolum was in love with Maroochy, a beautiful girl from his tribe. All was well as the tribal elders had approved their union. However, one day, a warrior called Ninderry from another tribe kidnapped Maroochy while Coolum was out hunting.

The two warriors engaged in an epic battle for Maroochy, and while fighting, Ninderry struck Coolum with a club, knocking his head right off. Coolum's headless body turned to stone, forming what is now known as Mount Coolum and his head rolled into the sea and became Mudjimba Island.

The spirit gods were so angry by Ninderry's interference in the approved union of Coolum and Maroochy and the killing of Coolum, that they turned Ninderry to stone and he became Mount Ninderry.



When Maroochy discovered what had happened to her beloved Coolum, she fled inland to the Blackall Ranges, where she wept so much her tears flooded down the mountain range to the sea, forming the Maroochy River. Maroochy was determined to find Coolum's spirit, so she transformed herself into a swan so she could travel up and down the river in search of her lover's spirit.



The Maroochy River Trail is about thirty kilometres long with the upper reaches of the Trail commencing at Lake Dunethin. From the trail head paddlers have the option to paddle north to George Best Park or south to Coolum Creek, the Maroochy Wetlands Sanctuary and Mangrove Islands into the lower reaches of the Maroochy River.

Dunethin Rock Scout Campsite & Water Activity Centre , positioned on the site of the original Maroochy River State School at Lake Dunethin Road, Maroochy River is within walking distance of Lake Dunethin, hires canoes for paddlers and for a nominal fee one can camp on their grounds too.



This is a stunning, somewhat out-of-the-way spot, where one can fish, picnic or enjoy a paddle. For the more adventurous, why not climb Dunethin Rock - it's all part and parcel of this well-kept secret.

Location: Dunethin Rock Road, Maroochy River, QLD, 4561
#bli-bli
#boating
#camping
#lookouts
#picnic-spots
#sunshine-coast-surrounds
#weekend-escapes
%wnsunshinecoast
201890 - 2023-06-16 05:11:27

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