A quick trip down to the Queensland/ New South Wales border region on Christmas Day.
I hadn't visited beautiful Girraween National Park for over 20 years. Fun fact: I camped in the park for around 5 months at one point in 2003 while working for a nearby winery. The tent came down every morning and I played a little game of dodge the park rangers (who am I kidding, they knew I was there and they could have kicked me out any time they chose to) and learnt to exist and subsist on canned food and muesli bars.
Kinda like an average day on a long trail.
The easy, undulating wander into South Bald Rock remote campsite is accessed by a tiny sloping car park you will see on the right hand side a few hundred metres before arriving at the Mt Norman day use area.
Wherever you are coming from, head for Wallangara, Queensland and then jump onto Mt Norman Road.
A few kilometres before the day use area is reached, there is a farm gate that requires opening and shutting as you drive through. However it was bent as all hell and busted up and smashed off it's post -presumably by drunk bogans on Christmas day- when I headed back home the next day.
Otherwise the Google directions are solid and the trail starting point is easy to locate.
I chose to park in the day use area overnight, (I really don't know why) and walk down the road to the stone arch where the sloping car park and the walk begins.
My Suunto measured 8km each way from the day use carpark, a relaxing 2 hours point to point.
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| Map sourced from Google maps. |
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| Mapping sourced from AllTrails. |
I found the temperature quite a bit cooler and far less humid than where I currently reside 200 kilometres north of Girraween. There's a bit of elevation gain and whopping huge granite boulders and cypress pines and stringybarks and wattles sprinkled about the landscape.
Kick off under the stone arch and push past the stone cottage that appears on your left, follow the fire trail, hop a few creeks and you will skirt some sloping granite and bump into a flat cleared area with a 'no fires' sign and you are there.
I left my pack at the campsite and hiked up the granite to the top.
There is no formed path, just follow the line of least resistance and wear footwear with solid lugs, you'll be right.
Stupendous views and as the campsite has to be booked (more information below) and it was Christmas day and only one booking can be made per day, I was the only person up there and I had the blue skies and the sunshine and entire place to myself. Weirdly though, I was constantly picking tiny spiders off my arms and legs. And no I wasn't off my guts on mushies either.
Campsite bookings can be made via the Queensland Parks website here.
Water was collected from a trickling stream just behind the 'no fires' sign.
I utilised the AllTrails online, downloadable mapping on my phone for directions.
I chucked my tent up and got baked and snoozed and dozed and read and eventually slept 12 hours straight through to the next morning. Wallabies thudded about and black cockatoos ripped up the tops of tall gum trees.
Next morning: a no brainer retrace back along the same path (mind you I still managed to head off in the wrong direction for 30 minutes, dumbass) and back to the hectic world of post Christmas Australia.
Fuckin awesome to be back in Girraween, love this protected area! Go get it.
