Cooloola Great Walk: Part Two

Dutgee to Brahminy
On the fourth morning heavy dew dampened our tent, as mist sat in the valley before the sun rose.

With the Cooloola Sandpatch crossing ahead of us that day, we wanted to set of early to avoid being ‘in the desert’ at midday, even though it was a shame to leave such a pretty spot. 

It's delicious. But that's not how you make porridge!

By the time we got to the sandpatch after winding our way along the Noosa River and then joining the track up the hill, it was almost lunchtime and the sun was pretty fierce. After glimpses of the view through the vegetation on the way up, we got a stunning panorama across Cooloola. Dumping our packs on the sand we went for an exploratory wander to look at the view across Lake Cootharaba.

After climbing up over the sandy ridge we finally saw the ocean again.

Despite the warnings regarding navigating through ‘the dessert’ we had no trouble although at times I wondered if I’d lost my marbles anyway. In the very middle of this exposed, harsh environment, we heard the constant call of whipbirds, which are normally a rainforest species. Of course they were coming from the forest just on the other side, but it still seemed a little surreal.

"We are going...thadaway"

The name ‘Rainbow Beach’ comes from the coloured sands of the towering sand dunes near the town and on the ocean side the sand patch was pretty mix of coloured streaks.

Footprints in the sand

We'd already met a few groups along the walk, who had been intrigued by the fact we were walking North to South rather than the South-North way the trail was written. The very technical reason for this was that by the time we'd booked the campsites, a walking group had already filled all the spots on the days we were after. So grudgingly we booked in the other direction, while I worried that all the great views would probably be at our back. A couple of days in we crossed paths with the walking group and explained they were the reason we were going about the walk backwards. While apologising, they also pointed out that we would have fewer up hill stretches. And how right they were. The sandpatch crossing was all downhill, our backs to the sun and the ocean ahead. We really appreciated this when at the bottom of the sandpatch, we met two men, who were just about to start their way up the sand.  

Later that day, we finally got the views that had initially tempted us to do that walk in first place. From the ridge we could see all the way from Double Island Point to Noosa.

Where we came from.

Where we are going

A few days earlier, we’d met a group who’d managed to spot whales from that spot, so we waited for a while, but with no luck.

'Here looks like a good spot'

The final nights campsite was in spectacular spot, with 180 degree views spanning from the ocean to the lake. We thought it would be all ours, until a couple of guys turned up just before sunset. Dropping their packs on the benches, they immediately set about the task of drinking beer they’d carried all the way up the hill with them.

After looking at the stars that evening, we left them still on the benches while we went to our tent. The next morning the heavy dew had saturated their sleeping bags, while they had slept under the stars. It turns out they didn’t have a tent with them. At least they got a great view of the mist covering the lake as the sun came up.

Brahminy to Tewantin
From our lovely perch up on the hill, we started to descend down to the beach and towards Noosa on the last day. Just like the previous couple of days we were still surrounded by spring flowers, but this time there was also a great view.

 At the last lookout, before the rapid descent we marvelled at the massive stretch of water all around and how close they were to each other.

Lake Cootharaba

Noosa in the distance

The previous day I’d been very excited to spot a red-belly black that had slithered off the trail as we approached. On the last day, we got an even better view. This time, the snake didn’t even move despite the fact I’d stepped less than half a metre from its tail. Judging it to be an Eastern Brown Snake – a very aggressive variety and also the second most venomous snake in the world – we stood looking straight into its reptilian eyes. Head raised, it fixed us with an unblinking stare. We waited, staring at each other until finally it relented and slithered out of our way.

A few hours later, we finally stepped onto the beach, this time so close to Noosa I could almost taste the gelato that awaited us there. After just a kilometre on the sand, the track headed inland again to end of the trail and the bus stop.

Cooloola Great Walk: Part I

Standing next to our backpacks waiting for the bus felt the same. Just like always, I wondered if we were at the right stop, at the right time, on the right day. As usual we were and as we took our seats towards the back of the bus, we could hear that familiar mix of foreign languages.

As expected, moments after pulling our packs from the luggage compartment we were approached by a couple of people from the local backpackers asking if we had accommodation for the night. And just like always, we said we did.

So the script was identical to the one we’d been through dozens of times in Argentina and Chile, but we were much, much closer to home. And yet even the familiar view of gum trees and golden grass looked different from the long distance bus.

I know what the locals sitting on nearby park benches were thinking - Stupid tourist! Look at her posing with that huge cheesy grin on her face in front of a gigantic kangaroo!

The 5-day Cooloola Great Walk is an 88km trail running from Noosa to Rainbow Beach (or the other way around) and involves car shuttling, which is why we were on a bus having public transport flashbacks (and pretending we were on a grand, many month adventure instead of making the most of a long, long weekend). Incidentally we’d always wondered if employees from backpacker’s places stood around like vultures waiting to accost weary bus travellers and offer cheap accommodation in Australia. Given that we got our answer, I would say the Greyhound experience was definitely rewarding!

Well that and we got to the start of the trail. Though funnily enough, as soon as we put our packs on, it felt like no time had passed at all since the last time we’d done this. No wait, it actually hurt a lot more than I remember which clearly shows I’ve gone soft in the last few months!

Rainbow Beach to Kauri Walker’s Camp
Given the late start and still short winter days, the first days mission was to get to camp before sunset. At the first sand patch not far from the trailhead, a woman took one look at the size of our packs and complimented us on our obviously superior fitness. So as a display of said strength we charged across the sand, muttering to each other that snow was easier to walk in and we didn’t really stop to take in the ocean views. In any case, we’d be looking at them for 5 days straight, right?

Well after 10 or so kilometres of forest, we reached a lovely little lake that reflected the afternoon light on it’s still waters. In the trees above the white cockatoos were squawking away as their black counterparts could be heard somewhere in the distance. Unfortunately, with the sun heading for the horizon, we couldn’t stay.

Not long after we heard the sound of an engine. Knowing we needed to cross a road before reaching camp, I was pretty excited thinking we were close. Except the engines turned out to be mounted on motorbikes and instead of being on the road, they ripped through the hiking trail. If they didn’t expect to see any hikers that weekend, they were in for a shock since there was someone on each leg of the hike, walking north to south. Except us, we’re rebels and walked it the other way around and for the better!

Anyway, after a bit of a climb, it was already twilight when we reached our campsite deep in the rainforest where another group where already chowing down on fine smelling dinner and dreaming about their pub meal the following day at Rainbow Beach. Lucky for us steak and wine were far from our minds since we'd carried smoked chicken for that night's dinner.

Kauri to Litoria
Leaving Rainbow Beach a few people had told us (okay they burst out laughing that we were going to camp before informing us) that rain was on the way and it came during the night. But by the following morning the skies looked clear, so we laid all our gear out on a bench ready to re-pack our bags. Moments later it started to pour down and we rushed into the only roofed spot in the campground – the toilet. But lucky for us the new pit toilet designs don’t smell much. Cooking breakfast while trying to prop the door open for some ventilation, I wondered if I’d cursed us when I wrote that we’d never had rain on a multi-day walk before.

Luckily the rain came down heavy and hard, but soon moved on and stayed away for the rest of the walk.

That day we didn’t see the ocean. In fact we didn’t see all that much except for lots of conveniently placed logs to rest our packs on when we needed a break.

Evidence of the Cooloola's past logging history.

After 20km walk through the rain forest we were relieved to get to the campsite on the ridge around sunset.

Litoria to Dutgee
By the third morning we were hoping for a bit of change of scenery. Luckily right from the outset we were in wallum scrub full of blooming flowers, grass trees and gums.

From the ridgeline we soon started to see the floodplain of the Noosa River that during the summer had overflowed and closed the whole area.

Nearer the river the ground was still a bit boggy even though the grassland seemed dry.

A little further along, the track almost disappeared in a sea of yellow flowered shrubs and the sound of buzzing bees filled the air.

It turned out to be a short walking day and we spent a lazy afternoon at one of the nicest campsites of the trail. It was located on the bank of the river, shaded with huge gums and surrounded by flowers.