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.