By Rama Gaind.
There’s nothing quite like the great outdoors. Here are some details of a new memorable adventure you’re sure to enjoy.
April 2018 sees the launch of a fully-guided trek along the Queensland Sunshine Coast’s spectacular Cooloola Coast.
A fully-guided trek along the Queensland Sunshine Coast’s spectacular Cooloola Coast will be launched this month to provide an unforgettable adventure through massive sand dunes, hidden sub-tropical rainforests and along unspoilt beaches between Noosa and Rainbow Beach.
Renowned small-group trekking specialists, Tropical Treks, will offer the new Great Cooloola Walk guided trek on a fortnightly basis starting from Sunday, 22 April to Sunday, 23 September 2018.
The 88km, five-day/four-night, fully-guided, self-sufficient trek links the Noosa Northshore to Rainbow Beach via the 500,000-year-old Cooloola Sandmass and its unique dune, water, and vegetation systems.
Experienced guides will lead the tours highlighting the many rare and native animals inhabiting the Sandmass including ground parrots, feathertailed gliders, koalas and wallabies, along with rich flora and myriad wildflowers.
The Great Cooloola Walk is an unforgettable adventure through massive sand dunes, hidden sub-tropical rainforests and along unspoilt beaches between Noosa and Rainbow Beach.
There are many other highlights. Humpback whales can be seen as they migrate up the coast during the winter months. The Noosa Everglades, one of only two everglades systems on earth, is a world of water, wilderness and wonder. Known as the River of Mirrors because of the amazing reflections in the water, the Everglades, in the upper reaches of the Noosa River, is a 60-kilometre stretch of pristine waters, magnificent flora and fauna and narrow waterways.
Hundreds of species of birds, lizards, kangaroos and other wildlife inhabit the diverse foliage. The flora of the Everglades is completely unique, with high twisting grasses, large swamp banksias, hundreds of different flower species, and of course, the iconic liana vines and trees that make the forest so dense.
Natural wonders
The walk crosses the Cooloola Sandmass, a 61,750-hectare section of the Great Sandy National Park, one of the largest accumulations of wind-blown sand found along the Queensland coast. Built up during the last 500,000 years, it conserves rainforest, tall eucalypt forest, dry coastal woodland and heath plains, vast sandblows, past perched lakes that you will experience on this walk.
Over million years, ocean currents and waves have swept sand north from the continental shelf of NSW and southern Queensland. Sand accumulates and covers the bedrock to form dunes parallel to the coast, leaving only peaks uncovered – today’s headlands. Onshore winds blow some loose sand inland into hairpin-shaped dunes, which march inland over parts of older dunes, forming a sequence of overlapping dunes.
Trekking specialists, Tropical Treks, will offer the new Great Cooloola Walk guided trek on a fortnightly basis starting from Sunday, 22 April to Sunday, 23 September 2018.
Carlo Sand Blow is a unique 15-hectare sand mass at the end of the Cooloola Great Walk. At its height, sweeping views of Pacific Ocean, the towering coloured sand and the coastline from Double Island Point to Inskip Peninsula and the southern tip of Fraser Island.
It provides a unique opportunity to witness geological forces at work, and showcases the dynamic nature of windblown sand. Sandblows form when strong onshore winds break through the vegetation cover, pick up grains of sand and drive them inland. In Cooloola, new sandblows have overlapped older, revegetated blows to build the dunes up to great heights above sea level, some being the tallest in the world.
Package details
Cooloola is the word of the local Aboriginal Gubbi Gubbi people meaning “the sound the wind makes as it whispers through the branches of the trees”. The heritage and culture of the Gubbi Gubbi people is a major feature of the commentary provided throughout the guided trek.
Experienced guides will lead the Great Cooloola Walk tours highlighting the many rare and native animals inhabiting the Sandmass including ground parrots, feathertailed gliders, koalas and wallabies, along with rich flora and myriad wildflowers.
A moderate level of fitness is required for the trek. Participants are required to pitch their own tents but the schedule allows plenty of time to relax, bird watch, encounter wildlife and appreciate the scenery and the amazing night skies. The weather throughout the six-month period is mild and generally dry, making it ideal for trekking.
Groups are limited to six and the package includes all camping equipment, meals and drinks along the trek. Nightly accommodation is in four walkers’ camps, which offer tranquil camping experiences with toilets and fresh water. Enjoy meals with fellow hikers watching the sunset over western volcanic peaks and witness the Milky Way and Southern Cross in the night sky. Wake to the birdsong chorus as the sun rises from the Pacific Ocean.
The all-inclusive fare is $1595.00 per person.
Inclusions:
- All camp gear, equipment, meals and drinks on the walk.
- Camp gear: 75 lt. backpack, screen tent/fly, 3/4 length ‘Thermarest’ self-inflating mattress, sleeping bag, liner and pillow and walking poles.
- 1 night pre-walk accommodation, nibbles, drinks and dinner at Noosa Northshore
- Transfers from Noosa to Noosa Northshore accommodation
- Celebration lunch, including drinks at Rainbow Beach.
- Transfers from Rainbow Beach to Noosa after celebration lunch (Day 5)
- Guide
- Camping permits
- Topographic map
Bring-your-own-gear option:
$1095.00 per person.
Inclusions:
- Provide own camp gear, equipment, meals and drinks on the walk.
- Pre-walk welcome BBQ nibbles, drinks and dinner/meeting at Noosa Northshore. Mandatory attendance. Make your own way or we can arrange return transfers.
- Transfers from Noosa accommodation to the start of the walk on Day 1
- Celebration lunch including drinks at Rainbow Beach.
- Transfers from Rainbow Beach to Noosa after celebration lunch (Day 5)
- Guide
- Camping permits
Special rates are available for bookings of six guests.
Travel dates:
Walks depart fortnightly between:
Week 1: Sunday, 22 April 2018
Week 12: Sunday, 23 September 2018
DETAILS BOX
Tropical Treks
Great Cooloola Walk guided trek on a fortnightly basis starting from Sunday, 22 April to Sunday, 23 September 2018.
T: +61 (0) 407388747
W: https://www.tropicaltreks.com.au/tours/cooloola-great-walk/
