Outdoors in October with the Townsville Bushwalking Club

October–November with Townsville Bushwalking Club: Alligator Creek Falls, Godwins Peak, William Creek Falls overnighter, Tully Gorge expedition, and Many Peaks & Freshwater trails. Meet & Greet 11 Nov. Updates: Puzzle Creek → Alligator Ck; Henrietta Creek camping rescheduling. Join us!

Townsville Bushwalking Club

05 Oct 2024 — 7 min read

HELLO FRIENDS

This is Cherry, thrilled as always to bring you updates on our upcoming adventures in the great outdoors.

Our calendar for October is brimming with exciting events, so let’s jump right in.

Before we do, however, please take note of a few scheduling changes for the coming weeks:

The Puzzle creek walk has been changed to Alligator Ck Falls. We have organised 2 Mt Marlow & Many Peaks walks - on 20th Oct and on Nov 10th.

The Henrietta Ck camping weekend - is going to need to be rescheduled at this stage. However, there will be an easy camping weekend - we just need to work out walk leader schedules.

See you on trail folks!

Warmest Regards,
Cherry Judge
Secretary
Townsville Bushwalking Club

Hermit Falls, near Hidden Valley 📷 Jo Huford

TBWC Meet & Greet and Walk Talk

Monday, November 11, 2024
6:00 pm

Location: At the Club house which is at Blessed Mary Mackillop Parish meeting room ( building behind the Church), 43 Ross River Road Mundingburra. Take the St Joseph School entrance.

We invite all visitors and members to join us for the November Meet & Greet.

( Please note - no Meet & Greet in October)

I f you have any questions about a particular walk, this is a great place to get your questions answered.

No need to RSVP, just come along.

Kahlpalim Rock (Lamb's Head), Davies Ck NP 📷 Cherry Judge

Alligator Creek Falls

Sunday, October 13, 2024
Led by Graeme Taylor

Rated: Level 3-4. 4 - if you choose to climb to the top of the falls. Moderate

Duration: Approximately a 6-7 hour day.

Description: This trail traverses through the Bowling Green Bay National Park, along the Alligator Creek Trail to the falls.

The distance is 17 kms return + the optional distance to climb to the top of the falls. , and should at most take us around 6-7 hours (including breaks). There will be multiple creek crossings (expect one to be waist deep), so expect to get wet shoes and clothes.

For those keen to brave the cold water, there should be an opportunity for a swim at the base of the falls.

RSVP: TBWC Members- Free. Visitors/Guests- 5$ ( All welcome, you can become a member after 3 walks

Godwins Peak

Sunday, October 13, 2024
Led by Cherry Judge

Rated: Level 4 . Moderately Difficult. This peak is as steep as Halifax

The steepness of this hike (no ropes) and the heat is what will unravel many.

Duration: Approximately 16 km. 7-10 hours.

Description: At an elevation of 783 meters, Godwin's Peak stands out as one of the most rewarding summits to hike within the Paluma Range National Park. From the summit, hikers are treated to a breathtaking 360- degree panoramic view encompassing Mt. Halifax, Townsville, and the coastline.

This is however a really strenuous walk and the uphill is very steep and slow going. The bush track is rough and uneven underfoot.

Highlights include: Twin and Pick Falls and the Views from the summit.

RSVP: TBWC Members- Free. Visitors/Guests- 5$ ( All welcome, you can become a member after 3 walks

William Creek Falls, Paluma, NP

Overnighter, 19-20 October, 2024
Led by Luen Warneke

Rated: Level 5 due to creek walk and how long the walk is. This walk is for moderately fit bushwalkers.

Duration: This walk is estimated to be a 6-8 hours each day.

Description: This is an overnighter that starts on Saturday morning and ends on Sunday evening. Williams Creek winds its way down beside the K Traverse and has a rich history with the early European settlers of Paluma as well as the logging era. This lush rainforest creek is fairly easy to access and exit. The aqua-blue water and sandy area with small rocks and fern-filled contribute to the scenery and are typical for these rainforest creeks. You can see red claw yabbies, guppies, and various fungus types. There are small cascades along the way, one of which is the creek's main waterfall. This beautiful hike is varied in its landscape and vegetation.

We will camp in the creek once we've had enough walking. Exit via Forgotten Falls Track or K Traverse (TBD).

Hikers are required to book their own remote off-track camping permits via the QPWS booking portal website. Walkers without a camping permit will be rejected on the day.

Camping permit link - https://qp ws.usedirect.com/QPWS/ Look for Mount Spec Remote Camping North of Paluma

RSVP : TBWC Members- Free. Visitors/Guests- 5$

RSVP directly with the walk leader. Please contact Luen Warneke to discuss this overnight, off-track camp at [email protected]

Many Peaks & Freshwater trails

Sunday, October 20, 2024
Led by Cherry Judge

Rated: Level 2. You should have at least attempted Castle Hill. This is not for the absolute beginner , mainly due to the heat and time this walk will take. Expect some steep, uneven and rocky sections.

Duration: 12 kms approximately. Duration ( approx) of walking per day - Approximately 4 hours.

Description: On this hike we'll be heading up Lagoon trail and walking along this flat trail for about 2 kms or so before taking the turn off and making our way up the Many Peaks trail to the Mount Marlow summit. We'll take a few short stops along the way, and we will take a break at the top to take in the views. We will then come down Mt Marlow.

There are exposed sections, so expect it to be hot. I cannot reiterate this enough - Bring plenty of hydration.

The pace will be moderate and continuous, so we can cover the distance within the designated time-frame and enjoy our stops at the points of interest mentioned above.

RSVP: Via link below. TBWC Members- Free. Visitors/Guests- 5$ ( All welcome, you can become a member after 3 walks

Tully Gorge, exploratory hike, Tully Gorge NP

Overnighter, 26-27 October, 2024
Led by Luen Warneke

Rated: Level 5. Hard and challenging.

Duration: This walk is estimated to be a 6-8 hours each day.

Description: This is an overnighter that starts on Saturday morning and ends on Sunday evening. tough and exploratory hike up Tully Gorge. We’ll hike along the Tully River, clambering over boulders, and swim through cool water (pack swims) to the base of Tully Falls. From here, we'll be steeply ascending the spur into thick rainforest, where technical scrambling skills are required. From here, we'll navigate to the lookout track, around to the other side, and then descend off-track down the ridgeline to our cars.

The club have done this several times in the past, but this trip's leader hasn't; hence exploratory.

Steep climbs, technical scrambling, and exposure to heights/cliff edges. Off-track navigation through thick rainforest.

Requires high fitness and experience with scrambling/climbing. This is a very hard, challenging hike.

Be aware of heights, wet rocks, uneven ground.

Camping permits likely required - please check with walk leader.

RSVP: TBWC Members- Free. Visitors/Guests- 5$

RSVP directly with the walk leader. Please contact Luen Warneke to discuss this overnight, off-track camp at [email protected]

Many Peaks & Freshwater trails

Sunday, November 10, 2024
Led by Molly Hoey

Rated: Level 2. You should have at least attempted Castle Hill. This is not for the absolute beginner, mainly due to the heat and time this walk will take. Expect some steep, uneven and rocky sections.

Duration: 12 kms approximately. Duration ( approx) of walking per day - Approximately 4 hours.

There are exposed sections, so expect it to be hot. I cannot reiterate this enough - Bring plenty of hydration.

The pace will be moderate and continuous, so we can cover the distance within the designated time-frame and enjoy our stops at the points of interest mentioned above.

RSVP: Via link below. TBWC Members- Free. Visitors/Guests- 5$ ( All welcome, you can become a member after 3 walks

October 27 : Ethel Creek Falls ( to be confirmed)

This was originally going to be a camping weekend at Henrietta Ck. Instead, we will be doing this sweet hike - Ethel Creek Falls, Paluma. This will be about 3 hrs or so with a glorious swim.

This hike was planned just as this newsletter was being completed & hence no time to get the forms out - so please get in touch with Cherry Judge ( who is hosting this one) & reach out to her at [email protected]