The Sister Mtns - Trip Report

Date: Sunday, 10 May 2020
Start time: 9:15 am
Participants: 2
Distance: 12.58 km
Elevation gain: 668 m
Moving time: 4 hours
Location: The Sisters Mountains, south of Townsville and Elliot Springs
Grade: Hard, off-track sections, steep scrambling, and very scratchy vegetation

With permission from the private property owner, Jodie and I set off to explore The Sisters Mountains, an isolated little range south of Townsville, composed of three peaks: East Sister, Middle Sister, and West Sister. It was a clear, warm morning, and the aim for the day was to traverse all three summits and return via Slippery Rocks Creek.

We began by walking up a grassed, washed-out old road that climbed steadily towards the first sister. The road was easy enough to follow, but it gained height quickly and soon opened onto a beautiful cliff line. We stopped here for a while to take in the views across the surrounding country and, naturally, to imagine what it would be like to climb the cliffs. The rocky outcrops and exposed edges were easily one of the highlights of the walk.

From there, we continued to the first summit, where we found several old cut ironbark trees. These were likely cut long ago, possibly for use in building or clearing a trig point. After a short look around, we pushed on along the ridgeline towards the next cliff line, again enjoying excellent views over the lowlands, the surrounding ranges, and back towards Townsville.

The traverse from the first sister to Middle Sister became more rugged. We scrambled down into the saddle and then climbed steeply back up to the middle summit. A rock cairn marked the top, along with more old cut ironbark. The Middle Sister felt like the true high point of the walk, though the first sister had the easy access and better views.

The country between the summits was rocky bushland. We passed golden orb spiders strung across the route and green ant nests. After continuing on to the third sister, the day became much less pleasant. The descent off the summit and down the ridgeline was steep, rough, and increasingly overgrown.

The ridge was choked with speargrass, sharp thorny shrubs, lantana, and Chinese chocky apple. It made for slow, scratchy, and fairly horrible progress. We pushed through as best we could, eventually making our way down the ridgeline and into Slippery Rocks Creek.

Once in the creek, the walking became more enjoyable again. We spotted praying mantis eggs and later saw a yellow-bellied tree snake moving through the creek area. From there, it was a straightforward walk back out onto the dirt road and then back to the entrance of the property.

- Luen