Author, John Burrows, on the Noosa Trail

It’s hard to resist the beach at Noosa, but for an adventure off the beaten track you must travel west a little way into the hinterland.

Exploring here has become a lot easier with the establishment of the Noosa Trail Network. It offers 106 kilometres of trail through a smorgasbord of landscapes – rolling hills and mountain peaks, bushland often in National Parks and State Forests, farmland, a scenic lake and the hinterland townships.

The Network was designed for horse riders, walkers, and mountain bike riders, and caters for all tastes and levels of fitness and experience. It utilises gazetted roads, road reserve, bush tracks and some private property, it crosses paddocks and small bridges in quiet valleys or climbs hills of daunting steepness.

Access is possible from many points, particularly the townships which can be reached by public transport, except for Kin Kin.
The Network is made up of eight separate trails, and the ultimate experience would be to combine some of these into one long circular trip.

Lake Macdonald near Cooroy is a good starting point for such a circuit. A picturesque spot, the artificial lake is Noosa’s main water source. Birdwatchers will find many species here – it’s one of 32 sites on the Noosa Bird Trail, and you’ll encounter more of these sites as you explore the Noosa Trail Network. The lake has Canoe Trails, but swimming is not allowed. In any case, Lake Macdonald is infested with cabomba, a pernicious water weed controlled to some extent by Council’s weed harvester which you may see crossing the lake like some weird contraption from Mad Max.

Our circuit begins by following Trail 4 – all trails have excellent signage, some markers may be obscured by vegetation so keep a sharp eye open. There’s interpretive signage too, describing the vegetation or snippets about the first Europeans in the area.
Trail 4 passes through pleasant bushland, dropping and climbing a little, a taste of things to come. It crosses a portion of Ringtail State Forest along an old Cobb & Co route – there’s some nice vine scrub here, although the track is boggy and unpleasant after rain and the alternative Trail 4 route may be preferable.

The country starts rising now up along a watershed separating the Noosa River and Six Mile Creek catchments. There’s a chance to rest and take in admirable views at Twin Hill Views Lookout. The Trail then runs along fence lines through private property and road reserve, the climb continuing to the top of Sheppersons Hill. The going here is steep, rocky and difficult.

Further along is Cootharaba Hills Lookout, offering one of the best panoramas along the Trail. Eastwards, the outlook includes the Cooloola Sandpatch, Lake Cootharaba and the ocean. Camping is permitted – there’s water and a picnic shelter – and it’s a beautiful spot to spend the night.  The lights of Noosa Heads can be seen twinkling after dark.

To the west, the Cooran Tableland dominates the horizon, with rolling hills of the Kin Kin Valley in the middle distance. Immediately below, the view is less appealing.

Preliminary work has begun on a mega-quarry which has locals worried. They’re concerned with the danger posed by many large trucks on small winding roads, including Sheppersons Lane which is part of Trail 4. The quarry spells bad news for the Network, could even result in this section being closed. Residents are organising legal action to have the scheme scrapped, or at least wound back.

For the moment you can continue peacefully along Trail 4. It leads a short distance westwards to Kin Kin, but our circuit switches to Trail 1, and runs through undulating farming country to Wahpunga Lane, the northern-most part of the Network.

Trail 1 then turns south to meet Trail 3, which follows quiet country roads until heading west and ascending the Cooran Tableland. There’s a short excruciatingly steep section up to Johnstons Lookout. A good spot to rest – it has a picnic shelter and water – it’s mostly enclosed in bushland, with limited views northeast into the Kin Kin Valley.

After this, the Trail is merely very steep. The long climb out of the valley reaches an altitude of 450 metres and leads to the shady rainforest of Woondum National Park, a welcome relief on a hot day. It’s one of Queensland’s newest National Parks, 4001 hectares in size.

It’s also one of the few National Parks where horse-riding is allowed. Conservationists objected strongly when the State Government amended the Nature Conservation Act to allow horses in Woondum and several other National Parks. They were dismayed with possible impacts – increased erosion, compromised nutrient status and water quality, and a general undermining of the integrity of National Parks.

The Noosa Trail heads south through Woondum, passing some interesting side tracks. Then it’s delightfully downhill to Tablelands Lookout and a commanding view of the countryside with its spectacular steep-sided volcanic peaks prominent. More descent, including a notoriously steep section known by mountain bike riders as The Mother, before the Trail flattens out and enters Cooran, where Trail 3 ends and our circuit switches to Trail 5.

With the terrain more or less level now, travelling on the Trail is not so arduous. There’s a close-up view of Mt Cooran and you’ll pass by a couple of lagoons that might be good for cooling off on a sweltering day.

Pomona is the next township, on the way the appealing bushland of the Tuchekoi National Park and the start of the walking trail to the top of Mt Cooroora. At 439 metres, it’s steep but manageable and popular.

From Pomona, there’s one last section to complete our circuit. The latest addition to the Network, Trail 7 leads east to our starting point at Lake Macdonald (it’s dubbed Mac ‘N’ Back). Another excellent section of trail, most of it runs alongside or through Yurol State Forest.

Allow plenty of time if doing the entire 70 km circuit as described here, and make sure your trip is well-planned and within your capabilities. Cooler months are best. Cyclists, especially if loaded with camping gear, should expect tough conditions.

Accommodation along the way is plentiful – hotels, bed and breakfast, campgrounds, with bush camping allowed at Cootharaba Views Lookout and Middle Lookout on Trail 2.

Trail users should follow caring-for-the-bush practices and respect the rights of landowners by staying on the trails. In National Parks, horse riders must be aware of the Code of Conduct for riding in protected areas.

More information: the very useful Noosa Trail Network map is available free from any Sunshine Coast Regional Council office, or: the Sunshine Coast Regional Council website.  

They’re closely connected in the Dreamtime tale of the Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi) people. Both were rivals for the affection of Maroochy, a beautiful young woman. A fierce battle saw Coolum’s head knocked off into the ocean to become Mudjimba Island, Ninderry turned to rock, and Maroochy’s copious flow of tears forming the Maroochy River.

In geological parlance, they are remnants of past volcanic activity. They’re rough and rocky outcrops with near vertical sides and caution is needed if exploring close to their edges.

Looking south from the summit of Mt Coolum. Image John Burrows

Mt Coolum is the most accessible and the most popular. Many thousands take the reasonably easy climb to the top each year to enjoy a great vista – Cooloola National Park to the north, the Glasshouse Mountains to the south, Mt Ninderry and the Blackall Range to the west, and the vast infinity of the Pacific Ocean.

The mountain is 208 metres high, and only 1500 metres from the beach, and you probably won’t find such a high lookout so close to the ocean anywhere else in Queensland.

The starting point for the climb is in Tanah Street West, just off the David Low Way, five minutes walk from the bus stop. Sunbus has an excellent service – the 620 – which runs between Maroochydore and Noosa Heads every half hour.

A National Park information board mentions that Mt Coolum’s cliff edges provides habitat for the peregrine falcon, the fastest animal on earth. It can reach 200 kilometres per hour while diving on prey, and you may be lucky enough to witness this.

The track to the summit can be a little steep and rocky, but won’t present difficulties for anyone of average fitness and agility. It may be slippery if wet. Do observe warning signs where the track nears cliff edges. It’s about 800 metres to the top; allow two hours for the return trip.

There are some interesting rock formations as you ascend. Higher up there is montane heath, a rare vegetation type which occurs where the soil is too thin to support large shrubs and trees.

Then from the summit there are 360 degree views, just walk around a bit to find the best vantage points. The panorama includes extensive coastal development, especially to the south.

If things had worked out differently, the summit of Mt Coolum itself could have been afflicted in the same way. In 1986 the Maroochy Council wanted to allow a development involving a chair lift up the side of the mountain and restaurant, café, function room and other facilities at the top.

This was desecration in the eyes of local community groups, who nipped the proposal in the bud, then fought for Mt Coolum to be declared National Park, as it eventually was in 1990.

That important peregrine falcon habitat thus became protected, along with a host of botanical treasures. These include 40 per cent of all species of ferns in the world, as well as some plant species found nowhere else on the planet.

From Mt Coolum’s summit, there is a walking track down the western side, not as well maintained, but offering good views across cane fields to Mt Ninderry.

The western face of Mt Ninderry. Image John Burrows

Ninderry has a wilder character, and is more difficult to access. For the non-motoring minority, public transport can get you to Yandina, it’s then about an hour’s brisk walk to the trailhead.

From just east of where the Yandina-Coolum Road crosses the Maroochy River, turn up Collins Road to reach Ninderry Road, turn right and proceed for 2.2 kilometres until you reach Eucalyptus Crescent. There’s an unmarked concrete driveway on the right, which looks private, but leads up to a small car park and picnic shelter which is the start of the trail to Ninderry’s summit.

Now largely protected from development with Conservation Park status, the mountain is 304 metres heigh.  It’s not an arduous walk to the top, although rocky and steepish in places, it should take about half an hour.

You’ll walk through attractive eucalyptus woodland, but views are limited until reaching the summit. As with Mt Coolum, there are wonderful panoramas, but you’ll need to scout around to find viewpoints. Spectacular cliffs are on the southern and western sides of the mountain.  Be very careful if approaching the edges.

To the south there’s a great outlook over the Maroochy River snaking towards the ocean, and immense expanses of land once used for growing sugarcane, now mostly unused since the local sugar mill closed down. Mt Coolum dominates the eastern landscape, with the Pacific Ocean providing a fine back drop.

It’s good if you can climb both Mt Coolum and Mt Ninderry in quick succession, to better appreciate how each stands in relationship to the other.

Enjoy both – but keep in mind the fragility of our natural wonders, and be a minimal impact visitor.

image: stock.xchng

By Valerie Lewis
President of the Sunshine Coast Environment Council

All over the globe, people gather in their hundreds on boats, or are taken swimming with the sole purpose of watching one of their favourite cetaceans, whales. This activity has expanded to such an extent that it is now considered to be a major eco-tourism endeavour in all countries whose oceans and waterways are visited by whales in their annual migrations.

As a typical example, the whale watching centre in the state of Oregan counted around 6000 visitors in the month of December 2008. In Iceland, whale watching has developed from a few hundred tourists in the 1990’s to over 80,000 today. It is hard to estimate the global number,but it is likely to be in the tens of millions.

A survey in 2001 (Holt, IFAW 2001) revealed that “whale watching is now carried on in some 492 communities around the world — nearly 200 more than in 1994. In many places, whale watching provides valuable, sometimes crucial income to a community, with the creation of new jobs and businesses. It helps foster an appreciation of the importance of marine conservation, and provides a ready platform for researchers wanting to study cetaceans or the marine environment. Whale watching offers communities a sense of identity and considerable pride. In a number of places, it does all of the above, literally transforming a community.”

This has certainly been true for communities such as Hervey Bay where tourists flock annually to enjoy watching the whales who stop by our neighbourhood for some mating and R&R activity.

In the 2001 IFAW report, it was noted for example that in the USA:

”The direct expenditures (the amount whale watchers spent on the tours) increased from $US77 million in 1991 to $US299.5 million in 1998 — an average annual increase of 21.4 per cent.

“The total expenditures (the amount whale watchers spent on the tours, as well as travel, food, hotels and souvenirs) increased from $US317.9 million in 1991 to $US1,049 million in 1998 — an average annual increase of 18.6 per cent.”

The annual income from whale watching around the world is now so huge that Greenpeace, in their efforts to combat whale hunting, has made the point that whales are worth more alive than dead, a nod to the enormity of the whale watching industry.

It is certainly true that the general public has become increasingly educated about our oceans and its creatures, thanks in part to having naturalists on board tourist boats, and it is hoped that this will go far to assist with preservation of whales and dolphins. It is certainly in the best interests of eco-tourism that this is the case.

But, it seems that our beloved whales are destined to be hunted, whether it be with harpoon, or camera, or whale watching boat. The fact is that the only choice it seems is between being killed or being watched as human kind seems obsessed to do one or the other. With this in mind it might be appropriate to ask a few questions about the ethics of whale watching. Do we just have the right to enter their territory, even with such good intentions?

There is a tendency, when it comes to our mammalian animal friends, for human beings to ascribe human-like motivations and feelings when observing them. We are known to dress up dogs and cats in little human outfits, and in general, we try to turn them into seeming as much like us as we can.

This is not to say that we do not share motivations and feelings, but it is not possible to know the extent to which a behaviour that an animal exhibits mimics what we would feel as humans. So when we watch whales, and their swimming activity increases and they swim up to us, we tend to read this as their showing off for us and that they want to make contact with us, etc. But we are not to know if a given whale with a calf nearby is agitated and upset by the presence of any number of boats laden with creatures that wave and make noise. There is quite a bit of whale behaviour data to indicate that the latter is actually fairly likely.

In 2002, William Rossiter talking about the burgeoning ‘swimming with..’ industry, writes in a publication of the Cetacean Society International:

“Do they mind all this? Are we doing harm? No-one really knows. How can we? Our senses and skills are dulled in the water, overwhelmed by the experience, and manipulated by self interest. Whales and dolphins also have proven very hard to provoke, at least enough to penetrate the mindset of enthralled or self-convinced people.

“Put another way, only a few people have been killed. But, along with broken bones and chewed noses, many have come close, albeit by accident. Have you noticed the threatening tail swipes at photographers in many underwater whale documentaries? The initial upset we may cause may be tolerated, or may be reacted to so subtly that we do not get the cues. Subtle behaviours that would scare away a shark, are ignored. The drive to get the picture blocks the view of the irritated body language, which we probably would not accept even if we understood it.

“Even if we know intuitively that something is wrong, we came a long way and paid a lot for this moment… How many cetaceans are left to wonder if we are sentient at all?”

As a result of concerns regarding whale watching activities, some enlightened regulations have been put in place in most Western countries such as Australia, NZ, Canada and the US. There are limits to numbers of boats licensed, to speed, angle of approach and so forth. In 1997, fairly strict laws in Queensland came into effect, but the limits of the state are three nautical miles. It is therefore difficult for the state patrol boats to enforce boat behaviour outside of that limit, as it is Federal jurisdiction.

The general objective is to not endanger whales but there is in actuality little in way of information to assess the impact that such an intense and growing industry as whale watching may be having. Scientific data is continually collected however, and we can only hope that if it should be shown that whale sightings drop significantly in a particular area such as Byron or Harvey Bay, that steps will be taken to re-think the activity.

We may have to consider building viewing platforms at sea, rather than have a relatively large number of individual, noisy vessels invading whale territory, or we have to make do with just watching them with binoculars from shore.

With this in mind, resorts are springing up along coastal areas frequented by whales, where one can enjoy the delights of viewing whale frolicking without going close to them. In the meantime, lets just ask ourselves to keep an open mind and keep a watchful eye on our tourism industries so that we don’t love these creatures to the point of harassment.

Up to now, our eco-tourism operators appear to be doing the right thing, and let’s hope that the whales continue to delight us with their presence. And after all it is true, as Greenpeace noted, that the worldwide whale-watching industry may just keep whales safe from harpoons.

Illustrations depicting ecotourism. Click on the images below.