Conqueror of the Mountains of Australia in General and South East Queensland in Particular: New England Camping Trip Day 3

Enjoying the views from Point Lookout

Day three dawned bright and sunny so we made the quick drive to Point Lookout, the highest point and supposedly the biggest crowd-drawer in the national park. We were surprised to find it empty - apparently after sunrise the day trippers and overnighters clear right off. No complaints from us.

The views from the top definitely lived up to expectations - although Wright's Lookout was much better.

From here we followed the Eagle's Nest Track, which winds its way down the escarpment, providing numerous additional lookouts with slightly different perspectives (though none seem to be as spectacular as they should be, after spending some time at Point Lookout). This section was loaded with large steps and was quite steep for a short walk. The surrounding temperate rainforest was great.

Aside from lookouts and rainforest, the standout feature of this circuit was the interesting steep cliff faces we passed below. Almost every turn introduced us to another rock wall dripping with icy water - had we reached the famous 'weeping rock' yet?? It seemed to us like every rock was weeping.

At long last the track began ascending again. By this point we felt as though we had lost several hundred metres in altitude... but the return climb felt much shorter. Maybe climbing rock steps makes it seem quicker. After our recent storm some of these rocky staircases were more like miniature waterfalls, adding yet another dimension to this walk.

Finally we met a rocky cliff that was (perhaps arguably) weepier than the rest.

Weeping Rock at long last

It's not only the rocks that weep

Not far from here we joined the Lyrebird Circuit and emerged from the deep rich greens of lush rainforest into the drier open forest. More lookouts but again nothing new after the glory of Point Lookout. In retrospect this walk might have been better done counter-clockwise, saving the best views for last. A pleasant walk nonetheless.

For a change of pace, in the afternoon I visited the nearby Mt Cathedral National Park for some granitey goodness, choosing to visit Woolpack Rocks - an attraction less popular (but probably no less interesting) than the park's namesake. Being the "lesser" known feature here, I thought I might be lucky not to see many people. Turns out I had the entire walk to myself.

A rocky landscape characterised by numerous large granite boulders is the highlight of the short Warrigal Walking track, nearby Native Dog campground. The rocks appear to have been strewn about the place, perhaps at the whim of a monstrous giant, but signs along the way describe how granite forms and how weathering and other natural forces gradually created this unusual landscape.

Some of the boulders on the Warrigal walking track

The Warrigal Walking track then linked me up with trail leading to Woolpack Rocks. For about 20 minutes there were few signs of the marvellous granite country as the walking carried me through thick bushland. I spotted several kangaroos darting in and out of the undergrowth along here.

Classic Australian bushland

Finally the track emerged at a clearing with views to the rocky pinnacle apparently housing the granite rocks I sought after.

Sidling the eastern slopes of this ridge, the track meanders through surprisingly lush fern-filled gullies, where randomly strewn boulders abound. An unnamed peak further east appears through the trees and, just when it seems like I had walked past the destination, the sidetrip leading to Woolpack Rocks appeared. From here it was a short walk to the top.

This summit region is quite interesting and worth spending a great deal of time exploring. Unfortunately I had a fairly limited amount of time to spend wandering around, but it was a load of fun.