Down here in South East Queensland, we are spoilt for choice for things to do within a couple of hours of Brisbane. If you ever thought you might like to climb one of those mountains you see encircling us on the horizon, you could do alot worse than to start with this one.

This has got to be one of my all time favourite walks for introducing new people to the joys of climbing mountains. It is not difficult by any stretch of the imagination, and the rewards are exhilerating with that real sense of elevation. You are immersed in mountain grandeur with a spectacular vista for only a small amount of effort, though not so cheaply it robs you of a sense of achievement.

Mt Mitchell lies on the Southern side of Cunningham's Gap on the Cunningham Highway approximately 1.5hrs drive west of Brisbane. It lies on the border of what many bushwalkers consider the "classic" section of Main Range National Park. The start of the 10klm walk leaves from the side of the highway, opposite the eastern end of the carpark. Please take great care crossing the highway as there are many large vehicles that use this road. A major distraction in the early part of all the walks in this area is the road noise, but for newbies it can be a welcome sound on the return journey as you can hear you are closer to the end of your ordeal.

The first time we did this walk our daughter was only 6 months old, and our son 2 years. We carried them up in backpacks, and have returned more than once, and our children have managed to travel the trail in it's entireity under there own steam, from the age of 5.

Once you leave the road you start winding your way around the mountain towards the east, giving glimpses of the highway as you go. You then switch back through eucalypt forest and grass trees to contour around the northern and western slopes emerging in the saddle from the southern side between the East and West peaks. This part of the walk is straight forward, with a few stairs, and damp forest patches. Do not leave a return too late in the afternoon, as you will be in the afternoon sun, with little respite, especially in the warmer months.

It is from this point of the walk that a bit of care is needed. As you follow the trail upwards towards East Peak, you start to skirt along some ledges above a few cliffs, which offer some fantastic views over the valley below.



The trail turns into steep stairs and switches back a couple of times before climbing the spine towards the summit. On the return this spine will give great views to the west.



Proceed on until you reach a track junction. From here, 15 meters to your left you will find the actual summit of East peak. It is just a rock pile under a canopy with no views, but having come all this way you may as well claim it for your bag of peaks. Be careful though, as the rocks are mossy from being under cover, as my daughter found out one time on a Daddy/Daughter walk with me one time.

The right fork takes you to the razorback and the destination for the walk, and a great spot to have lunch on a cool day. Great care is needed here as recently as only a few months ago, there was a fatality at this very spot. Always be very careful when taking photographs on cliff tops, for when stepping around looking through your viewfinder it is quite easy to step off over the edge. The Panorama takes in Spicers Peak on your right(another recent fatality), around over My Greville, Moogerah Dam, Mt Edwards and the Fassifern Valley. You can also look south over the Steamer Range and towards the Barney/ Ballow region.

While we were here on our last visit, some playful Cunningham Skinks came out to join us for lunch. They seem to like 2 minute noodles.











A feature of the summit, is the high Basalt content in the rocks. If you hold a compass close to the rocks, the needle will rotate around.

The return journey is just a retrace of your steps, back to the saddle. Take care down the stairs, especially if you do not have a head for heights. Then a nice stroll back to the car.

I enjoy this walk everytime I do it.

CC