Wandi Waterhole to Harry's Hut and back

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I WOKE up well before sunrise, and watched the sky gradually darken as rain started falling. Once the sky lightened, I packed up enough things for a day trip, knowing I'll be back here tonight. I set off from the camping ground retracing the track to the junction where the tree had fallen.

I followed the main track continuing towards Harry's Hut. It descended to a wide creek which flows into the waterhole. I crossed the knee deep water rising to the other side and crossing a short rise before crossing another creek before the track rose through the dense vegetation climbing a hill. The thick undergrowth was a bit overgrown making for very wet conditions even though the rain had mostly stopped falling.

The thick vegetation didn't las long though, clearing as I reached the top of the ridge. I followed the ridge for about two hundred metres with the occasional view of the surrounding ridges and valleys, including a view across to the Cooloola Sandmass. I reached the low summit of this ridge before the track suddenly turned to the left dropping steeply into the lowlands below, crossing a couple of small swampy creeks before going through open woodland along a very low ridge for a few kilometres.

After well over an hour of nothing forest, the track suddenly reached Eurobi Road, a sand road which the track followed towards the Noosa River. The forest cleared into open heathland with a good view across to the Cooloola Sandmass with the Cooloola Sandblow clearly visible.

The road ended at the edge of the Noosa River, looking very different to where I had crossed at Neeb's Waterhole yesterday. The track I had followed had taken a short cut across the ridges with the Noosa River tracking further north before turning around a wide arc to head southward to this point were it was about two hundred metres wide over a deep ochre coloured everglade. I rested at a small boat launch point before continuing along the track.

From Eurobi Road, the track entered the dense everglade rainforest following just metres away from the edge of the Noosa River. Banks of sand had been deposited over the track from the recent floods. Fortunately the water has subsided enough for the track to re-open about a week ago. The river was mostly out of view as the track passed through very dense forest crossing the occasional small stream, but there were several places where it came out onto the bank. Rain was falling now as I continued following the track.

Eventually I reached a clearing at the start of Harry's Hut camping ground. I rested at one of the picnic tables for a while as the rain continued falling before returning along the track back towards Wandi Waterhole. The rain was falling steadily as I continued through the forest, not clearing until I approached Eurobi Road.

I stopped at the end of the road overlooking the river when three kayakers passed heading towards one of the camping grounds upstream. These were the first people I had seen since before starting the track yesterday. They continued paddling upstream as I started following the sand road away from the river. Eventually I reached the junction where the wilderness trail headed into the forest.

No more rain fell as I hiked through the long section of forest along the ridges under overcast skies. Eventually I reached the hill at the end getting more good views of the sandmass and low ridges before descending to cross the two creeks and continue back to Wandi Waterhole camp.

Once back at camp, I had an early dinner before heading back out to the waterhole to watch the sunset. Although the sky was still cloudy, it was thin enough for some good colours to come through. I stayed beside the waterhole until the sky was almost dark.