Introduction to today's journey
Today's journey starts with a restful morning relaxing at Wandi Waterhole before I continue along the Cooloola Wilderness Trail crossing more low ridges and everglades until reaching Neeb's Waterhole, the permanent source of the Noosa River, where I set up camp.
Distance hiked today: 14.4km
Total distance hiked: 555.6km
Today's Journey
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I watch the sunrise from Wandi Waterhole. With just 13 kilometres to hike to Neeb's Waterhole today, I decide to relax in the morning beside the waterhole and have a late start on the trail.
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After returning to the junction, the track continues following the low ridges to stay above the swampy everglade, with just one creek crossing. The forest here is very open with the trunks of the trees very striking grey colours. |
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I reach Cooloola Way, which the track crosses over before heading up a short hill and descending through dense forest as cloud covers the sky. |
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Upon reaching the botton of the hill. the track passes through flat swamp heathland. Fortunately the track isn't too wet through here. I wonder what snakes and other critters lurk in the dense swamp vegetation. |
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At the end of the heathland, I enter a patch of everglade forest where a creek has flooded the track for about a hundred metres getting the boots wet again having just dried out from yeterday's morning flooded area near Lake Como. |
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Once across the creek, the track rises along another low ridge and follows it for several kilometres until reaching a junction at the edge of the very much diminished Noosa River which the track follows upstream for another half an hour before reaching the camping ground. The track has taken a direct route across from where I had left the river just north of Harry's Hut whilst the river continued north and swinging a huge arc to this point. The track has saved a lot of distance. |
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I arrive at Neeb's Waterhole Walkers' Camp in the mid afternoon, having completed all the day's trekking. Like Wandi Waterhole Walkers' Camp, this is a very quiet and remote clearing with no facilities. |
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The camping ground overlooks Neeb's Waterhole, one of two large pools of water making up part of the Noosa River. The waterholes are perhaps blocked off by some large landslides from past floods creating these enormous lagoons. |
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In between the two waterholes, the Noosa River flows much higher than usual due to all the rain this year. Usually this is little more than a trickle but now it flows at about forty litres per second. I cross to the other side to continue along the Cooloola Wilderness Trail following the upstream pool, the permanent source of the Noosa River. The trail continues for another ten kilometres to Rainbow Beach Road, but I will be taking another route tomorrow. |
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Camped out under clear skies on a moonless night, I watch the brilliant vista of stars in the evening before heading off to sleep on this very quiet night deep in the Cooloola Wilderness. |
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