Introduction to Great Sandy National Park
A STRONG ocean current flows along Australia's east coast. It carries the sand washed down from the sandstone and granite mountains of the Great Dividing Range. Much of this sand is deposited as islands along the South East Queensland Coast.
The Great Sandy National Park is one of these "islands", although unlike the other islands, it is connected as part of the mainland by a large everglade swamp along its length. The sand deposited on this sand mass has been blown inland by prevailing south easterly winds into long dunes stabilised by forest and heathland. The oldest of these dunes is around 750,000 years old, having survived intact with rising and falling sea levels over several ice age cycles.
The Cooloola Great Walk follows the length of these spectacular sand hills stretching southward from Double Island Point to the lower Noosa River. The first 106 kilometre leg of my journey mostly follows this trail. |
