Off Track Hiking on Mount Greville in Moogerah Peaks National Park, Australia

Moogerah Peaks National Park consists of four ancient volcanic peaks that rise up from the beautiful Fassifern Valley in South East Queensland, Australia. The park is an important habitat for rare and endangered flora and fauna, and although it is located close to Brisbane and other settlements, the peaks provide some quite remote hiking opportunities.

I arrived at the base of Mount Greville by mid morning, ready to tackle one of the more challenging hikes in the park. The track to the summit is classified on the DERM website as a class 5 track, meaning that it is a challenging trek that should only be attempted by experienced hikers. Confident with my hiking skills, I started off by following the fairly well worn section at the start of the track.

The hike was pleasant, mostly meandering through the typical dry Eucalypt forest of the Australian bush, and I had the entire place to myself. Wildlife was aplenty, birds chirped in the trees above me and a Goanna ran across the track in front of me, before climbing straight up a tree to watch me from a safe distance.

A Goanna in a tree

The track began heading over rocky ground, before entering a patch of beautiful rainforest. I could see the track begin to become less worn, obviously where most people turn around and head back to their cars.

Eventually I got to a point where the track disappeared altogether, and I was now on my own to find my own path. This didn’t deter me at all, and I used my navigation skills to follow a dry stream bed up the slope through the rainforest. Ahead of me I could see some tall cliffs rising up above me, seeming like an impenetrable wall that had to be conquered to reach the top of the mountain.

View of the cliffs through some Bungalow Palms

When I reached the base of the cliffs, I followed them along the bottom, knowing that there must be a break in the wall that would allow me to climb to the top.

Following the cliff face

I continued following the cliff face and the dry stream bed until eventually a crack in the cliff face appeared, that the stream had obviously carved out over thousands of years. The small gorge was filled with Bungalow Palms, and rose steadily up the mountain as far as I could see, exactly what I was looking for.

The palm filled gorge provides a path up the mountain

With no definable track, the going was fairly slow and tough as I climbed over boulders and fallen logs. At times the slope was so steep that I had to half rock climb up the gorge. I stopped often to rest and hydrate, a perfect time to sit in silence and take in the beauty of such an incredible place. The rising cliffs above me made me feel small and at the mercy of nature, but I was determined to make it to the top.

Looking back down the gorge from where I came

The gorge seemed to go on forever, but soon it opened up and the top was in sight. I scrambled up the last steep slope and found myself at the top of a rocky ridge, where once again a rough track was visible, making it’s way along a gentler slope up the rest of mountain.

I wasted no time and continued up the mountain, taking in some incredible views along the way.

A view on the way up Mt Greville

My legs were now burning and I was exhausted from the climb up the gorge, but I slogged on and eventually I made it to the summit of Mount Greville. I sat for some time enjoying the beautiful views out across Fassifern Valley, and eating a well deserved lunch.

I was completely on my own on the mountain, and I had that great sense of accomplishment and freedom that drives me to do these things. This is exactly what I love about hiking.

The view from the summit of Mt Greville

The view from my lunch spot on the summit

After spending some time on the summit, I began making my way back down the mountain, back through the gorge and forest to my car, where I drove home to enjoy a well earned cold beer.

Making my way back down the gorge

Climbing Mount Greville was a tough hike, but it was very beautiful and rewarding. If you’re going to attempt a hike like this however, make sure that you are experienced and prepared enough to do it. If you’re not, it’s very easy to get lost or injured, and what should be a great experience could turn into a terrible one.