SEQ or northern NSW hike ideas?

[Maciej84]

Hi Everyone!
We are prepping for the OLT and are looking for a 2-3 night hike within ~3 hours drive of Brisbane. Loop or thru hike. Has anyone been out recently? Worried that everything has been reduced to ash. Would love some place that's still green, and preferably higher altitude / bit cooler.

Many thanks for any suggestions

[ofuros]

With the Main Range Np, Mt Barney Np & Lamington NP (Binna Burra section) & there remote campsites closed, your choices in SE Qld are a little limited at the moment.

You could base yourself at Green Mountains, Lamington & do the longer circuits. I think the drive-in campsite is still being upgraded though. Cooler & green.

The Border Ranges NP, it's walks & drive-in campsites are is still open. Booyong walk 9km one way, between Sheepstation & Treetops camps. Brindle ck walk. Cool & green.

Glen Rock State forest is still open, dry open country though. Good ridge walking. Remote camping. Take water.

Mt Warning summit will get your thighs burning. Bleary eyed early start required. Cool & green.
Cougals too.

Springbrook NP has the longer Warrie waterfalls circuit 17km...nice walk & swim options. Settlment camp is open, Woonoongoora walkers camp should be too. You could use the Gold Coast Great Walk from settlement camp until the walkers camp, then return. Cooling swim option at the river crossing.

Wyaralong, Mt Joyce summit & it's off track ridge circuit walk is open. Ngumbi camp open. Dry area walking. Take water. Nice views from Mt Joyce.

Plunkett conservation park, ridgeline walk to Wickham NP...dry area walking. Lots of circuits & side track options for training & variety.

Flinders Peak & Mt Blaine summit + Flinders Goolman trail. Dry walking,

Not the 2/3 day long walks your looking for, but that's all I can think of for practice, off the top of my head....while our bread & butter Np's are still closed.

[Maciej84]

Wow! Thank you for taking the time with such a thorough reply We'll do some more research this weekend and pick one of those ideas. Cheers!!!

[Lyrebird]

Ofuros has definitively covered what's open and/or still standing.
If you wanted a multi-day hike you could walk from Green Mountains to the Stinson and back again. It's generally done as 2 days each way? Bear in mind that it's not an official track by any means and requires decent navigation skills and solid trousers.
It's still open and (hopefully) too soggy to burn.

Everything is very dry at the moment. I wandered around near Currumbin Creek and the Cougals yesterday for something to do, and the creek is pretty much empty; certainly the driest I've ever seen it. I passed a lot of disappointed people with towels looking for the famous swimming cascades, but there were only a few stagnant pools.

[ofuros]

Forgot about the Cream track...if your based at Settlement campground in Springbrook NP

Free permit & info available here.
http://www.thecreamtrack.com.au/

As Lyrebird mentioned, there's also plenty of 'Off Track' routes to explore in the parks above too...

[dalehikes]

Just keep in mind that the annual camping closure of Lamington is still in effect until Feb 1st. That means no camping anywhere in Lamington.

There is also no bush camping year round in Springbrook. Only options there are the established sites with permits.

[Lyrebird]

Darn, forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder Is it January already??
The Stinson as a day walk from Christmas Creek (staying or camping with the various private operators along the creek) could still be an option. Likewise various day walks from the O'Reilly's.