I have climbed at Mt Greville a few times, but in the absence of a climbing partner I decided to try some of the other trails. I started up the aptly named 'Palm Gorge' which wound steadily higher through lush undergrowth, between narrow gorges, and under many tall palms.
After a few sweaty hours I made it to the top, and sat down for some water and snacks. I met another group of hikers coming from the 'Waterfall Gorge' trail. Heeding their advice I decided not to continue the path they had taken as route finding was much more difficult on the way down.
I could have had trouble locating a few important sections (such as the wire ladder up a short rock face) and some slippery slabby sections would be a bit too dangerous hiking my myself if an accident had happened.
I turned around and went back down the way I came. Walking over the same brown snake I saw on the hike up, I made it back to the car park with plenty of time left in the day.
The rain had held off, and not wanting to return to Brisbane just yet I decided to check out a 4wd track that had been on my radar for a while. I crossed the range and turned off the Spicers Gap 4wd access track. It had rained during the week, but with my hand which as a backup I figured I would be OK.
The road immediately turned to a rocky and rutted track, punctuated by the occasional mud hole.
The Patrol ate up the road, the front auto-locker allowing me to idle up every slippery, rocky section with ease, even when my wheels were caked with mud. The path soon eased off, and I made it to the top car park late in the afternoon. A quick hike through to the Governer's Chair lookout as the skies cleared and I was back to the car try and beat the sun down and make it back onto the black top.
Pretty satisfied with how the day turned out I drove back to Brisbane with sore legs, a muddy chassis and a smile on my face.
More photos here
