Leaving Brisbane we drove towards an impressive lightning show as a large storm moved through Warwick, huge thick bolts of lightning constantly illuminated the encroaching front, we drove through heavy rain but as we approached Emu Vale the skies cleared.
That still left muddy tracks and swollen river in between us and our camp site, luckily Naz's Pajero was up for the challenge. He had water over the bonnet a couple of times, and did some four-wheel drifting around some of the muddier corners (at low speed, the greasy mud made the tyres like slicks) but we arrived at a clearing late on Friday night. By the time we had set the tents up, relaxed over a beer, and settled on a plan of attack for Saturday is was past midnight. Time for bed.
Daylight was streaming through the tents as we awoke the next morning, we roused from our sleeping bag to a chill in the air, mist on our breaths. It wasn't yet 6 AM, but sleep was elusive so we brewed a big pot of coffee and started the day.
Once the sun crested the surrounding mountain range the day warmed, and we set off towards 'The Prow' rock formation, the most western of the five features. We followed a faint track towards the imposing rock seen towering through the canopy, it soon became quite steep but we easily found our way up to where we needed to be.
From there it was just a matter or following the rock face east until we reached a saddle where we could ascend to 'The Funnel'. This was easier said than done, we spent the next hour rock hopping, scrambling, and trying to stay as high as possible avoiding the occasional steep drop off below. We made good time and before long we had climbed to the next formation and were rewarded with a stunning view.
We stopped for second breakfasts before trying to find a way further west to 'The Mast'. Not being able to find a path down the ridge we backtracked and looked for a way to follow along the lower cliff face. Nothing was obvious so we decided to go off-track (usually when the trouble begins) but after zig-zagging down the scree slope we found a solid boulder field that we could use to ascend back the ridge.
We were back on track and stopped for another break at 'The Mast', a formidable rock outcrop. Walking around the base, I couldn't help but notice the potential for some amazing rock climbing... Something for the future perhaps. Even though the trail in this area became quite defined we decided not to continue further to 'The Stern' and 'Mt Steamer' but to retrace our steps. We wearily forged a path along the rock face all the way back to 'The Prow' before heading back down to mountain.
Seven and a half hours later we were back at camp, sweaty, dirty and tired. Luckily, the night's rainfall had left the nearby stream swollen and raging with cold, clear water. A short dip in the frigid water was revitalising, and with another fresh cup of coffee brewing we were able to pack up camp and set back off home.
We stopped off at Warwick for some delicious pizzas before heading back over the range to Brisbane. For the second time that weekend we drove towards a lightening storm but once again missed the worst of it.
There is still plenty to see at 'The Steamers', we will return again (hopefully after a heavy storm) to explore more of this amazing area.
More photos here
