Moreton Island Packwalk

Date: Thursday 28^th May to Tuesday 2nd June

Venue: Moreton Island National Park Pack Walk

Please note the date changes. This is necessary as the ferry is not running from the 18^th to 27^th May due to routine maintenance.

Leader: Rick Dew

Leader Details: Email: vdew53@gmail.com or phone 0407 326610

Meeting Point: To be advised closer to the event, depending on registrations

Meeting Time: Leave Toowoomba at 4.00am and travel to the Moreton Island Adventure terminal in Howard Smith Drive. We will park vehicles there for the six days we are on the island. Cost is $20 per day per vehicle. To minimize costs, we will take the least number of vehicles that we need.

Travel Distance and Time: About 130km and 1.5 to 2 hrs to the ferry terminal

Walk Distance and estimated Time: The itinerary for the six days is as follows:

Thursday 28^th: Catch the 8.00am ferry from the Port of Brisbane. Arrive about 9.30am and commence the walk to Rous Battery, a distance of about 14kms.Once we make the initial climb from the beach, the track undulates through the forest between about the 50 and 70 metre contours, avoiding the higher ridges in this section of the island. Camp there for the night.

Friday 29^th: Have a casual day at Rous Battery, tour the ruins and have an easy beach walk. Camp there again the second night.

Saturday 30^th: Travel via the Little Sandhills to our camp site just to the north of Kooringal township. Distance 10kms. Go to the Gutter Bar for lunch and have a restful afternoon.

Sunday 31st: Travel out to the southern end of the eastern beach, visit Mirapool Lagoon, then travel down the beach to the southern-western tip of the island. Head back to camp via Kooringal and maybe have a cold drink at the Gutter Bar on the way through. Take lunch with us to have along the way. Distance 11kms.

Monday 1st: Pack up camp and head north along the beach to the Big Sandhills (8kms). Once there, options are to take the 4WD track across to the eastern beach (2.5kms) then travel south along the beach for about 1km then head inland across the Big Sandhills, via the highest ridge for expansive views to the west (2.5kms). From this high point we quickly descend back to camp. Alternatively climb the Big Sandhills beside the camp area and take in the expansive views from this highest ridgeline. What we do can be decided on when we get there.

Tuesday 2nd: Make the trek along the beach back to the wrecks (14kms) and wait for the 3pm ferry for the trip home.

Walk Rating:

As per the itinerary above, daily walk distances will vary between 8 and 14kms, excluding side trips. The majority of our walking will be along the beaches, and although we have mid-morning high waters, they are only small tides, so we will hopefully be able to find some harder sand to walk on. The track through the forest on day one should be nice and firm due to leaf litter. The softness of the sand on the Sandhills will depend on amount of rain in the preceding weeks.

General Information:

We will travel to the island on the Moreton Island Adventure ferry, departing 8.00am on Thursday 28^th May and returning on the 3pm ferry on Tuesday 2^nd June. You will need to book a return ticket as a walk-on passenger. Link for ferry bookings: https://bookings.moretonislandadventures.com.au/home

Current price for a return ticket is $80. Below is info on cancellation or alteration should you find you book and then have to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances.

Cancellations & Alterations

1. Micat DO NOT PROVIDE REFUNDS or partial redemptions at any time.
2. The following notice is required for cancellation of passenger bookings:
   1. Less than 24 hours: 100% cancellation fee.
   2. 24 hours or more: A gift certificate minus 10% of the cost of the booking (less credit card fee and phone booking fee (as applicable)).
3. Gift certificates are valid for use for 12 months. When re-booking, any increase in rates will be payable by the customer at the time of booking. No refunds will be issued of any remaining monies after rebooking. Rebooking is subject to availability, and new bookings will be subject to new terms and conditions.
4. Passenger bookings may be altered as follows:
   1. 24 hours’ or more: Change date or time of trip by up to 12 months from the original booking date for at a cost of 15% of the booking plus the difference in any ferry price (if applicable).

The camp sites that you need to book are as follows:

Thursday 28^th: South East Zone (Rous Battery)

Friday 29^th: South East Zone (Rous Battery)

Saturday 30^th: South West Zone (Kooringal)

Sunday 31st: South West Zone (Kooringal)

Monday 1st: South West Zone (Big Sandhills)

Please make your own booking as I will not be doing a group booking. Please be aware that once you make a booking, you cannot get a refund. They will only give you a twelve month credit if you find you are unable to attend.

When you go into the booking area on the National Parks website, click on the Mulgumpin link which will take you into the booking area for Moreton Island. Make the bookings as above, that is two nights in the South East zone and three nights in the South West Zone. Camping fees are $7.50 per night.

Good drinking water is available at Rous Battery and Big Sandhills. We can get water from the tap at the Gutter Bar when passing through. Best to bring a water carrier/bladder with at least a few litres capacity to ensure you have enough. Also, a smaller pack to use for the side trips/excursions will be ideal, otherwise just empty out your main pack and use it.

None of the camp sites have facilities, so come prepared with your shovel and toilet paper. 

If you are familiar with pack walking, you will be aware of what you need to pack to ensure for a comfortable trip.

The following are considered essential items:

Tent As light as possible, ground sheet, mattress, sleeping bag, cooking gear and utensils, food, water bottles and/or bladder, raincoat, sunscreen, insect repellent, suitable clothing, first aid kit, toilet paper and any other essentials you deem necessary. A lightweight fly to put over your tent is very useful in case of wet weather. Also, a pair of light sandals or similar are handy for around camp.

If you have any questions about what gear to bring, please give me a call. Remember the aim is to pack as light as possible.

Bring enough food for the six days and five nights. We will need to carry all of this as there will be no food drop this trip. Dehydrating main meals helps in this respect. At least having the first two nights at Rous Battery will help lighten the load a little.

If you are keen on fishing, there will be a couple of opportunities to wet a line. A fishing rod that breaks down into pieces is the best option, as when travelling through the bush, anything that sticks above your pack too much will get caught in the overhead bushes. The decision is entirely yours and depends on how much weight you want to carry.

Any questions, please give me a call.