Gormans Gap SBW

Meeting Point:

Toowoomba Plaza car park, beside Aust Post, 330 Stenner St, Kearneys Spring

Meeting Time:

7.30am Sunday

Travel Distance & Time:

11 km (13 min)

Walk Distance & Estimated Time: 9.3 km (4 hrs)

General Information:

A pass through the Dividing Range had been located in 1827 by Allan Cunningham. Lieutenant Owen Gorman was Commandant at Moreton Bay from July 1839 to May 1842. Gorman called on convict John Sterry Baker to prove his claim to know a dray route to the Downs. Under Gorman's directions, the convict constructed "a queer specimen of the Irish jaunting car". Lieutenant Gorman's route was from Limestone (Ipswich) for about 70 miles to the Westward crossing the dividing range near Haye's Peak going over Peels plains, and Darling Downs visiting the Squatters on those plains, and returning by Cunningham's pass, and over Normanby plains " to the Settlement of Brisbane at Moreton Bay between the 7th. and 26th. October 1840. Gorman in his report wrote that "no drays with any sort of loading can pass thro' Cunningham's Pass, but that drays may pass with very little difficulty carrying about a ton and a half each on the route I went." The party and "the cart" with a big bullock between the shafts, made the actual ascent of the range on Saturday 17 October 1840. Gorman's Gap Road remained in regular use only two years. Arthur Hodgson explored a second route in 1842. It was used for five years when it, in turn, was superseded by a third route on the line of the Toowoomba Toll Bar road.

Description:

We will meet at the Stenner St car park for 7:30am departure. I plan to do a circuit, starting and finishing at Walter Brunner Park, Gormans Gap Road, Preston. We will descend down the escarpment on Gormans Gap track that leads to Cooks Road and return back up the escarpment. Carry water and smoko and we will have lunch at the end of the walk. I will be at the July meeting to give any updates. Please register for the walk on Member Jungle. You must register to attend.

Walk Rating: S22

Distance; S- Short <10km.

Terrain; 2 – Graded or open terrain, no scrub.

Fitness; 2 – Easy, suitable for beginners. Total height loss & gain, 356m.

What to Bring: Carry water and smoko and we will have lunch at the end of the walk. Boots or substantial footwear are required. Wear clothes and hat for sun protection, and carry a rainproof if forecast. All walkers should carry a basic first aid kit, including snake bandage, stingose, and insect repellent.

Car-pooling driver compensation guidance:

$20/ vehicle indicative cost to be shared by the passengers for the return journey.

Web Links:

Friends of Gormans Gap Inc.

The Marked Tree Line: The Gorman's Gap Walking Trail by Pamela Hahn

Gorman's Gap by J. K, Jarrott