The Five Senses of the SCENIC RIM TRAIL
A guided walk through ancient rainforest led CRAIG TANSLEY into unfamiliar territory. And he couldn’t be happier about it.
1 FEELING CONNECTED TO NATURE
I’m on a five-day, 61-kilometre guided walk through rainforest along the edge of an extinct volcano – immersed deep in World Heritagelisted Gondwana rainforest (of the Main Range National Park). This is one of Queensland’s first eco-tourism projects; after traipsing through forest all day, I’ll be sleeping in eco-cabins in the national park – nature’s never felt this close. There’s more than 500 endemic animals around – and I’m trying hard to spot every one of them.
2 FEELING A SENSE OF ‘MAGICAL’ WITHIN YOUR ACCOMMODATION – A ‘TREEHOUSE FOR ADULTS’
These are the first buildings constructed within a national park in Queensland – I’m sleeping in eco-cabins that barely touch the earth. Sleeping pods are connected by walkways on demountable platforms. The first night’s accommodation is built on the forest floor. Next night, my sleeping pod offers a totally different perspective
– it branches out into the tree canopy five metres above the forest floor. I can’t decide which perspective I prefer: cosy and nestled amid the leaf litter, or suspended above the creatures of the forest without wings.
3 FEELING SAFE WITH EXPERT GUIDES
I couldn’t do it without them.
It’s my legs doing the walking, but it’s them telling me what noise was that, and the history of Indigenous Australians in the area who for thousands of years used these highest peaks to send smoke signals for other clans to gather, and them guiding me through every turn of this journey along the edge of the Main Range National
Park. And let’s not forget the staff waiting with cold towels and chilled wine, ready to prepare my gourmet dinners.
4 FEELING A SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT
Expect sweat. To reach the top of the 1100-metre-high Main Range National Park, I’ll climb a 40-metre-long ladder on a sheer rock face. Forget the flat stuff, most of the hike comes with plenty of gradient – testing my quads and my hiking boots. I’ll cover up to 18 kilometres in a day. But I’ll find secret green valleys of palm forest and stand on the edge of mountains looking back on the trail I forged feeling damn proud.
5 FEELING REJUVENATED AND INSPIRED BECAUSE YOU MADE SUCH A LOW IMPACT ON YOUR SURROUNDINGS
There’s opportunities for wi-fi, but I opt out, and concentrate on the sounds of the forest instead. There’s noises I can’t Google out there. Entrenched within Gondwana rainforest, I can’t help but feel rejuvenated. And I feel good inside knowing I’m part of Queensland’s largest ecotourism project.
Book your spot on the seven-day Scenic Rim Trail at spicersretreats.com