#midweekadventure

I thought it was about time I put my Moreton Island hiking experience into writing. While I was preparing for my trip I found very little information about other people’s hiking experiences so I hope this helps in any way possible. 

My trip dates were from the 23rd till 25th of September. I was a bit sceptical as it was during the school holidays and I was expecting there to be people everywhere, turns out there wasn’t and I had an amazing experience!

The Wrecks - Moreton Island.

I’ll write a separate post about the gear I took but everything fit into my 50 litre Kathmandu Altai Pack. My itinerary was to catch the 8.30am ferry to Moreton ($50 return), walk up Middle Road, turn off at the Mt Tempest Walking track and following this down the Telegraph Track then turn right down to Yellow Patch and eventually end up at the North Point campground for the evening. Before this I had never carried a loaded pack for an extended period of time let alone days. Leading up to this though I had (and still am) undertaken personal training sessions and heaps of other exercise, so I knew physically I was up to the challenge. Anyway I got to Moreton all excited and started walking along Middle Road which I didn’t find too challenging. I was expecting to complete this in just over an hour which I did. I’d heard that Middle Road has deep cuttings and to watch out for four wheel drives before walking through them but along the Road that heads towards the eastern side, these cuttings weren’t too long (I’d decided to walk with the flow of traffic).

Middle Road deep cutting.

Start of the Telegraph Track.

 I then started walking towards Mt Tempest till I got to the carpark where the Telegraph Track starts and went off! Honestly I wasn’t expecting to see anyone so I was really surprised when three ladies walked past while I’d plonked myself on the ground to eat my lunch. I’d made myself quite comfortable. By this time it was about 12:30 so I kept walking along. I put the iPod on and walked at a decent pace. Then the sand hills started. The ground itself was fairly compact so walking wasn’t super difficult but up and down sand hills, with a pack on, really slowed my down. I think it was 3pm by the time I got to the turnoff heading east. By this time I was knackered but I kept soldiering on. I found that the sand along this road was pretty soft so walking became very slow and frustrating at times.

The first of many, many sand hills.

 My feet, hips and shoulders were getting sore and it was starting to get dark. I finally reached Yellow Patch just after 5 with a rather pleasant view looking out towards the Glasshouse Mountains. I finally got to North Point where I was met by Kerry, one of the ladies who I’d passed whilst eating lunch on the Telegraph Track. She was so lovely and very interested in my walk. This heightened my spirits significantly and put me in a good mood. She showed me where a good place to set up would be as it was going to be a windy night. I set up the tent, wiped my feet, had my breakfast as dinner because I couldn’t be bothered cooking in the wind, then went to sleep. My body was aching and I was worried that the next day was going to be a struggle. Turns out a good nights sleep can be very healing.

View looking towards the Glasshouse Mountains.

I woke up the next morning rather refreshed. I had a lot of energy and decided to get going as soon as possible so I’d have the afternoon to chill out. I cooked breakfast (which was actually supposed to be my dinner for the first night), packed up and was walking by 8am. I started walking along a road I suspected was taking me towards the eastern side. I did have the option to check out the lighthouse but I thrashed my body the day before so today was supposed to be my rest day, I did not want to push it. So I continued towards the eastern side. I came at a fork in the road and was reluctant to pull my map out of my pack (no idea where it was) so I was lucky when a ute of rangers (is that the collective term?) drove past and guided me. As I was walking I could hear the waves getting louder and louder which really excited me. I jumped for joy when I came to the Eastern Beach and a giant grin spread across my face. And so started the stretch down to Blue Lagoon where I would camp for the night. It was a really pleasant walk along the eastern side. I could walk freely as there was plenty of room for 4wders to drive round me so I felt like a free spirit. I got to Blue Lagoon campground by 10 so I had heaps of time to relax and enjoy the day. 

Yay Eastern Beach!

I set up the tent under a nice shady tree out of the wind, which actually made the day seem rather hot. I walked over to Blue Lagoon which was quite beautiful. There’s not much room there for heaps of people as there’s only a small stretch of the bank so more than four or five families would really crowd the area. Also, I ran into Kerry and her family! We had a good chat before I decided I needed a nap and went back to my tent. I walked back to Blue Lagoon for a swim/bathe which really refreshed me. I hung out there a bit, I even saw a fresh water yabby (or something like it?) then took my time getting back to my tent and cooking dinner. I slept very well that night. 

Blue Lagoon.

Freshwater Yabby thing.

The third and final day meant walking along the eastern side for a while then back across Middle Road. The ferry left at 3 so I was not willing to risk time as I had to work the following day so I left the campsite by 9. When I got to the Middle Road turnoff I said goodbye to the eastern side, shed a little tear (who knows when I’d be here again?) and started walking along Middle Road, the direction of traffic which goes towards the western side. I found this side to be far softer sand and the deep cuttings to be longer. There was one point I came to a sign, knowing I’d walked about 6km, which from a distance looked like it said ‘Western Beach 15km’. I started freaking the fuck out. It wasn’t till I got closer with a microscope that I could see the point between the 1 and the 5. I honestly think someone was just fucking with me. Anyway I got back to the Western side, went for a quick swim, then relaxed till the ferry came.

Such a douchebag sign.

Overall the trip was a success. I had an amazing time walking and just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other and not having anything else to worry about. This was something I had been wanting to do for a very long time so I was very prepared. Honestly the first day was the hardest as it was close to 25km in length and harder terrain. There wasn’t one point where I got scared whether it be the walking or the sleeping in a tent by myself. I just felt at home and completely relaxed. I knew I had to enjoy my time as I didn’t know when I’d be back. I promise I’ll write a post about the gear I took if that will help anyone. My top tips though, take plenty of water and remember where you are.

Peace!