On a boys camping weekend with my son and a couple of friends in the Imbil State Forrest . Our base was the Charlie Moreland Campground. After exploring the 4WD tracks including Death Hill and Little Yabba Creek for most of the day there was still time to take a short training hike.
It was too late in the day to do the popular Mount Allen hike so I just picked a shorter hiking trail from the campground using the Maps Me app. It was marked on the map as the Booloumba Hiking Trail . about 6 km out and back. I was expecting a comfortable stroll following a creek or valley. How wrong I was!!
The hike starts out from the Charlie Moreland Campground on the Mount Allen trail. The Booloumba Hiking Trail starts on the left after a small creek crossing.
The entrance to is not obvious, and there are no signs to suggest anyone should walk this way. The arrow points straight ahead to Mount Allen. Apparently there used to be signage, but this may have been removed with the advent of the Cannondale Great Walk route link. Also probably because this walk isn’t very interesting – with never-ending steep uphill’s through overgrown grass, fallen trees and no views. It no longer appears on any park maps either.
Soon after turning onto the trail you steadily climb up into the hills and forest following an old fire trail listening to sound of the bellbirds.
After a while there is a right turn past a walkers only sign onto a narrow track overgrown in places. At about 2km there is a long hard on the knees descent down to the Booloumba Creek Road. There are a couple of National Park signs at this end but no signs indicating this is a hiking track.
It was getting late so just enough time to have a quick look at Booloumba Creek before turning around and heading back up the hill, taking several rest stops then retracing my steps back to the Charlie Moreland Campground.
Not a hike I would do again but it was a strenuous training hike. Later, chatting to a fellow camper who knew the track said it was a grade 5 hike. Being unfit I found it hard work but believe it would be an Australian Grade 4 hike.
If you are considering walking this trail be aware that there is no phone coverage and you are unlikely to see anyone else so take your remote area gear.
Good to know!