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Mt Greville, majestically perched upon the edge of Lake Moogerah and positioned with the stunning landscape of the Scenic Rim. I had often gazed on her rounded full curves from afar but never made it to the peak.
Until recently.
Now I have climbed her three different ways, enjoyed every terrain possible and have my own favourite way up and down!
My first attempt was a family hike up Waterfall Gully, where the spiders were as big as my face and the spiderwebs as sticky as candyfloss at a fair.
Unfortunately we didn't make it all the way to the summit that day, we spent so long splashing and playing in the water pools we ran out of time. I wasn't disappointed, to me that what hiking is about, immersing yourself nature and letting her dictate what the day will bring. Plus I knew I'd be back again!
My second visit was on a group hike and off trail most of the way, we again started up Waterfall Gully but branched off near the top and headed out to one of the smaller more isolated peaks for some rock scrambling and exploration.
An incredible hike as we stumbled across climbing crags I never knew existed and I promised myself I would come back to climb here.
Although we reached the summit that day I still didn't feel as though I had fully "done" Greville, so I decided to head back up there the other week and see what other paths were there to be explored.
The Adventure
Excitedly dropping the kids at school we began the hour and a half drive out past Ipswich and through the picturesque town of Aratula, finally reaching the Mt Greville carpark around 10am. Despite the midweek time frame, with Covid restrictions now lifting, there was already a few other cars around with early risers getting in their hiking fix before the heat of the midday sun.
Starting up the mountain we decided to take the Palm Gorge option, I hadn't done it before and honestly, it sounded pretty! It didn't disappoint with majestic cliffs bordering our hike up and legions of palm trees stretching their skinny trunks upwards in the hope of competing for the limited sunlight.
After a few kilometres of dancing over loose rocks and dodging spider webs, we made it through the gully to the first false peak and a T junction, deciding to turn left as it appeared to head upwards we followed the trail before spotting a faint side track that led us to a small clear area where we could enjoy views back to Mt May and Maroon before continuing upwards on the main track to the summit cairn.
The peak of Greville is shrouded in foliage so views are limited, however if you head over the peak and down the other side there is a perfect spot to sit and enjoy the view across to Lake Moogerah.
Its always hard to leave somewhere so beautiful but hoping we could find the rock climbing crag Little Springfield on our way down we motivated ourselves to pack up and begin heading back to the car park.
Retracing our steps we decided to take the South East Ridge track down, with lizards sun baking openly and views back across the valley to the other mountains, it took us across expansive slabs of rocks and I was grateful I had recently purchased some new La Sportiva Helios SR trail runners from K2 Basecamp (not sponsored I just really love them and the guys at K2!) in the valley the week before as it made coming down a breeze.
As we neared the path leading to the car we checked our watches, we were out of time. School pick up was looming and we still had a big drive ahead. The search for Little Springfield and climbing would have to be postponed for another day of adventure.
Happy Adventuring!
💕 Lia
“Lost is a state of mind, I prefer to think of it as exploring” - Lia Skye
What to Expect
A well tread easy to follow path on the way up that disappears slightly through the rockier sections. South East Ridge goes down over some large rocky slabs where there is no clear path however there are arrows that point the way down until you rejoin a well worth dirt track
How to get there
Put Mount Greville Carpark Retreat into your GPS or click here for Google Maps
Equipment
Water – At least 2 Litres depending on how much you drink and the time of year you choose to hike in.
Snacks
Although not a super long hike its nice to sit at the top and enjoy a cup of tea and something to eat.
As always make sure to take all your rubbish and packaging with you!
Further Reading (for all the technical deets)
You can read more about Mt Greville and get the trail by clicking here
The seemingly endless photo gallery...
