Mount Mitchell Track

An out-and-back trail of six miles, it is located in the Cunningham Gap area of the Main Range National Park, approximately 80 miles southwest of Brisbane, Queensland. The park is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area and is renowned for its evolutionary history, ongoing geological formations and high diversity of species, particularly rare, threatened and endemic ones. This trail is accessed via the Cunningham Highway from the historic town of Warwick, famous for its original sandstone buildings. Beginning at a place called The Crest; this very pretty spot is also the starting point for many of the park's scenic and popular trails and there is a car park here as well as basic toilet facilities. Straight away the track climbs up the northern side of Mount Mitchell, a twin-peaked mountain with two peaks on either side of Cunningham's Gap. Climbing steeply around the West Peak, the track leads onto the saddle between the two peaks, ending on a knife-edge ridge above a steep, sheer cliff on the East Peak. This trail is not for the faint-hearted, and care must be taken especially on the cliff edge. From the summit, at just under 4000ft, raptors can often be seen soaring above the peaks, riding the thermals whilst scanning the ground below. Peregrine Falcons, the fastest bird in the world are found here; these amazing smaller raptors can dive at speeds of over 200 mph! On a clear day, this hike gives some great views of the peaks of Mounts Maroon, Barney, Barrow and Lindesay and the lush valleys of Fassifern and Millar Vale Creek. It is a fairly strenuous hike, climbing steadily along mountain paths, through rainforests and open eucalyptus forests as well as open montane heaths and is graded as Difficult. It is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs or very small children and older ones will need to be closely supervised on the sheer ridges. For information on how we grade trails, please click here. Expect the hike to take around 3 hours to complete, although caution is advised on trail times as this depends on multiple variables. For more info, click here.Good hiking footwear is a must and is required; the summits are exposed plus the weather can change quickly here so bring appropriate clothing.