Freshwater & Lagoon Trails

Town Common Conservation Park - Townsville

Acknowledging the Bindal and Wulgurukaba people as the traditional owners and first people to live in the Townsville region for thousands of years and many generations.

The Freshwater and Lagoon trails form a 7.2 km circuit around the coastal wetlands of the Town Common Conservation Park.  Located a short 7km drive from Townsville CBD, turning off Cape Pallarenda Road at Rowes Bay Golf Course, you follow the unsealed road for another 5km to reach the Town Common nature reserve.

This place is a paradise for wetland birdlife

Sharing this waterhole are spoonbills, egrets, heron and ibis

 Pelicans are part of the scene

Beautiful Brolgas

200m walk from the Town Common carpark is Freshwater Bird Hide overlooking the wetlands.  

More than 300 bird species have been recorded in the wetlands of Town Common. (1)

Magpie Goose

 

White-face Heron

Intermediate Egret

Pied Cormorant

The trail is shared between hikers and mountain bikers

Bald Rock - Mount Marlow

The wetlands have formed over thousands of years.  In recent history, the area was gazetted in 1869 as common land for the people of Townsville, and was used for cattle grazing and to spell horses.  Town Common became a conservation park in 1983.

References

1. Birds of the Townsville Region - City of Townsville

https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/79704/Birdwatching-16ppDL-web.pdf

Jourama Falls - Paluma Range National Park

Acknowledging the Nywaigi people as the Traditional Owners and first people to live in the Paluma Region for thousands of years and many generations.

Jourama Falls provides a cascade of fresh flowing mountain water from the misty mountains of Paluma Range National Park.  The waterfall flows from Waterview Creek and creates plenty of fresh water swimming holes along the 3km return trail.

Jourama Falls is located 90km north of Townsville and easily accessed via the Bruce Highway, with a 10 minute drive along the unsealed Jourama Road winding through cane properties to reach the gateway of the national park. (1)

The area is set up for day use, providing grassy banks with plenty of shade, picnic tables and barbeque facilities, as well as unpowered camp sites available for booking overnight or longer stays.

From the carpark, the first section of the trail is an easy sealed walking path through the bush and set above the banks of Waterview Creek.

The first set of stone steps leads down to a lovely swimming hole.

                                

    

Moss covered stone steps add to the enchantment of this place.

The trail leads you down to the creek crossing

Lengths of timber boardwalk have been constructed with non-slip wire mesh, 

making the creek crossing relatively safe and easy.  This is an improvement on years gone by when there used to be a chain hand rail in place to help negotiate across the wet rocks.

    

Reaching the upper section of the trail provides a rewarding view of Jourama Falls.

The track winds further uphill leading lookout points as you get closer to the top section of the Falls.

View of Jourama Falls, from the first lookout point.

On the day we visited, the final sectinon of the trail was closed due to construction of the lookout platform at the top of the Falls.  Department of Environment website says the closure will run from May 2021 to end of April 2022.  So this gives a great incentive for a return trip once the new lookout platform opens for access.

Jourama Falls is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage area, proclaimed in 1988 as meeting all four of the criteria for natural World Heritage listing.  The area is recognised for it's outstanding universal value, exceptional natural beauty, ancient ancestory and diversity of plants and animals.

According to the Wet Tropics Management Authority, "The Wet Tropics has the oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforests on Earth.  They are a living museum of how land plants have evolved since the break up of Gondwana 40 million years ago..."

According to me, this place is magical.

References:

1. Queensland Government, Department of Environment and Science, Parks & Forests, Jourama Falls - Paluma Range National Park

https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/jourama-falls-paluma

2. Wet Tropics Management Authority

https://www.wettropics.gov.au/wet-tropics-world-heritage-values

 

Mount Louisa Bush Walking Track

 Acknowledging the Bindal and Wulgurukaba people as the Traditional Owners and first people to live in the Townsville Region for thousands of years and many generations.

Mount Louisa Bush Walking Track is popular amongst fitness enthusiasts, providing a great opportunity to get fit outdoors.  Located 11km north of Townsville's CBD, the track starts from suburban Weston Street, Mount Louisa.  

The 3.5km circuit track contains many stair climbs along the way to reach the summit and enjoy sweeping views to the north-east across Townsville and Cleveland Bay out to Magnetic Island, as well as views from the ridgeline and summit extending south-west from Mount Stuart to Kirwan.

About 100m from the start of the track, you come to the first set of steps.  

Now you get a good idea of what you have signed up for.

This is a Class 3 walking track containing steep grades, loose surfaces, uneven steps and minimal infrastructure.  The walk provides a good workout and rewarding hill summit experience. 

 

About 1km along the trail you have a choice to make...

Take the 650m stair climb to the summit, a short cut with high intensity,

or

Continue up the trail for 1.7km, almost 3 times the distance to reach the top, still huffing & puffing from stair climbs along the way, but more gradual paths making it less physically intense.

 

The track officially opened in October 2020 after a $2.2M investment from Townsville City Council. The trail was designed in consultation with a local track expert, Peter McLean, built by JMAC Constructions and incorporates stone steps supplied by Edenstone Masonry NQ. (1)

According to interpretive signs along the track, the Bindal and Wulgurukaba people, as traditional owners, named the area Goo-bal-a-boro and Moor-ee-roon.  The European name of Mount Louisa was given in 1864 by local explorer Andrew Ball, after a lady of his acquaintance, although nothing else is known about the lady.

Seating and interesting interpretive signage along the way.

Interpretive signage tells the stories of this area over recent history.  Mount Louisa wasused during WWII as an extension to the aerodrome located in neighbouring Garbutt, and as a station for US defence forces.  In 1959, the land was purchased by the Fairbrother family for a pig farm.

There is a total of 1,700 steps along the trail.

Excellent views across suburban Mount Louisa, neighbouring Garbutt, 

across to Cape Pallarenda, Cleveland Bay and Magnetic Island

Dogs on leads are permitted

Rainbow Bee-Eaters are found throughout mainland Australia, southern birds will fly north for winter.  They eat mainly bees and wasps, as well as butterflies, moths, dragonflies and beetles.  When they catch a bee or wasp, the Rainbow Bee-Eater will carry it's catch back to a perch and rub it against the perch to remove the stings and venom before eating it.  These birds build nesting tunnels in sandy banks and line their tunnel with grass. (2)

Pheasant Coucal

Reaching the summit of Mount Louisa Bush Walking Track is an achievement 

with 360 degree views as the reward.

References:

1. Townsville City Council, Media Release, 2 October 2020

https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/about-council/news-and-publications/media-releases/2020/october/on-your-marks-get-set-go-new-mount-louisa-walking-trail-to-open

2. Birdlife Australia

https://www.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/rainbow-bee-eater