Hole In The Wall

17 March 2007

The long drive and the predicted high temperatures were a deterrent for some intended walkers, so just five of us gathered at Aratula to drive out to Goomburra to begin the walk.

We parked at the start of the path to Sylvester's Lookout, and made our way out to the edge of the escarpment for the first of many spectacular views for the day.

We then followed the edge of the range around to the old lookout, before descending to Boar's head, with more great views out to Mt Castle and the Laidley Valley. As the sun was fairly hot on the rocks, we retreated to some shady trees nearby for morning tea.

From there it was a fairly short distance out to Hole-in-the-Wall, which was reached by following the line of a knife-edged ridge that led out towards Mt Castle.

There were a couple of tricky sections to navigate, particularly where some dripping water had made a smooth slab of rock very slippery. The "hole" is where the rock wall is so thin it has worn through an opening a couple of metres in diameter. Again, more spectacular views were to be seen along Main Range and the valleys to the east.

By now it was becoming quite hot, so we made our way back past Boar's Head to the first section of rainforest where it was much cooler to relax for a while and eat lunch.

Thus refreshed, we walked back up the hill through the forest to finish the walk in the early afternoon. Thanks to Patricia, Lynn, John and Paul for good company and an enjoyable day out. Helen