Where: Thylogale Walking Track
Hiked: 29th June 2021
One of my favourite things about living in South East Queensland is that there are so many great hiking spots within a few hours of home.
Earlier this week, Abbie and I decided to check out a track on Mount Nebo called the Thylogale Walking Track. I’d spotted the hike on a friend’s Instagram page and thought it looked like a nice place to get a decent walk in.
I was right.
This track can be accessed from either Jolly’s Point Lookout or Boombana, which are roughly 30 kilometres (or 45 minutes) outside of Brisbane. If you’re using your GPS to get there, don’t just put in Jolly’s Point like I did, otherwise Google will try to send you into some random person’s driveway.
Whoops!
The start of the track says to allow 3 hours, and that’s not too far off the mark. It also says that the track is 4kms each way, but both of our step counters said otherwise. It’s more like 5kms each way, and for me, roughly 12,500 steps return. It took us a good 2 hours, with a 10 minute breather in the middle.
We started from Jolly’s Point Lookout, but the entrance to the track is not at the lookout. It’s right before you turn onto the road leading up to the lookout, so keep that in mind.
The actual hike is not strenuous in the slightest. There are no stairs to worry about, the trail is clearly marked, and we only encountered one other couple on the whole 10km hike.
The views at the beginning of the track are remarkable. They look out to the east, over Enoggera Creek and Jolly’s Point.
Once you pass that gorgeous view, then the scenic vistas pretty much disappear. But that’s not to say the rest of the track doesn’t have its own charms. The rainforest vibes are impossible to ignore, and we both loved hearing all the native bird calls. We even came across a Pademelon, which promptly hopped off into the bush.
There’s not a lot at Boombana aside from a couple of picnic tables and some undercover chairs. There’s also a nice open grassy patch just waiting for someone to throw down a picnic blanket.
After a short rest and refuel at Boombana, we headed back. By about the 8km mark, I was starting to get tired. Abbie’s feet were starting to get sore, and we were both ready for the end.
All in all, a lovely hike. Not demanding from a climbing perspective at all – it’s mostly flat – but you definitely start feeling it by the end.
I wouldn’t recommend bringing really young kids to this one. Some of the track does just sheer off down the side of the mountain. Plus, it’s a very long way, and little legs get tired quickly.
An absolutely gorgeous 10km hike within an hour of Brisbane CBD. Highly recommended.
Matthew J. Barbeler 