Rock Pool Walk, Mount Walsh National Park - January 2017

Back when we were up in Queensland earlier in the year I used the opportunity to go and climb The Bluff in Mount Walsh National Park. I mentioned in the post about the climb that the heat had really knocked my around on the walk but I still was up for another walk in the afternoon, well this is the stroll I did that afternoon. Probably the most difficult thing about the Rock Pool Walk is actually locating the start of the track, it required a bit of a convoluted drive on un signposted dirt back roads once I'd left the Marlborough - Biggenden Road. Being pretty well stuffed after the mornings mountain climb I was keen for a short walk and a long swim, unfortunately the access road was closed around a kilometres from the normal car park and start of the walk, so straight up my really easy walk just got harder.

Utopia Road was closed before the Waterfall Creek Carpark.

Parking near the road closed sign I grabbed my stuff out of the ute and headed off up the dusty road in the early afternoon heat, the road passed through typical Queensland scrub so at least the dry bush gave me a modicum of shade. I'm clutching at straws here, but the other redeeming feature of the road bash was that at least it was more or less flat. Anyway after ten minutes or so of trudging along the red dusty road I arrived at the normal start of the walk at the Waterfall Creek Carpark and set off along the walking track towards the Rock Pool. Initially this track descends for a few hundred metres before gently climbing a little and sidling around the side of a hill. There were some nice views along here through the trees down into a valley, this section of the park is sometimes called Utopia (in fact Utopia Road leads into the park) and it would be easy to imagine some ageing hippies living in their own utopia in the bush around here.

At least the closed road made for fairly easy walking, even if it was bloody hot.

The Waterfall Creek Carpark is the normal track head.

The benched track sidles along the side of a hill for a short while.

Once the route tops out it starts a descent down a gully towards the Rock Pool, after one last easy scramble I was down in the rocky bed of the creek. The good news was that the creek had a trickle of water slowly making it's way down stream so at least I'd get my swim, the go here is to head upstream for 100 metres or so and you'll come to the first big swimming spot, once I'd cooled off in this great spot for awhile and with my core temperature was back below melt down levels I hauled my dripping bulk out of the water and went exploring a bit. Carefully scaling the sloping rock I got to another great pool, once again complete with a small waterfall cascading into it. This pool was already occupied by a family so I continued on upstream a bit further to another pool. 

Before starting it's descent down to the Rock Pool.

The last couple of metres into the creek may require a bit of easy scrambling.

There was a bit of water slowly making its way down stream today.

This'll do me!

With one eye on the time I reluctantly decided that I'd better start making moves to get back to Bundaberg, we had a night booked with the turtles at Mon Repo that night and I don't think Sam would of been over joyed if I was late! Pulling on my dusty boots and salt stained clothes I retraced my earlier route back to the waiting ute. Throwing all my smelly gear in the back I jumped in and cranked up the air-con, settling in for the two hour drive back to Bundaberg. Incidentally that night was spent with the turtles watching them lay their eggs on Mon Repo Beach, getting back to the outlaws place around midnight after the turtle viewing, it was a very tired Feral Walker who finally crawled into bed that night.

Hardcore walking indeed :)

Looking back down stream from near the middle pool.

The Dirt.

I walked around 5 kilometres on this very easy walk, if the road is open to the Waterfall Creek Carpark then the walk would be around 3 kilometres. I also climbed around 85 metres on this stroll, the only hazard of any note on the walk is probably the very short scramble down a couple of boulders into the creek near the Rock Pool. There isn't a lot of information floating around about this stroll, Qld Parks are probably the best source of information, I don't think there is any published walking notes. This walk is a great walk for children, they would scramble down the rocks easier than most adults and the first swimming hole came complete with a rock slide, something that all the kids (and big kids) love.

Relevant Posts.

The Bluff Walk, Mount Walsh National Park, 2017.

Goodela Walk, Blackdown Tableland National Park, 2016.

Carnarvon Great Walk, 2014.

Gudda Gumoo Walk, Blackdown Tableland National Park, 2016.

This is why I had to leave my personal oasis at the Rock Hole, I had to be back at Mon Repo Beach to see this. The Leatherback Turtle has just finished laying her eggs.