Where is Mt Maroon?
Mt Maroon is located in the scenic rim region of south east Queensland within the Mount Barney National Park. The trailhead begins from the end of Cotswold Rd, a dirt road accessible via any vehicle.
Part 1. The Hike
The Hike began after a 1.5hr drive from the gold coast. Three shirtless lads loaded up a few backpacks with some freeze-dried food, lightweight tents, hammocks and sleeping bags, an OTM Explorer Cooler 3.5L and started trekking. The first section begins with a gradual rise becoming steeper after about 30 minutes, open dusty tracks give way to larger and larger boulders as the climb continues. with heart rates and spirits still high, we entered the next section containing very large granite boulders where some scrambling and light bouldering was required. An hour into the hike the trees open up and a cooling breeze whistling up the cliffs. A quick stop for some water, banter and a snack and we desend down a mild gorge, along the cliff face. If we thought the first half of the hike was steep, we were about to be introduced to a near on vertical climb. the last stage of the hike is up a step gully, bouldering ,huffing and puffing our way, taking care not to dislodge large rocks and ten-pin bowling the lads further down the climb. at this stage we had only seen a few other hikers, all on there way down smirking at us three sunburnt sweaty men ripping our way up the mountain. At the top of gully the terrain opens up into thick shrubs and gumtrees and after a few attempts at finding the summit we eventually found ourselves on the highest point of the mountain, just in time to get the camera gear and drone out to capture some stunning sunset content.
Part 2. The Camp
As the sun set the mercury quickly plummeted, as the lads quickly cooled down after the hike and it was apparent we were desperately unprepared for the cold. A shot of tasty gin temporarily warmed us as the attention turned to setting up camp and dinner. Three blokes and three different camp setups: Matthew opting for an inflatable air mattress and sleeping bag, Garett going for a tent, inflatable mattress and sleeping bag and Myself bringing only a hammock and sleeping bag. The issue we had was that the peak of Mt maroon however beautiful, lacked much suitable ground to either pitch a tent or hang a hammock. The ground was rocky with minimal dirt and sparsely spaced trees barely over 2 metres tall. This was challenging to find a place for the hammock. eventually i found two suitable trees with a large gully separating them, the perfect spot of the east facing side of the summit. or so it seemed. more on that later.
Part 3. The Feeds
In any adventure with a group of three there is a spectrum of organisation ranging from "brings the kitchen sink" to "barely knows where we're going". in Our case, Garett was the organised one, bringing the surprise gin and shot glasses for the summit celebration, the kerosene stove and the freeze dried meals we had talked about. Matthew, despite bringing nearly 10L of water, only managed to pack one apple and one orange for the trip. Needless to say, he was now eyeing off my now hydrated thai green curry. which i reluctantly shared with him. i was in the middle for organization, with my hammock which ill get to later.
Part 4. The Sleep
As for the quality of the sleep, it can only be described as sub-optimal on all accounts. After a spectacular sunrise we all agreed that we could have been warmer. The hammock was comfortable however the cold wind channeling up the cliff face resulted in my back being cold despite the sleeping bag. Matthews air mattress had partially deflated during the night which left him sleeping on mostly straight rocks. Garett seemed to have had the best sleep of the three of us.
Part 5. Breakfast and the decent
as the sun came up, attention turned after to food. on the menu was some freeze dried scrambled eggs. Back Country Cuisine was our choice and did not disappoint. With the OTM Explorer Cooler 3.5L we had more than enough water for the whole hike as well as cooking our meals. After breaky we packed up camp and started our decent. we made good time down the mountain and left Mt Maroon will a huge sense of achievement and memories to last a lifetime.
