Rainbow Beach to Tewantin via Double Island Point - Day 2 of 4 (Drew)

 https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/great-walks-cooloola

Day 2

I had planned a solid day walk, so I had an easy start to the day including a coffee and set off just before 07:00. At the first campsite I talked to 2 young guys walking North and had a 10 min chat. They had told me that they had only seen one party of three walking South and no other person. This encounter would be the last I saw anyone until I met Tracy on the last night at the last campsite. From Freshwater all the way to the last campsite there were a lot of trees down across the path. I say these added about an hour to each leg. I had a good walk once again over this ground and arrived in camp around 14:45. After a walk around to find no one and a quick feed and water top up, I decide to push on to the next campsite. I knew it would be dark by the time I made it, but I had a good headlamp, and in an emergency, I could camp en route. After walking the last 1.5 km in ankle deep water, I made camp at around 19:45. I quick setup and a big feed left me tired but happy and I had a good sleep.

Rainbow Beach to Tewantin via Double Island Point - Day 1 of 4 (Drew)

https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/great-walks-cooloola

 Tracy was meant to join with me on this 5-day hike, however she had feet issues, so she walked out and meet me on the last night, and we walked the last day together. I also shortened this to a 4-day hike. (Not recommended)

Day 1

I had only one day off to recover from our 3 day walk from Noosa to Calandra and to travel to Rainbow Beach. I arrived at Rainbow Beach at 19:00 where I set up the tent and went straight to bed. I rose at around 05:30 and was packed and walking just after 06:30. After only a few meters I found I was walking with Kendal. She stopped me and we had about a 15 minute conversation on what I was doing, trail running, and her business in wholefoods and many other topics. It was a most enjoyable 15 mins. This conversation ended up being the lengthiest in 3 days. Kendal caught up with me on the sand blow with her family and shared a photo of me.

This time I decided to cover the longer route to Noosa, so I walked over Double Island Point and down the beach to Freshwater campsite and spend the night there. This allowed me to have a nice shower. The walk was very present, with the spectacular Double Island Beach and lighthouse hill views.

Sunshine Coast Coastal Pathway - Kawana to Pelican Waters (Day 3 of 3)

Today we parked at the very southern end of the Sunshine Coast Coastal Pathway, Jensen Park in Pelican Waters. From here we did a short walk to the bus stop and then caught buses back to Kawana Bus Station and walked to where we had finished yesterday at Kawana Surf Club.

https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/Experience-Sunshine-Coast/Pathways-tracks-and-trails/Coastal-Pathway

https://www.kawanasurfclub.com.au/

Our walk continued along the beach south to Currimundi Lake.

https://www.sunshinecoastpoint.com.au/attractions/currimundi-lake/

Here we discovered the hidden gems of Currimundi Lake Conservation Park and Crummunda Park. These make a great spot for family gathering with plenty of options for all ages.

https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/currimundi

https://www.sunshinecoastpoint.com.au/attractions/crummunda-park/

We then crossed over the waterway using Nicklin Way and headed east on the southern side of the lake.

Continuing south down the beach, we stopped for a picnic lunch in a park at Dicky Beach.

https://www.queensland.com/de/de/things-to-do/attractions/p-56b261707b935fbe730e114b-dicky-beach

After a picnic lunch in the park at Dicky Beach we continued along the beach as far as we could at Moffatt Beach, before climbing up onto the path around the headlands.

https://www.queensland.com/in/en/places-to-see/destinations/sunshine-coast/caloundra/how-to-do-moffat-beach

 

As we got around the headlands we could see the gap that has opened in Bribie Island, as well as the remains of the early Kings Beach swimming pool.

https://www.queensland.com/us/en/things-to-do/attractions/p-56b2616e2880253d74c49f3c-kings-beach-beachfront-salt-water-pool

From Kings Beach we were able to walk on the boardwalks and paths that follow the coastline with views of the beach. Happy Valley was as usual full of people enjoying the parklands and sheltered waters.  I was amazed to see just how narrow Pumicestone Passage is at this point currently.

https://www.weekendnotes.com/happy-valley-park/

https://www.sunshinecoast-australia.com/bulcock-beach-boardwalk-caloundra.html

Continuing around to Golden Beach we again could see the gap in Bribie Island, but this time from the inland side rather than the coastal side.

The last section of the walk showed the mangroves and tidal flats of Pumicestone Passage before finishing the Sunshine Coast Coastal Pathway at Jensen Park.

https://www.queensland.com/au/en/things-to-do/attractions/p-5ec5d52880cd85a224c19db8-pumicestone-passage

Totals for the day 26.2km 6h 22m

Totals for the Sunshine Coast Coastal Pathway

91.1km 21h 37m plus lunch breaks