Cooloola Wilderness Trail is a 47.9km, grade 4 one way hike, located in Great Sandy National Park, Queensland. The hike should take approximately 3 days to complete.

Hike Summary

This park has been impacted by recent severe weather events in Queensland. Please check park alerts for the latest information on access, closures and conditions.

About the region

Great Sandy National Park is a coastal national park in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.

The park features untouched beaches, large sand dunes, heathlands, rainforests, swamps, creeks, freshwater lakes and mangrove forests.

Great Sandy National Park is divided into two sections. The Cooloola section is situated on the coast between Noosa Heads in the south and Rainbow Beach in the north and covers 18,400 hectares (45,000 acres). The K’gari (Fraser Island) section encompasses almost all of the world’s largest sand island, Fraser Island, situated north of Rainbow Beach, covering 56,000 hectares (140,000 acres).

The Cooloola section contains the Cooloola Great Walk, a five-day hiking trail. Boat tours and canoeing along the Noosa River are popular visitor activities. On Fraser Island is the 90 km long Fraser Island Great Walk. Lake Cootharaba offers fishing, sailing and canoeing opportunities.

Whale watching, fishing, four-wheel driving and bushwalking are also popular. The park also features two shipwrecks; the SS Maheno and the Cherry Venture.

The only place in the world where tall rainforest grows in sand is on Fraser Island. Fraser Island has coloured sand cliffs on its eastern beach as well as numerous walking tracks from short boardwalks to longer walks which cross sand blows.

Lake Wabby is a popular swimming and fishing spot.

Access to both sections of the park requires a four-wheel drive vehicle. Four-wheel drive vehicles on Fraser Island need to obtain a vehicle permit. Both sections have numerous camping areas.

For more information on this hiking trail, please visit Queensland.com