On the 31st October a spectacular Saturday with clear blue skies greeted us as we set out on our Bush Walk to Mt. Barney National Park, The Lower Portals. I’m not quite sure why they call it “The Lower Portals” but there is very cool stone doorway you have to climb up through to get to the main rock pool.

Mt. Barney is about an hour and a half from the Gold Coast – you go out through Beaudesert and Rathdowney and there it is! The highest peak in Queensland they tell me. Climbing it would be incredible but it’s only for the extremely fit, navigationally skilled, experienced folk. Down the track a bit I think…

The Lower Portals is an 8km return walk – not an easy walk as there’s a lot of scrambling and climbing and up and down dry creek beds but well worth it. The most pristine water to swim in and drink I’ve come across yet! Once we had a refreshing dip we rock-hopped our way back up the Logan River and surprised a shy rock wallaby. Amazing the way it bounced so quickly on and around these huge boulders! Too fast for me to take a pic though.