Townsville Bushwalking Club

Misty rainforest, cool Paluma drizzle, flowing waterfalls, and a few very enthusiastic leeches made for a classic Townsville Bushwalking Club adventure on Sunday.

Cherry led a cheerful group of 10 along the historic K-Traverse to Forgotten Falls, with rocky scrambling, swims, snacks, and plenty of laughs along the way. The sun even made a perfectly timed appearance at the falls.

Thanks to Cherry and everyone who came along and embraced the mud, the drizzle, and the leeches. Forgotten Falls may not stay forgotten for long!

K-Traverse & Forgotten Falls - Trip Report Forgotten Falls via the historic K-Traverse made for a classic Paluma rainforest walk, with misty drizzle, cool weather, leeches, creek crossings, rocky scrambling, swims, waterfalls, and great company.

A big thank you to Wilfred for leading a terrific Easter long weekend trip to Paradise Beach and Castle Rock.

Over three days, our group enjoyed a classic North Queensland coastal adventure - walking through long grass and forest, camping near the beach, refilling water from a freshwater creek, climbing up towards Castle Rock for sweeping views, swimming in the surf, spotlighting at night, and soaking up a beautiful remote camp over Easter.

With granite headlands, flowering bushes, wild coastline, and great company, it was a memorable trip in one of the most special corners of Bowling Green Bay National Park.

Thanks as well to Brent and Sue for the photos.
https://townsvillebushwalkingclub.com/paradise-beach-and-castle-rock-2026/

A great day out at the Wallaman Escarpment for our Learn to Lead walk on Saturday. We spent the day building confidence in off-track navigation, route choice, pacing, and group decision-making - with plenty of discussion, mentoring, and good views along the way. A strong step towards building more future walk leaders in the Club.

Photos by Brent.

Then and Now - The Overland Track
A recent ABC feature revisits the Overland Track through the eyes of a father who first walked it in 1987 and returned nearly four decades later with his daughter. What was once knee-deep mud, heavy canvas packs, and days without seeing another soul is now a carefully managed 65 km journey with boardwalks, hut systems, and capped departures to protect the landscape.
It is a powerful reminder that tracks evolve. Increased popularity brings infrastructure, booking systems, and better environmental protection, but also new challenges around crowding and preparedness. The story reinforces something we often talk about in our own Club - the balance between access and impact, and the responsibility each of us carries to be prepared, tread lightly, and preserve the experience for those who follow.
Whether you are walking Tasmania's iconic alpine routes or our own North Queensland rainforests, the principles remain the same: good planning, respect for country, and leaving no trace.

How one of Australia's toughest treks has changed Ron Preuss first walked the 65-kilometre-long Overland Track in 1987. Now, he returns decades later with his daughter Maren to see what has changed.

Plan B turned into a great day out in Paluma Range National Park.
With Jourama Falls closed, nine walkers explored Gorge Falls, Rope Falls, and Loop Falls instead - enjoying flowing creeks, rainforest scenery, swims, and a few very slippery moments on the rocks after rain. There were plenty of laughs, some careful crawling on the return, and even a white-lipped green tree frog to top it off.

Read the full trip report on our website: https://townsvillebushwalkingclub.com/gorge-falls-rope-falls-loop-falls-2026/

Photos by Brent C

A throwback from the archives - an old-school Townsville Bushwalkers newsletter cover, complete with big vintage energy, hand-drawn adventure scenes, and the wonderfully cheeky line: "Life. Be in it. (but don't bring the dog)".
Long before social media, GPS tracks, and gear spreadsheets, the club was already out there doing what it does best - walking, scrambling, camping, exploring, and building community in the wild corners around Townsville. There is something special about these old newsletters. They remind us that while the boots, packs, and hairstyles may have changed, the spirit of adventure has stayed much the same.
A little piece of club history, and a nice reminder that bushwalking in North Queensland has always been about getting outside and getting amongst it.

Remembrance Falls - Trip Report

Fourteen kilometres of wet-season wilderness in Paluma State Forest. This 14 km off-track loop took us along misty ridgelines, old logging roads and slippery creek scrambles, finishing at a multi-tiered Remembrance Falls flowing strong after recent rain. Classic North Queensland conditions - wet granite, thick rainforest and steady, careful footwork all day.

Read the full trip report here:
https://townsvillebushwalkingclub.com/remembrance-falls-2025/

Our March newsletter is now live, packed with wet-season waterfalls, last walk reports, upcoming bushwalks across North Queensland, and important safety reminders including snake bite first aid. Tracks are slowly drying, waterfalls are still pumping, and the calendar is filling quickly. Catch up on all the latest club news and trip reports here:

March Newsletter 2026 Continuation of the wet-season waterfalls theme. Cherry's walk to Diorite Falls, pumping in full flow, Wallaman updates, upcoming bushwalks in North Queensland, safety reminders on snake bite first aid, and new community updates.