Sunrise from the Mount Warning (Wollumbin) summit

The remnant of an ancient shield volcano, Mount Warning (or Wollumbin, to use its Aboriginal name) stands to the south-west of Brisbane in the Tweed Ranges. It was named Warning by Captain Cook after he encountered reefs along the coast in 1770. A place of cultural and traditional significance to the Bundjalung (Aboriginal) people, the mountain was officially recognised as Wollumbin in 2006, meaning “cloud catcher”. It’s a popular walk undertaken by over 60,000 people each year (Source: Wikipedia), many of them to watch the sunrise. Under traditional Aboriginal culture, Wollumbin is considered a sacred men’s site and people are discouraged from climbing the mountain (there’s signage at the start), although very few Web sites mention this and it’s a popular walk.

Today is my second time doing this hike, this time taking Luke, my (7-year old) son, with me. We set off from our hotel at Kingscliff around 7am, and we’re at the start of the trail just after 8:30am. The track immediately starts climbing up through subtropical and temperate rainforest.

It’s a well-made track; a few sections are a bit rough and there’s sometimes a bit of mud (it looks like it could get pretty muddy in places after heavy rain) and we make good progress.

As the mountain gets steeper, the track zig-zags up the hill maintaining a very constant or consistent gradient. There’s occasional views out through the foliage, but most of the time there’s not a lot to see.

The fun starts at the 4km mark, when the track turns into a steep rock scramble assisted by chains.

This last section is about 400m in length, with about 150m vertical ascent.

There’s a couple of platforms and benches on the summit, which is 1,156m above sea level. There are views in all directions, from coastal views towards the Gold Coast and Byron Bay in the east to the Border Ranges National Park to the west. The ascent has taken a bit over two hours, and the round trip including 30min at top is just under four hours.

The Sunrise Climb

My previous Mount Warning climb was in May 2014; this time I’m climbing on my own. I stayed overnight in the area, arriving at 11pm the previous evening and staying at the Mt Warning Rainforest Park. This meant I could get a 5am start, reaching the summit in about 1:15min. It wasn’t the best weather: it had rained heavily overnight and while it did clear in the morning, I didn’t actually see the sun rising.

However, it was nice light for photography and there were nice views from the summit.

Tips for climbing Mount Warning

• It can get cold when you stop – bring some warm clothing.
• There’s a chance you’ll get a leech; you can bring salt, pluck it off with fingers or wait until it falls off!
• Don’t be on the summit (or on the section with chains) if there is a thunderstorm. [Update: a man was killed and his partner injured by lightning on the summit in December 2016. ABC News]
• There is no mobile coverage on the trail.

Accommodation near Mount Warning

It’s very feasible to climb Mount Warning on a day-trip from the Gold Coast or Brisbane. If you want to catch sunrise from the top, there are a few lodges and accommodation options along the Mount Warning Road and around the town of Uki. This makes it a bit easier to get an early start. I stayed at the Mount Warning Rainforest Park, which is one of the closest places to the start of the walk.

Booking.com

More informationhikingtheworld.blog/3mew

• National Parks (NPWS) – Wollumbin National Park web site
• Sacred Sites – Mount Wollumbin