This mountain is located on the outer edge of a little town near Gympie, named Pamona. This is also where the annual King of the Mountain race happens, as I found out when I was searching for a new weekend hiking spot. This race has been held every year in July ever since 1979, and the fastest time to reach the top is a little over 20 minutes. This mountain is 439m tall and is less known to the tourist, so if you need a little ME time away from all the crowds, then this is the perfect place for you.
The level of difficulty for this hike is in between Mount Maroon and Mount Beerwah, I would say probably more close to Mount Maroon with a much more maintained, wider track, and it's hiking distance is must shorter compared to Maroon. It took me about one and a half hours to complete the return with photo taking etc. , and I'm moderate fitness level. If you are fit, then you can definitely do it in less than one hour. I've over heard that they use this track as training base for the Kokoda Track as well, I hope that I can get there one day! I have attempted to climb Mount Beerwah, but my rock climbing, body strength and coordination were just not there, so I've been training through hiking these mountains to prepare myself to eventually reach the peaks of Mount Beerwah.
The entrance of the track starts at where Mountain Street ends and Jampock Creek Road begins. Do not follow GPS as it will take you to the wrong side of the mountain and on to a gravel road. Follow the signs to Ponoma, turn left onto School Street then on to Mountain St. It is easy to follow.
The track is sign posted. Once you've entered the track, follow it uphill, you will see a shared wide track up a set of stairs, turn left and follow the track until you reach where the road splits. Follow the track to the left, down hill and cross a tiny bridge. The track will start to wind up until you see a steep track heading up the mountain, that will be the Cooroora track's start point.
The first half of the track is better maintained compared to the second, with metal stairs put in and chains to pull yourself up with. The track becomes steeper and rougher, the higher you travel and there are sections of the track where there are no chains. There is slight rock scrambling involved. However, if you take your time and stretch yourself a little bit further out of your comfort zone, you will reach the top with no problems. As always, the panoramic view once you've reached the top is the ultimate reward to all your hard work.
I often think to myself, why do I love hiking so much? There are a few reasons. The first one is I think mountain hiking/walking, is like running a business. First, set the direction and start travelling. No matter how treacherous the journey gets, always have the courage to aim for your direction and plan your steps. Don't be so worried about taking a longer route or going a bit off track, as long as you plan/find your way back on. The amazing discoveries mostly happens off track as I have found in many of my walks, and who knows, you may end up discovering a completely new and more suitable track to continue onto. Hiking is simplier compared to running a real business, as in the latter, sometimes the directions and tracks are a lot less obvious. The other reason why I love hiking is at times I am expanding and re-discovering my comfortable zone and mental capacity, and it is easier for me to experience it physically and then transfer and utilized it mentally. The most important reason is I find myself happier and more like myself when I'm hiking and it is exhilaratingly fun being a part of nature!
Hope you enjoy Mount Cooroora, and find the thing(s) that makes you YOU! YOLOHiking
