"Under the matted canopy, the sun becomes furtive, it flickers, it advances by stealth, it hides, it is coy, it sneaks down through the tangle of treetops..." - Janette T Hospital, Australian Writer.
This quote totally describes most of the Daves Creek tracks at Binna Burra, even most of the tracks that I've been on in a rainforest in south east Queensland.
Daves Creek Circuit starts at the Border Track at the upper car park, once you enter the forest, you will feel like millions of years away from the modern world. This track alone is about 12km return, adding on the optional Upper Ballanjui Track, the total length is about 17km return. It's a moderate track and relatively leveled, I would say track classification is probably about Australian Standard Class 3. Surrounded by amazing forest life, such as amusing bird calls etc. and giant trees, you probably won't notice the distance much walking through this ancient forest, or at least I didn't!
I've done the track anti-clockwise, which I do recommend it, as a portion of the track has minimal to no shades (very exposed to the sun). By doing it anti-clockwise, you will complete this portion of the track first before the day gets hot. To give you a rough idea of time consumption, it took me about 5 hours to complete the 17km track, walking at a leisurely to medium pace with lots of photo taking and lunch included. If you are planning to walk this track during winter months, please be aware of the earlier sunset, and the fact that it gets dark even earlier in these dense rainforests, so please count thess factors in as a part of your planning.
Enjoy a cup of your favourate drink and perhaps a light meal by the veranda window at the Lamington Teahouse, is a fantastic way to end your day of adventure.
I can't remember whether or not there is a shoe cleaning station at the beginning of the track, if there is, please make sure you use it to clean the bottom of your shoes to minimise the chances of deadly pathogens being carried into this immensely beautiful forest, as they can spread and do serious harm to the plant life here. Let "Leave no trace behind" be your guide here.
Starting at the upper car park next to the Cafe, and follow the Border Track until you reach a sign-post, this is where the Coomera Circuit split is, follow the left track to continue onto Daves Creek Circuit. If you keep following this winding track through the dense rainforest where lights become scarce and sneaky, you will soon reach another sign post. Follow the right-hand-side track, and you will be walking the Daves Creek Circuit anti-clockwise. To complete the rest of track, simply follow the sign post. You will be able to observe the transition from dense rainforest to the more fire-resistant Australian bush throughout this walk, along with its countless lookouts and side-tracks that opens the gateway to its multifaceted landscapes. There are rocks that looked like the face of a transformer (I'm sure kids will love this), water drips off the canyon of an fascinatingly eroded cave, and don't miss the little scramble up Surprise Rock. To access this, if you are walking the track anticlockwise, you will come to a horizontally spit part of the track, where you will find yourself walking alongside a tall rock wall, this is where you take thr track to the left. Soon you will find that the track ends, and behind you, you will see a path up the rock. You will see the vast Hinze Dam off in the distance from the top, you can also follow the rocky path to reach the other end and return the same way. Fantastic lookout, so not to be missed.
The Naminbah Lookout is a fantastic place to rest your feet and enjoy some lunch. I believe this is the mid-point of the track and it is very nice and shady!
Keep follow the track, and you will come across the start of the Upper Ballanjui Track (sign-posted) on your way back. Highly recommend doing this if you would like to do a little bit of extra and see some smaller waterfalls and cascades to wrap up your hiking for the day. It is a very straight forward track by following the sign-posts, and once you've reached the Upper Ballanjui Falls lookout, simply re-trace your steps back to the start and return via Border Track.
If you have visited the Lower Ballanjui Fall, you will probably say that it is much more impressive than the Upper Ballanjui Fall. Yes, I agree. However, I also love doing the Upper Ballanjui Fall Track because it has lots of other waterfalls and cascades along the track that you can walk up close and linger. This track would be especially gorges during wet season as the waterfalls would be absolutely booming. If you are not a fan of muddy conditions, these two tracks wouldn't be recommended during wet season. If you are a fan of watching the looming forest giants amongst a misty forest, then these are fantastic tracks for it.
Looking forward to seeing you all exploring these forests in the future.
