With views to Brisbane on a clear day, over 100km away, Mount Castle Lookout is definitely qualified to boast spectacular views. The 480m walk through lush rainforest to get there makes it a very small effort to reward bushwalk.
Location: End of Lookout Road, Goomburra QLD 4362 (2.5 hours SW Brisbane)
Walking Distance: 1km
Elevation: 43m
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate, due to uneven path. However, a very straight forward track.
Costs/Permit: No cost, no permit required for bushwalking. Fees apply to camping.
Opening Times: only closed occasionally for maintenance or natural disaster.
Facilities: 2 National Park managed camping grounds, toilets (at Poplar Flat and Manna Gum camping areas), picnic area, information board (near Poplar Flat camping area), 8 different walking tracks.
What to take: Water, camera, insect repellant.
Map:
Located at the far end of Lookout Rd, the Mount Castle Lookout track is a very straight forward out and back track.
Ferns growing on the forest floor help create the calming atmosphere. Together with the remotness and the cool, damp surrounds, there is something otherworldly about this track. There is enough elevation (43m) to get your heart well and truly pumping. The path, while obvious enough, doesn’t look like it sees too much traffic. It is very uneven with tree roots, and can be slippery from the leaf litter.
The lookout itself is not on national park land, but on land managed by the Crosby family; as is much of the immediate view. On a clear day the high rises of Brisbane City can be seen in the distance. The ‘castle’ effect has been achieved by the weathering of volcanic rock over a vast amout of time.
A Scenic Rim bushwalk continues on from the lookout, however it is not made clear where it goes to or how far it goes. No other maps could be found to show this track.
The walk back to the carpark, being mostly downhill, is a breeze. This walk can easily be completed on the same day as other walks in the Goomburra Section of Main Range National Park.