Margie Maccoll
Friendships, camaraderie and the beautiful landscape of the hinterland combined to provide the Great Noosa Trail Walk 2022 a successful tenth anniversary walk over the Queens Birthday three-day weekend.
About 180 three-day walkers and 20 guides travelled the 56km hike between Cooroy, Cooran, Kin Kin and Pomona with another 40 walkers opting for a one-day walk from Cooroy to Cooran.
On Monday morning an energised group enjoyed breakfast at Kin Kin before packing up their camps and heading off for the final 10km leg of the event and a final celebratory lunch at Pomona Distilling Co.
Trail walk founder Shaun Walsh said there was no other guided trail in Australia that compared to Noosa’s which enabled walkers to wander across country farms and national parks and at the end of the day finish at a hinterland town to enjoy a refreshing ale and bite to eat.
“People are surprised at how good it is,” he said.
He said the self-sustaining event benefitted the whole community as participants were happy to pay fees with income dispersed to businesses and groups across the region.
This year’s rain on Sunday morning only served to enhance the experience, creating misty conditions for walkers as they travelled through a section of the Woondum National Park. “The mist made it the most beautiful we’ve ever seen it,” he said.
Trail guide Laurie Deacon described the walk as “more than a country stroll”. With mountains to scale, valleys to explore and a mix of weather conditions it made for an intrepid trip and even rain did not quench the walkers enthusiasm, she said.
Trail guides Kym and Helen Neaylan said walkers enjoyed the camaraderie they experienced and felt secure that assistance was on hand if anyone needed it.
“They really enjoyed the friendships and atmosphere,” Helen said. “It’s not a race. You go at your own pace and have the security of knowing you don’t have to carry anything and there’s assistance if you need it.”
She said a couple of walkers suffered knee problems and one man went over on his ankle but all were assisted by other walkers including a number of medical professionals in the group and were quickly collected by the team of volunteers and transported to medical care.
With the support of local businesses The Pomona Railway Station Art Gallery, Black Ant Gourmet, Hinter- Coast Transport, Noosa Hinterland Brewery and the Pomona Distilling Co from these Hinterland Towns, this is a true community event – run by volunteers from the Cooroy Future Group Inc and supported by groups such as the Rotary Club of Eumundi, Cooroy Pomona Lions, Pomona Cooran Cutters and the Kin Kin Community Group, as well as Tourism Noosa, Noosa Council and Queensland Parks and Wildlife.
