Old Wamuran-Woodford Rail Trail, Glasshouse Mountains National Park – Day Walk
The railway line from Caboolture to Woodford opened in 1909 and was extended to Kilcoy 4 years later (1913). The railway made living and working in the area much easier bringing the “Big Smoke” (Brisbane) within a few hours travel instead of a day or two by horse. It also made it easier to transport produce to the city and bring supplies back, serving the communities for over 50 years. The Kilcoy-Wamuran section closed in 1961 while the Caboolture-Wamuran closed in September, 1996
The walk today will explore the section through the Glasshouse Mountains National Park via an unsealed trail. Most of the walk will be through rainforest emerging into a dry forest lower down the range. Tall timbers, tree ferns, Strangler Figs and ferns line to trail while the call of birds are frequently heard. The trail follows a ridge with steep drop-offs common between cuttings through obstacles to keep a steady gradient for the old steam engines.
The plan is to walk approximately 5km down the trail then walk back up the trail to the starting point. In keeping with the needs of steam trains of the time when the line was built, the maximum gradient is only 2-3% although there are a few spots where culverts were removed when the line was pulled up that has left steeper slopes for a short distance.
We’ll break for morning tea during the walk and consider doing the same for lunch depending upon how we are travelling. A coffee break is suggested at Wamuran or Woodford after the walk.
This activity will be conducted in keeping with the Queensland Government’s Covid-19 directions at the time of the activity. Please do not attend this activity if you have been feeling unwell with Covid-19 related symptoms in the 7 day period before this activity.
Please register for this activity via the NPAQ website completing all fields.
Walk Grading: Green (easy) 8-10km.
Meet: Trail Head, Raaen Road, D’Aguilar at 9.00am
What to Bring: Hat, light jacket, rain gear (just in case), torch, whistle, 2+ litres of water, morning tea, lunch, positive outlook, $5.00 NPAQ Fee (Note: The trail is in deep shade most of the day so it may be quite cool especially while walking downhill. A warm jacket is suggested.)
Directions: From Brisbane, travel north along the Bruce Highway. Just north of the Bribie Island Road overpass, turn west (left) onto the D’Aguilar Highway following the signs to Woodford. Drive through Wamuran (last chance for a toilet stop as there are no facilities on the rail trail) and climb the range just west of the Bracalba Quarry. Aboout 500m from the top of the range, turn right into Raaen Road and follow it for about 2 kilometres to the railhead. Look for the railhead sign on the right..
Nominations: NPAQ Website
Leader: Frank Freeman ( or Fax 07 3824 3954; Mobile: 0427 655 514 Email: frank_fr@bigpond.net.au
Activity Report
Old Wamuran-Woodford Rail Trail – Glasshouse Mountains National Park
Five intrepid hikers left Raaen Road under cloudy skies. Fortunately, no rain fell and the hikers made easy progress down the slight gradient. Many stops were made to discuss the various types of flora as well as the different birds that were sighted and heard in the forest. The rugged terrain also led to speculation about the skill of the surveyors to maintain a steady gradient for the trains as well as the hard manual labour necessary to build the line early last century. Reaching the Mango Tree Trailhead, a stop was made to enjoy morning tea and to ponder the scene and tasty fruit the might be available in mango season.
The walk up the slope to Raaen Road was faster with fewer stops and the call of empty stomachs as lunch time approached. A short drive to Wamuran and those cravings were satisfied when lunch was enjoyed at the picnic tables at the rail-trail head.
A picturesque and enjoyable activity.
