One of the best parts of Australia is beautiful South East Queensland, with golden beaches, glitz and glamour and some sensational hiking. Its southern cousin, northern New South Wales, is also incredibly beautiful, full of hipsters, surfies and a relaxed lifestyle that only Australia’s beautiful people can afford. Let us visit some of the most beautiful national parks and beaches and towns and cities in the country and soak it up!

We will be staying on the less glitzy end of the Gold Coast for 5 nights and the river town of Grafton for 5 nights.

Trip leader and hike leader is Craig. Trip organiser and second in command is Doug.

For a copy of our trip flyer with full details of the trip, please contact the leader using the “Enquiry” button (see below).

 

Accommodation

Accommodation is a mixture of own arrangements and accommodation booked by the club:

Gold Coast:  Check-in Thursday 6 April; Check-out Tuesday 11 April.

You need to book your own accommodation on the Gold Coast. The suggested accommodation is the Coolangatta YHA – Kirra Beach, Gold Coast. This is a very sharp looking YHA Hostel, barely 500 metres from Gold Coast airport. If you prefer to stay elsewhere, then kindly stay as local as you can, as the meeting point for each day’s walks will be the front of the YHA hostel and the dinner venues for those wishing to eat out will be in that vicinity.

If you book a bed in a share room at the YHA, we will try to arrange with the YHA that you will in the same room as others from our group of same gender, depending on how many from our group decide to book a share room.

Grafton:  Check-in Tuesday 11 April; Check-out Sunday 16 April.

YHA Bushwalking has booked a variety of short-stay accommodation in Grafton. Each property will have a kitchen, living / dining area and 3 bedrooms. There will be no more than two persons per bedroom. We may book another property in or near Grafton if there is sufficient interest.

 

Transport

Flights are the most practical way to get to the region, and can be surprisingly cheap if you book them well in advance. You will need to fly to and from the Gold Coast Airport. As we will be driving from Grafton on the last day, you should aim to book your return flight for no earlier than 5 pm – just in case!

 

Car Hire

Car hire is required for nine days; from Saturday, 8 April to Sunday, 16 April 2023. It makes up the bulk of this trip’s fees. We have priced this event at four people per car, and have hired mid-sized cars (such as Camrys, or small SUV’s) for this trip.

YHA Bushwalking has a policy on car hire, which basically means we have designated drivers, we pay for no-excess insurance, and the cost is divided between all participants, regardless of whether they use the cars for each day or not. We have hired four mid-sized cars for the trip. We have priced the cars on the assumption that we will have 12 to 16 people on the trip (3 or 4 cars).

You will need to factor in an additional payment (allow $100 per person) to be made by you for fuel, additional driver fees, car parking (if any) and any other unforeseen car expenses.

ALL drivers will need to provide their details to the rental company. No details to the rental company means you do not drive a car under any circumstances whatsoever. If you offer to be a driver, it follows that you will be expected to attend each hike (unless we have more than one driver per car, in which case a driver could have a rest day if another driver is doing the hike). Car hire is being organised through Hertz.

 

Itinerary and Walks

Friday 7 April: Tweed Heads Coastal Walk (15-20 km, 6 hours, Grade = Medium)

Saturday 8 April: Pick Up Cars // Springbrook National Park (6 km, 5 hours, Medium)

Sunday 9 April: Lamington National Park (18 km, 5-6 hours, Hard)

Monday 10 April: Nerang National Park (17 km, 5 hours, Medium-Hard)

Tuesday 11 April: Rest Day // Drive to Grafton (2.5 hours south) and check in to your accommodation.

Wednesday 12 April: Yuraygir National Park (16 km, 6 hours, Medium)

Thursday 13 April: Gibraltar Range National Park (13 km, 4 hours, Medium)

Friday 14 April: Wedding Bells State Forest (15 km, 5 hours, Medium) or Bundjalung National Park (11 km, 4 hours, Medium)

Saturday 15 April: Fortis Creek National Park (13 km, 5 hours, Medium)

Sunday 16 April: Check out of Grafton accommodation. Drive to Gold Coast Airport // Return Home.

 

Booking

Booking is  required for this trip.

This event is aimed at adults, both in terms of the hikes, the hostels and the dinner and drinks venues selected. Over 18s only please.

On the booking form, please indicate what similar walks you have done recently (i.e. in the past few months) to give the leader confidence that you are capable of doing this one. Refer to Walking Grades which, in conjunction with the walk descriptions, will help you assess whether you have the required walking fitness and experience to do this trip.

The Leader will confirm your acceptance on the walk, or not, via email. The leader will provide further trip details as the trip gets closer.

Trip Price:
Members:  $765 + Booking fee (nil) = $765.

Non-members: $765 + Booking fee ($10) = $775.

The trip price includes all car hire and accommodation in Grafton.

Additional Costs (to be paid on the trip):

Adjustment Payment for Car Hire to cover fuel, additional driver fees, car parking (if any) and any other sundries (allow approximately $100).

Your own costs:

Accommodation in Gold Coast, flights, and all other costs such as food and drinks.

Payment:
The trip price must be prepaid. Payment by Paypal or card is the quickest method, but if you choose to pay by EFT please follow the instruction to email the Treasurer with your payment details.

Cancellation:
If you need to cancel, please advise the leader as soon as possible, so that someone else has the opportunity.
If you have made your payment but need to cancel, we will only provide you with a refund if we can find a replacement for you.

 

What to Bring

All the equipment, clothing, food and water you will need for the walks and overnight stays (refer Trip details above). Also bring some hand sanitiser and face masks to manage the Covid risk.

Refer to our Gear Checklist page for more details, or discuss with the leader.  If you are not properly equipped, the walk leader can decide not to let you participate on this walk.

 

COVID-19 Requirements

At the time of writing (August 2022), it appears that the pandemic, while far from over, has reached a ‘business as usual’ situation. At this stage, it appears unlikely that there will be any further lockdowns or travel restrictions. However, it would be wise to keep your vaccinations up to date as per health authority guidelines. We will need to follow government guidelines and requirements in place at the time for managing the Covid-19 risk which will, of course, include considering your eligibility to join if you get symptoms at the time of the trip.

Check out our Covid-19 status.

 

Safety and Ambulance Insurance

We strongly recommend that you have Ambulance cover. For more details refer to: Joining a walk and your safety

 

Still have questions?

Check out What happens on a walk.

Check out Weekend and extended walks.

Contact the leader using the “Enquiry” button.

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