Upgrade for Mount Coolum summit trail

Issued: 29 Aug 2018

The summit viewing area and top section of the Mount Coolum National Park walking track will be closed to the public between 7am and 5pm weekdays from Wednesday 29 August to Friday 16 November 2018, due to upgrade works.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has already invested $500,000 to upgrade the heavily degraded summit walking trail and a further $420,000 has been allocated to complete the upgrade and protection measures on the summit trail.

For safety reasons, public access will only be possible to halfway up the mountain during closure times. The walking track will still be open on weekends.

On Thursday 30 August the track will be closed to all public access from 7am to 5pm due to a helicopter lifting materials onto the track.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) Senior Ranger Omar Bakhach said closures would be kept to a minimum.

“The works are aimed at reducing impacts on the trackside vegetation and the important montane vegetation found around the summit,” Mr Bakhach said.

“Track upgrades in 2012 to address severe erosion along the trail were well received by users, and many people now walk the trail multiple times a week.

“Feedback about the trail since the 2012 works has been overwhelmingly positive, which is also reflected in visitor numbers. The most recent QPWS data for Mount Coolum shows an increase over the past five years from around 40,000 annual visitors to more than 200,000 a year, and we’re seeing similar trends at many of our national parks on the Sunshine Coast.

“As with many other popular locations, the Mount Coolum summit trail is now showing impacts of high visitor use such as trampling of vegetation and widening of the track, and we need to take steps to address these issues.

“We have this beautiful asset that dominates the coastal landscape, provides recreational opportunities, and is a tourism drawcard, so it’s important that we provide an appealing, high quality and resilient product, which caters for current visitors and future increases,” he said.

Mr Bakhach said works would include tidying up and defining the main track, defining viewing areas on the summit, installing new interpretive signage, and closing informal tracks and rehabilitating those damaged areas.

“QPWS appreciates the public’s patience during the period of works, and ask visitors to observe all track closures, safety signage and directions from rangers and contractors.”

Updates are available via Park alerts.