Lured by the possibility of a post-hike BBQ at Lake Moogerah, Lisa and fellow explorer Scout headed over to Mt Greville in Moogerah Peaks National Park in search of the summit.

Highlights

  • Several routes to summit and descend the mountain
  • A challenging climb that will test your navigational skills
  • Views of the Scenic Rim and Lake Moogerah

Mt Greville

Mt Greville casts a shadow over the lake and it’s only a 90-minute drive from Brisbane. There are 3 routes up Mt Greville — Palm Gorge, Waterfall Gorge and the South-East Ridge. We opted to go up Palm Gorge and descend down the South-East Ridge.

From the little carpark off Mt Greville Road, we headed down a fire trail following the signs to Palm Gorge. The trailhead is easy to find and then you’re winding up a well worn but narrow path through the trees. The terrain quickly gets thicker and thicker and storm damage is evident with a few downed trees.

 

Choose Your Own Adventure // Summiting Mt Greville (QLD) Lisa Owen, Mt Greville, Moogerah Peaks National Park, Queensland, South-East Ridge, descent,

 

While the trail is fairly obvious, there are no markers and it thins out in a few places so you’ll need to pay attention. Once you hit the gorge, the trail goes in and out but follow your nose and continue heading up and you’ll keep coming across an informal trail.

We lost the trail once at a section littered with branches and palm fronds, but quickly realised our mistake when the ground started getting unstable. Within a few minutes we were back on course, finding the trail leading up past a cliff on the left.

South-East Ridge

There’s only one tricky bit on the Palm Gorge trail then it’s pretty easy to follow before you hit a rock cairn straight ahead and a trail that goes to the left and right. Take the left trail to the summit — the right takes you down the South-East Ridge.

From the cairn, it’s about a 15 minute steep walk to the summit. The views at the summit aren’t great and the better views are as you start the descent down the South-East Ridge. The South-East Ridge is also steep and the trail is mostly rock slabs for the first section, so grippy shoes are a good idea.

 

Choose Your Own Adventure // Summiting Mt Greville (QLD) Lisa Owen, Mt Greville, Moogerah Peaks National Park, Queensland, South-East Ridge, descending, valley

 

The South-East Ridge is scattered with rock cairns and markers so it’s very easy to navigate down and we never lost the trail. After the 2 and a half hour return hike, it was BBQ time at Lake Moogerah and we had our fill of burgers before heading back to Brisbane.

Activities

  • Hiking
  • Photography
  • BBQ and camping at Lake Moogerah

Essential Gear

  • Hiking shoes
  • 2L of water
  • Camera
  • Insect repellent/suncream

How To Get There

From Brisbane, take the Ipswich Motorway, which turns into the Cunningham Highway. Follow this down until Boonah-Fassifern Road on your left and then follow the signs to Lake Moogerah taking Lake Moogerah Road.

Head around the dam until you reach the gravel Mt Greville Road and follow this down for a few minutes until you see a small carpark on your right and national park signs.

Stop off at Fred Haigh Park on your way home for a view of Mt Greville across the lake and a BBQ. You can also combine this hike with the 2 hour return hike up Mt Edwards, which starts across the dam wall at Lake Moogerah.

Skill Level

Intermediate — steep in places and basic navigational skills required.

Distance / Elevation

6km / 770m