Mount Bartle Frere

 Mount Bartle Frere is in the Wooroonooran National Park located 75kms south of Cairns. The track starts at Josephine Falls which is well signposted from the Bruce Highway 2km south of Miriwinni to the car park of Josephine Falls. Once at Josephine Falls car park the large signs point you in the right direction to start the walk.

Mount Bartle Frere is the highest mountain in Queensland sitting at 1622m above sea level & the trail from Josephine Falls is 15km return.

Pack Contents 

• 4L of water
• 4 individual packets of weetbix biscuits
• SOL Survival Bivvy
• Head lamp
• Torch
• Knife
• KTI Personal Locator Beacon

I like to have a days rest before the working week starts again and I wasn't going to go up and down all in one day, this ensued that I started the walk on a Friday night after work at 9pm.

The walk is broken up into 3 main camps so to speak, the first being Big Rock camp. Big Rock camp is 3km into the walk, these first 3km are regarded as easy walking as you only rise 400m by the time you reach the camp which is also located on a creek, which makes for a good place to fill water bottles however you should not need to fill water bottles by this point.
The walk to Eastern Summit camp section 2 is the bulk and most definitely the hardest part of the walk, rising 1000m above sea level over 4km. Drenched in sweat and following the path lit by my head light I was exhausted, my calves were cramping & the fog had started moving in limiting sight to under 3m in front of me. I tried to push through the pain but my legs kept giving out from cramping making it harder and harder to get up each time. I had been walking for 3 hours now and was only 5km into the walk let alone only half way up the accent at 820m above sea level. I pulled out my SOL Survival Bivvy took my boots got inside and lay down to go to sleep on the path in the middle of nowhere on a 10degree slope. I fell asleep for an hour before waking up and energised to get to the Eastern Summit camp, it took me a further 2hours to climb another 2.2km & 630m in altitude to the Eastern Summit camp.

Metal shed I slept in

It was blowing a gale at the Eastern Summit camp with the mist and fog flying past me & rain on the way, too exhausted to look for the best place to sleep and now 2am in the morning I spotted a metal shed with a roof, the idea was it would protect me from the freezing cold wind and rain. I was awake by 4am the sound of rain slamming the metal shed I used to seek protection, the entire shed was metal and elevated allowing the cold wind to freeze everything, packing light I only had my SOL Survival Bivvy with my back on the metal the cold went straight through, I was shaking, cold, tired, exhausted and being bit by leeches attempting all positions to sleep nothing worked and I knew I was in for the long haul.
I ended up spending the next 2hours sitting up shivering continuously waiting for any light to break through, finally I could see outside. I spent another 15mins fighting in my head if I should continue on I couldn't feel my hands.

Sign on walking to the Summit

Eastern Summit camp to the Summit - 500m walk rising 300m in altitude, weather conditions permitting. The sign read "Do not attempt to reach the Summit if the area is clouding in - change your plans and return to Josephine Falls".


I hadn't endured the night before and come all this way to turn around now with the weather blowing over and no vision I proceeded onward. An hour of climbing over boulders that were a combination of sharp, extremely slippery, wet and walking up the ever small path I reached the summit. I was over the moon I had made it! Do I wait for the mist to clear or do I proceed to head back down with no views and just the feeling of accomplishment. I headed back down as all I wanted was a hot food and a shower.

 Below are some pictures I took while on the trail.