If you are looking for a day-trip hike from Brisbane that has great views, is not monotonous and will require a fair amount of effort then Flinders Peak could be a great option! At 679 m above sea level, it is the highest peak of Brisbane’s South-Western skyline, in the Ipswich/Logan area. It surely is one of the best mountain hikes near Brisbane.
Summary
Distance: 7.4 km
Time: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: moderate/hard
Disclaimer: The hiking time and difficulty are based on our experience. We are experienced hikers with a good level of fitness, used to hiking long distances and scrambling. We possess good navigation skills and use a Garmin watch* with a GPS navigation map. Always check the park alerts and notes, as trail conditions change over time, which may affect the hike’s level of difficulty.
There are a few hikes in the Flinders – Goolman Conservation estate. We previously hiked the Goolman Lookout via Rocky Knoll (7.4km return – 3h according to the brochure, but it took us just under 1.5h) and we hadn’t been impressed at all. A good exercise, but that was it.
Hiking Flinders Peak was a recommendation from a colleague so I had higher expectations for this one. And I am happy to report it met my expectations!
The brochure from the park advises allowing a full day for the hike (6 hours walk). It is 6km long and rated as Class 5 – Difficult.
We found it was as difficult as climbing Mount Maroon. It took us 1h45 to reach the peak and 2h to go down, with an injured knee (not recommended!).
We all found the hike was good fun: we had to scramble in the rocks and on the cliff edges, we could enjoy great views all along the way, and it was just challenging enough without being scary or too hard!
This hike is not popular at all, and we only saw three other guys at the top, who didn’t stay long. One came from another route that is not on our map (if you know anything about it, please leave me a comment, I’m curious!). It was very nice to be by ourselves on a track that was not too hard to follow but still very wild. Be prepared to receive leaves in the face! Although the path has a lot of shade, I wouldn’t recommend doing this hike in summer: we were hot enough doing it at the end of March!
The summit was a bit disappointing as it is hosting a big telecommunication building. If you manage to ignore the tower, the views are still lovely. On a clear day, Brisbane City can be seen on the horizon. We had a great picnic and coffee break up there. They say you could encounter brush-tailed rock wallabies, peregrine falcons and wedge-tailed eagles. The only wildlife we saw was a surprisingly significant amount of caterpillars and the usual big spiders.
After doing Mount Maroon and Mount Barney, we were excited to tick another great hike from the Brisbane Region Peak list! If you don’t have enough time to hike Flinders Peak, or if you’re looking for another hike nearby, check out Mount Blaine Summit Track.
Have you hiked to Flinders Peak? What did you think of it? Or would you have other peaks or mounts to recommend hiking near Brisbane? Leave a comment below!
Where is Flinders Peak?
Flinders Peak is in Queensland, Australia. It’s an easy 1-hour drive from Brisbane, just near Ipswich. It’s one of the closest hikes to the city.
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