Mount Superbus is the highest point in SE Queensland, of the Main Range National Park and of the Main Range Shield Volcano, a volcano that last erupted around 22 million years ago. It lies around 99 kilometres south west of Brisbane.
Looking at it, you would not realise that it is the remnant of a volcano. It is covered in rainforest. There are no views from the summit and the climb provides a reasonably short, but strenuous work-out. The round trip is just over 8 kilometres with an overall ascent of around 600 metres. It took me 1 hour 50 minutes to ascend and 1 hour 20 minutes to descend.
There are two common start points for this mountain. One is from the west at Emu Creek Road. This approach takes one by the wreckage of a RAAF Lincoln Bomber that crashed into the mountain in April 1955. The other, the one that I took, starts from the south on Spring Creek Road/Head Road. The start point is a wide opening to Brett Road where there is plenty of space to park a car.
Brett Road starts off as a grass road and gives every appearance of being a private road. Very quickly you come to a pair of substantial posts with wire strung between them. This is designed to stop vehicular traffic, but there is access to the left for pedestrians. As you continue along the road, you pass a number of signs placed by the National Park Authority warning of the dangers ahead.
Brett Road then becomes more gravelly as you reach the trees. If you get to a further gate into a field, you have missed the partially hidden path to the right that you need to follow. It is back about 40m – 50m. I managed to do this, so had to retrace my steps!
Take the path and you are soon squeezing between the vegetation. You know you are going the right way when you come across a wooden bridge over the Teviot Brook.
The path then swings slightly to the left and you meet a gate and further National Park sign. These are at a continuation of the old logging road. Go past the gate and sign and follow the logging road which is gradually being overcome by nature.
After a bit there is a split in the track at a small cairn. I did not appreciate the significance of the cairn and so continued along the (slightly) more obvious logging road. But here, you should turn left. It took a bit of bushwhacking to regain the correct route once I had realized my error.
After then the path comes and goes and it requires a bit of concentration to follow it, helped by the GPS track that I had downloaded. It was here that I had my first brush (literally) with the gympie gympie plant. This plant is a part of the nettle family with hairs on its leaves and even bigger ones on its stems. These are what deliver the stings.
I was stung through my trousers on my thigh and also on my shoulder. It was quite painful and an irritant for the rest of the day and the following day. I soon learned to recognise the leaves of the plant and took care to avoid it. I think that I was quite lucky with my reaction to the sting as I have subsequently read that after effects can last for weeks. The prevalence of the plant seemed to reduce once I had gained a bit of height.
On a couple of occasions where the gradient lessened, the path disappeared into thickets. But I was able to pick it up again once through them. I heard regular crashing in the undergrowth either side of the path. At first, I though this might be as a result of branches falling. But, on two occasions, I caught brief glimpses of pademelons or poteroos jumping through the vegetation. They were too fast and well-camouflaged for any photos.
Other wildlife I saw was a red-bellied black snake (which slithered across the path just three metres ahead of me) and some bird-life.
Eventually, there was then a final steep rise up to the summit ridge. Now the path was much clearer. I noted some old, substantial (but decaying) wooden posts by the path. I think that these were originally placed to create rabbit-proof fences and, indeed, I did see some discarded metal netting.
Eventually, I came to a false summit complete with croc.
The summit is still 500m off to the west, From the false summit the path deteriorates again. Whilst it had not rained on the day I was there, there had been rain in the previous days. Along this section I became quite wet from the rain that was still on the leaves and branches that I was having to force my way through.
The dip between the false summit and the summit is not great, but it takes 15 minutes to make the 500m. And then the top suddenly emerges in a clearing. There is a cairn and a tin box which is also a geo-cache.
Here I had a long drink. I had had a few brief stops for drink, but here I had a much longer one together with a snack.
It is possible (with a permit) to camp at the summit. That would seem to be an interesting option with the aeroplane crash site just 40 minutes away. The walk can also be continued either to the south west top (which is almost as high) or back east/north-east to Mount Roberts and Lizard Point. I understand that there is a good view from Lizard Point. But perhaps that round is better tackled from Emu Creek Road.
For me it was just a question of returning, uneventfully, the way I had come.
Interested in more rainforest adventures? Read about my climbs of Tenison Woods Mountain, Mount Mumdjin and Bithongabel here.
Other Australian summits are Mount Maroon here, Mount Exmouth in the Warrumbungles is here and, finally, Mount Canobolas is here.
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