Gillies Range lookout - Boar Pocket Road
Early March 2020 - BC (before Coronavirus)
The view at 6am on the 8th March 2020.
As you drive from Gordonvale up the Gillies Range to the Tablelands there is a viewing station about 2/3rds of the way up. There is also another viewing station of Gillies Range from which you get much better views in my opinion. I will explain how to get there later in this post.
As the sun rose that morning, to the right from the lookout I got a beautiful view of the clouds blowing through the bush in parts of Wooroonooran National Park..
To the left the same clouds and morning fog had started to reveal the small township below.
By the time the sun had fully risen most of the clouds were gone and the morning red of the sunrise had vanished. Still a beautiful view.
From the lookout you also get a glimpse of the cars as they wind their way up Gillies Range below. The motorbikes on this Sunday morning were particularly load as their sound bounced up the Range.
How to get there
Shortly after you reach the top of Gillies Range and start to drive down into the Tablelands you will see a sign for Boar Pocket Road on the right. You need to turn into it.
Make sure you shut the gate. This is cattle land.
About a five minute drive along Boar Pocket Road you will come across this sign on the right hand side. The sign advises you that the road is not suitable for caravans and trailers but I would go further and say that unless you are 100% certain there will be no rain…only take a 4WD down that road.
Even in the dry that road can become heavily rutted and low clearance vehicles can get stuck even in the dry. They do grade it down flat from time to time but my Swift goes no further than here. I have always walked the 4 klms in.
The man on the quad bike owns the farmland near the entrance and I chatted to him about how many people get stuck on that roads……quiet a few from the sounds of it.
After you pass the first gate you will be walking with farmland on both sides of you. It is a beautiful walk that I have done quite a few times now.
About 1lm in you will come to a second gate. Once again do not forget to close it. From here the road is covered by a canopy of trees and you are in National Parkland.
When you arrive at the lookout there is a sign warning you of the dangers present. Especially if the ground is wet be very careful where you walk chasing a viewing spot.
For those more adventurous, jot down this number and perhaps try hang gliding down the Range. Personally not for me.
To the left of the carpark at the lookout is a walking track. I ventured down it for about an hour one day and it seems to wind its way down the Range towards the road below.
I will explore it more in the future but on this day I was a bit pushed for time and it was very hot. The walk is steep and the track is rough so if you are not fit or properly clothed best to give it a miss.