Beerburrum Creek

Mount Ngungun (pronounced Noo Noo)
2.8km return trip, maximum height 225m, incline walked 196m.

We rose early and woke the kids, who reluctantly joined us for a short hike up a 'mountain'. Even at 8am it was an incredibly sweaty walk and the steps were steep at points, so it was quite a challenge for short legs. But they all did very well, with minimal moaning and only occasional tears. Samantha counted all the steps to be distracted from winging, but she lost count somewhere around 100,000.

Mount Ngungun is one of the glasshouse mountains, north of Brisbane and it sits within a huge national park. The views from the top were incredible. However the company I was with re-ignighted my phobia of heights because seeing the kids close to the edge of a cliff drop made me incredibly anxious, with their jerky movement and clumsy footing it gave me a sense of doom. At one point Magnus stood up and lost his footing and I nearly had a panic attack. Everyone else remained calm and enjoyed the views, but I learnt that children create fear in me.

It was a great little adventure to start the day with and it reminded me how much I love Australian countryside. The sounds, smells and colours are so calming and beautiful. I hope for more forest retreating to come.Read more