Many Peaks Range, Townsville

Character: A low but interesting range of hills just to the north of Townsville. Although not difficult, the ground is surprisingly rugged. Although the track is reasonably clear, it would be possible to lose it if not actively following it.

*Remember to take plenty of water and to tell someone of your plans!*

Ascent: ~1000 feet

Time: 5 hours, 7.4 km

Map: Townsville 1:50,000 map

The Many Peaks range is at Pallerenda, just 10 km or so to the North of Townsville city centre, and really still part of its suburbs

The bulk of this page was written in 2004 but I recently repeated it with my wife and a friend in 2007. The movie (below) is from that second trip

6 MB Quicktime movie of the walk or 3 MB mp4

Map of the Many Peaks Range

The map shows Mount Marlow as the highest point at 213 metres, but certainly viewing the range from the south, the more pointed peak to its east looks higher. The walk avoids this un-named peak (above the "T" of "Mount Marlow" on the map), as it is surprisingly inaccessible, though I am sure the determined could reach its summit!

This is essentially a linear walk, with the usual questions of whether to leave a car at each end, or reverse the walk for a big day out. There is another option: a walking track follows the southern edge of the range, and would probably take only an hour or so to complete, so a circuit can be formed.

We did the walk from the eastern end. There is an environmental park at the end of the road out to Pallerenda from Townsville, and cars can be left here. Mount Marlow is signed.

Eastern end of the track

When we started the walk at around 8 am we saw many wallabies around the track, and the dew was quite heavy for a lot of the walk. Hence despite Townsville's dry climate, this sheltered southern side of the ridge that the walk follows has surprisingly lush vegetation and greenery, and I imagine this helps to support some animal life too. After perhaps a kilometre of following the wide track, a sign indicates that the walking track now heads up hill. If you continued on the low level track you would much more directly reach Bald Rock car park, the end of the walk, and this track in the reverse direction is the obvious option if a circuit is planned

Start of the climb

The path is never steep, and after a few metres of ascent starts to head westerly again, heading only slowly uphill.

Heading west, looking towards Bald Rock

Bald rock is only just visible in this low resolution picture, a white area on the second peak from the left

mid way above the patch of trees in the mid distance

Only a few minutes after leaving the low track, an open flat rock is reached at a few hundred feet elevation, and nice views are to be had to Townsville and Castle Hill, with also views to Bald Rock, the objective for the day and the end of the walk. The two pictures below are taken from this point.

Views south towards Townsville

The walk continues to follow on the shady south side of the ridge. Interesting large boulders and dense vegetation almost give the feel of rainforest, and the lushness of the vegetation is surprising. Eventually the track starts to head a little higher, and it was around this point, underneath the previously mentioned un-named high point of the ridge, that we lost the track briefly, and found ourselves heading into steep rocky and overgrown country, heading towards the summit of this unnamed peak. We realised our mistake, and the true path was not far below us. As we joined the true track, another flat rock was reached, again with great views over the flatlands towards Townsville.

After following the path another kilometre or so, it headed up under some more large boulders and into clear unwooded country just to the east of Mount Marlow, onto the large saddle shown between the two highest peaks on the map above. A few more metres and we were on the summit. A pylon like structure is at the summit, and a short path leads a few metres to the north to give fantastic views over Shelley Beach towards Townsville's northern beach suburbs and the ranges towards Paluma. Also visible are many islands, from Magnetic Island (which can be seen over the Many Peaks range), to the Palm Islands and Hinchinbrook Island, with many more small islands inbetween. I even imagined I might have seen Dunk Island, off Mission Beach, but this was hotly contested by the group! The view to the south is the one you have had all day, but now opens up without the forest around, so that Cape Cleveland, Castle Hill, Mount Elliot, Mount Stuart and Hervey's Range are all visible. And some people say its flat around Townsville! A Wedge Tailed Eagle soared above us as we enjoyed the view, and wild passion fruit were growing on the ground.

The walk onwards follows the rough line of the ridge now, and the relative dryness of this exposed land compared to the previously sheltered southern flank is obvious. After a couple of hundred metres on the relative flat, there is a few metres of steepish slope through a forested area, again with a rainforest feel, then more open country. The direction is now more south west. One small peak is passed on the northern side, then you drop down to a saddle where a path can be taken to the north to Shelley Beach. we continued on a soutehrly course, which after another few hundred metres starts to drop down past the side of some large boulders including the impressive Bald Rock, and then past a bird hide to the car park called Bald Rock car park. As mentioned above, you could follow the track along the base of the range back to the start, but we had arranged to have a car at each end.

The western end of the walk

View towards Townsville from Bald Rock Car Park

Castle Hill is silhouetted in the far distance in the centre of the picture

If doing the walk in reverse, Bald Rock car park is found by taking the road to Rowes Bay Golf Course, also signed for Town Common Environmental Park, on the main road from Townsville through Rowes Bay out to Pallerenda. The track is fairly rough after the golf course turning, but a two wheel drive car can do it without problems, albeit slowly! Depending on rain and tides, the track may be closed before Bald Rock car park, and you may need to walk the final 2 km or so across the flood plains to Bald Rock