Cooloola Great Walk

Only walked as far as the Carlo Sandblow which is worth the shot walk, it's a not suitable for a wheelchair as there are quite a few steps along the walk. The walk continues on the opposite side of the sandblow which we didn't do.

We haven't done the whole Great walk yet but we did visit the Carlo Sandblow for sunset and it absolutely lives up to the amazing reviews we read before we went. The views are epic and the massive sandy landscape is otherworldly. The breeze keeps the mental midges away. Unfortunately no dogs allowed but truly a sight to see if you're in the area.

Easy to get to, short walk from the car park

The Carlo Sand Blow is amazing, a photographers dream location. Sunrise, sunset and astro. Perfect.

The Cooloola Great Walk is an excellent multi-day hiking experience, over 5 days and 4 nights, traversing the coastline between Noosa North Shore and Rainbow Beach. Daily distances range from 15 to 21 kilometres, across open beach and sand patches, through dense gum and rain forests, along flats, and up and down mountains, through glorious sunshine and/or coastal showers. And all the while, you carry everything you need on your back - tent, sleeping gear, clothing, food, cooking equipment - and toilet paper. Each night you camp at designated camp sites, featuring a drop toilet and rainwater tank to top up the water bottles, with the 8 individual tent sites spread out so you have privacy from anyone else who may share the trail with you.Aside from the purchase of any hiking equipment you may need (our ultrajet stove, dehydrated meals and self-inflating camping pillows were worth their weight in gold), the Cooloola Great Walk is very inexpensive to do - you book your 4 campsites on the Queensland Parks site at around $7 per person per night, and pay $1 for the Tewantin ferry to get across the Noosa river. For my wife and I, total cost was $58.Some tips, my opinion only.1. Do the Walk from Noosa to Rainbow, rather than vice versa. Some say heading south is easier (more descents than ascents), but I recommend heading north to avoid the environmental 'culture shock' factor. Heading north, you leave the hustle and bustle of the Sunshine Coast, walk for 5 days through glorious, beautiful wilderness, and emerge onto the stunning Carlo Sandblow, then descending into wonderful, relatively quiet little Rainbow Beach township, right on the beach. Heading south, you finish the track at Noosa North Shore, have to hike the last 2.4 kilometres down the sealed road to the ferry, and find yourself in busy suburbia.2. Bring good rain gear and plenty of garbage bags to protect gear from the wet, or hold wet gear. The climate is very good, but you need to be prepared for rain. And if things get wet, there isn't much time at the start and end of the day to dry it, particularly in the shady campsites provided.3. Test out those hiking shoes and your pack with long full weight practice walks beforehand. Over 6-7 hours, with 12-20 kilograms of extra load, those apparently comfy hiking boots will show their true colours, and that pack will show its real strength and fit.4. Bring strapping tape, bandaids, etc for blister and pack-rub repair. And watch out for leeches at Kauri campsite.5. Remember that 'bush distances' are longer than normal ones. You tend to average about 3km per hour under full load over the varied terrain, so it takes a long time to get anywhere.6. Enjoy yourself, rain, hail or shine - it's all part of the adventure. And don't forget to look up and around you at nature's beauty.

The entrance for Carlo Sand Blow. Great viewpoint for the sunset and amazing beach line photos.

Beautiful. Really well maintained track through bushland and sand dunes (Carlo Sandblow), easy to follow and track against a map. Suits walkers of all fitness levels, an easy track, no steep climbs or descents. It is very long so you have options of exploring it in small sections if you do not want to go for a few days in a row with overnight camping.

Really cool. Super short walk to an incredible dune

Great place. Must see or experience.

Only walked to the Carlo Sand Blow in the late afternoon. Nice breeze after a hot day. Longer walk currently closed (18 Dec 2020)