Somerset Trail

D'Aguilar National Park

A pleasant circular walk through open and pine forest as well as pockets of rainforest. At around the halfway point, there are a series of lookouts over Somerset Dam to the north and Lake Wivenhoe to the south, with a backdrop of the far mountain ranges.

This area was heavily logged, hence the saw mill at The Gantry and evident by the 'plank' groves on some of the old tree stumps.

Lookouts
Bird Watching
Picnic Facilities
BBQ
Toilets
No Dogs Permitted
No Horses Permitted
No Cycling Permitted
No Trail Bikes Permitted
Rainforest
Eucalypt Forest

Getting there:

From the south, travel through Samford Village and Dayboro onto Mt. Mee Road (Tourist Route 29), before turning left onto Sellin Road and into the park (signposted). Park at The Gantry day use area.

From the north, turn off the D'Aguilar Highway at D'Aguilar just north of Woodford onto Neurum Road, turning left onto Stanton Road and right into Rasmussen Road, which leads to the northern entrance of the park. From here, you follow the long twisting 4WD Lovedays Road to The Gantry day use area. Not recommended.

Alternatively, turn off the D'Aguilar Highway at D'aguilar onto Mt. Mee Road, before turning right onto Sellin Road and into the park.

Maps:

None found.

Route/Trail notes:

Walk back across the road from the Gantry and you will see the start of the trail clearly marked.

After 900m, you have the option to take the left fork and travel the trail clockwise out to the lookouts, which is 6km.

Or, take the right fork and the anti-clockwise trail for 7km to the lookouts.

The lookouts are a great place for a breather and lunch. Be careful about the drop offs as there is little fencing.

Permits/Costs:

None.

Other References/Comments:

The trail criss-crosses 4WD, bike and horse riding tracks, so be careful. Although illegal, bikes have been known to come along the walking track!

The day use area at The Gantry has toilets, picnic and BBQ facilities as well as a resident number of large guannas. You can also camp at Neurum Creek Camp and have a cooling swim at Rocky Hole.

Although an easy walk, it is a long one for the little ones and would take about 3-4 hours (up to 5 for those of lesser fitness), so take plenty of water and treats. 

Comments

Nice walk. It is up and down but it’s not a climb. It’s a long one. Entrance to the walk is just before The Gantry on the left. The walk is well signed. Just follow the signs. You will cross 4wd tracks. Perfect walk for an overcast day.

Anonymous on 22 Jun, 2024

Walk back from the lookout seemed so much quicker than the walk out but they are not very different distances.
Was a pleasant enough walk.

Pi on 25 Apr, 2024

I did this walk midweek, after always doing it at weekends previously. It was glorious. I didn’t meet a single person on it. The track needs some vegetation clearing. Note that there is a QTOPO map Mount Byron 9443-41, available free on Avenza maps app. (Tricky to search and find.) If you open it while you’re walking you can see exactly where you are and add labels. Somerset Trail is marked in broken purple.

Artemisia on 13 Feb, 2024

Great hike. The views towards somerset dam is incredible.

Chris Park on 5 Aug, 2023

Easy walking on a clear day, through variety of beautiful forests with long stretches where golden bottle brushes are in full flower; gorgeous views; bit tricky to find the connecting path at the 9km mark - it's uphill o the left where the marker is then on the right; just under 3 hours with a drink break and a "snake break".

Carmen on 15 Apr, 2023

This is a reasonably easy walk, trail is easy to follow, though I wasn't able to find the clockwise direction, so I went anti-clockwise there and back - about 1.5 hours each way. Not much sloping or declines, so don't need to stop too much for the 7 KMs each way.

The hike (like most others) doesn't provide much guidance on how close you are to the lookout, so it can be a bit mentally taxing the first time around. Made worse by the fact I did this hike solo.

The views at the end of the track are spectacular though, one of the better vantage points around, seeing the horizon, water, and mountain ranges is breathtaking.

a bit of navigation skills is required, as there are unmarked forks in the track, which can cause you to get lost on the way back.

supamanwalks on 21 Jan, 2023

Celebrating spring's arrival with Rachael and Sharon - so many wildflowers everywhere

Eleasa on 7 Sep, 2022

A gorgeous day for one of my favourite walks. Plenty of birds and the spring flowers are all starting to come alive. Some water around in the creeks which is always great to see as well. The track is excellent, trimmed recently, well signed and easy under foot.

S K on 23 Aug, 2022

If you're trying to increase distance on your walks, this an easy loop to get those kms under the feet. Tranquility will be interrupted by the rev of trail bikes but still an enjoyable day out.

Indie on 18 Jun, 2022

Fabulous even without the views. We did this walk today in drizzly weather surrounded by fog and clouds.
We definitely took longer than others have done. Over five hours including numerous stops to take photos, marvel at the gums looking spectacular in the wet, and ford quite a few streams! Only two negatives-Wet feet weren’t much fun and we’re not fond of leeches (there were heaps).

Sandy S on 8 Jan, 2022

Great walk and spectacular view at about half way at Somerset lookout across to Somerset and Wivenhoe dams did it in approx 3.5hrs

Greg Harvey on 3 Jan, 2022

Incline the whole way, once you get to lookout turn around and go back the way you came is my recommendation.

MonaWise77 on 24 Oct, 2021

What a treat! Had a fantastic time, Did go the opposite direction to the traffic and enjoyed every bit of it. Parking a bit of a pain if you're not early but great walk.

Dane Patrick on 17 Oct, 2021

Return hike 4 hrs with breaks, varied mostly shaded terrain. Rainforest to open eucalypt forest.

Renie64 on 9 Oct, 2021

Good walk good going counter clockwise
Changes in vegetation throughout very enjoyable walk
Would need to go early in summer

Liz on 18 Sep, 2021

This walk is so beautiful! The scenery changes constantly. The views were amazing! This wasn't very difficult, but the distance means you feel like you have gone for a solid walk. Take some snacks and enjoy the view at the half way mark (lookouts). Track is well signed. We went counter clockwise and it was great. Shady for majority of the walk. Took us 4 hours with a lunch break.

Samantha on 24 Jul, 2021

I just love this walk… whilst it wasn’t overly exciting today in terms of wildlife spotting, i just marveled at the scribbly gums and grass trees. It is a beautiful walk… I always add the 1km Piccabeen loop at the end as a cool down. 2.5hrs for the 13k’s.

S K on 17 Jun, 2021

Hard to find the start of the track, it’s just on the right of the large map but no signage
Great views of Somerset dam

Kmxfitness on 13 Jun, 2021

My 5th time walking this and it gets better each time! The fungi was amazing today - fantastic colours. I saw black cockatoos, wrens, catbirds, whip birds, yellow robins, wallabies, a whip snake and plenty more! I’ll upload a collage of the fungi from pics today 😊 🍄

S K on 21 May, 2021

Great walk with a stunning view at the lookout.

jimmyrut on 15 May, 2021

Where

Click here to load this map.

Nearby Walks

Done this walk?

This walk has been ticked 320 times

Aussie Bushwalking can keep track of your bushwalks.

Login/signup to tick this walk off.

Tick walks to keep track of where you've been. You must Login to tick walks. Accounts are 100% free so sign up if you don't have one.