Spicer's peak

Main Range National Park

A steep and loose ascent from Governor's Chair. The views are great over the Fassifern Valley.

Scrambling or Climbing

Getting there

Find your way to Aratula and keep going towards cunninghams gap for about five kilometres from elizabeth street, where the fruit barn is and turn left at Lake Moogerah road follow this Road for almost six kilometres to Spicer's Gap Road which you turn right into. After about 3km it turns to gravel and a gate is there that can be closed when wet. 4km from here is the Campground and another 2km will put you at the Governor's Chair.

Maps

Sunmap Cunningham's Gap 1:25000

Route/Trail notes

From the Govenor's Chair walk towards the peak and find a well defined foot path heading towards the peak. you should meet a fence, follow this upwards. When the fence ends head twards the cliffs and be rewarded with a great view North and South. Keep following the footpad uphill steep and loose in places and there should be an old fallen fence to follow. Keep going upagoing around any rocky out crops to the right (west) till you reach a cliffline. Turn west (or right) and contour around till abreak is found. about 5 min or so. A steep slab of rock is here climb this till you reach the base of the next cliff line. Turn left and follow the path till the next break is found. Follow the path upwards. it veers to the right through grass and loose steep rock to rainforest. Beware there are stingers here. Follow up through a gully till the trail levels turn Left and walk towards the east or left till you reach an obvious lookout.

to return CAREFULLY retrace your steps.   

Permits/Costs

To camp at Spicer's Gap campground is $5 per night and you need to talk to Ranger's for any other camping.

Other References

John and Lyn Daly: Take a Walk in South -East Queensland.

Comments

Great views and a sense of achievement for such a short if steep walk. No sign of cobblers pegs now so shorts would have been better for me even at this time of year. Didn't see any stinger trees but then I only went to the east peak. If I was doing it again I wouldn't bother going up the last bit into the rainforest, it's a bit of a hassle and you don't get the nice open viewing area that you do from just below. While I only saw one wooden post and one star picket of the old fence you can tell the fence line because the trees were cleared around it. If you're fit and going solo you'll do it in an hour 40 with time for photos and minor deviations

Jeremy Wilson on 30 Jun, 2024

Agree with other comments here (should’ve listened!)Wear long pants or gaiters, overgrown, need an off line map!

Sonja Wentzel on 16 Mar, 2024

Completed the walk yesterday with beautiful weather.
Suggest experienced bush walkers only, long sleeve upper and lower body attire is a must, rock scrambling required in the upper section of the ascent and a good fitness level.
The trick to an easy ascent is you must keep the edge of the cliff face/drop off between 2m-25m on your left the whole way up.
Recent rain has caused a washout/minor landslide on the way up but easily navigated.
Lots of loose ground and rocks near the top.
An amazing view from the hillside just before the summit.
Going further west will lead to hard bush bashing and dead end climbing.

GusTrailerBlazer on 20 May, 2023

Steep walk, but not too long. Could not find a way to the very top.

samkramer on 21 Aug, 2021

The track needs desperate maintenance. Extremely hard to find in most parts. Fortunately my training in scouts allowed me to find the track. I made it to a small outcrop right beneath the summit after climbing up a steep grassy slope. This lookout was approximately 50m below the summit. I couldn’t make it any further as I lost the track from here. This walk was painful for me since I had foolishly decided to wear shorts instead of long pants, and as a result, my legs got many cuts by the cobblers pegs and thistles. Don’t attempt unless you are an extremely experienced hiker!!!!!!

0zzyDave1234 on 3 Apr, 2021

The track has been completely overgrown. I couldn't see any trace so started following the ridge from Governor's Chair toward the peak. Once you reach park notice boards, the old track can be seen here and there but quickly disappears too. Without mapping tool, too hard. Eventually, I managed to reach the vertical cliffs and tried to go around but after few unsuccessful attempts had to give up reaching the peak. It was very misty, slippery and simply could not figure out the best way to the top.Slipping and falling twice didn't help either :-). I have recorded and uploaded the track from the Governor's Chair to the cliffs so hopefully someone can use it to reach he peak, with better weather conditions.

Alek on 28 Feb, 2021

Unforgettable place!!easy track! Steeped but easy

Breno on 13 Sep, 2020

Good views along the way but still very overgrown and difficult to follow. Came down covered in cobbler's pegs.

Liam Pugh on 31 May, 2020

Charlie's updated version works as best description. From the Summit you can go West along the ridge, go past where you ascended and bushbash for a bit (took us around 20 minutes), and eventually you will come to another lookout area and one where you are able to get a glimpse of the Steamers to the South.

JayWalker on 28 Jul, 2019

Enjoyed this walk. Beautiful views. The best views are before you reach the summit. The route description for this walk needs updating.
Start at Governor's Chair Lookout:
1. From the lookout take the 4x4 track. Forks after 250m. Take left fork.
2. Climb gentle slope to national park signage. Continue along track. Ground drops away to the left (E)
3. Track narrows, continue to climb, keeping the drop off within sight to the left
4. Obvious lookout
5. Backtrack slightly (10-20 metres) from the lookout, continue climbing with drop off to the left
6. Reach rocky outcrop. Go around it to the right (W) and follow the base of the cliff (keeping the rock face to your left)
7. Keep walking until you clamber over some rocks and tree trunks (to the left of a large tree) - 20-30 metres later you will come to a fallen, splintered tree
8. Head left (S), up the steep rocky incline. Beware - the soil is very loose on this section - watch your footing!
9. Keep going up until you come to the base of a cliff. Head left (E) to the end of the cliff. There is no path to speak of and it is v. overgrown in parts.
10. At the end of the cliff continue heading East for 100-200 metres before turning sharp right. Climb the steep grassy spur towards the peak.
11. Near the top, you will come to the base of a 30-40ft cliff. Head right around the cliff, keeping the rock close to you on the left.
12. After 150 metres (approx), you will come to a steep rock chimney (someone has left a rope there). Ignore this. Just the other side of this rocky outcrop is a clear route up through the undergrowth.
13. When the ground levels, head left to the summit, 2 minutes away. There is an overgrown cairn at the top.

Charlie Lacey on 6 Jun, 2019

Track a lot overgrown at the moment due to some rain of late so track a bit tricky to find and to stay on it for most of way up until you reach the ridgeline near the top. But I think if you have good enough directional skills and just keep looking and walking toward peak but staying to the right as you get closer to top you should be fine in making the track out enough to getting to summit. Not as hard as I expected but is well worth it as view was amazing.

JJandcaz on 31 Mar, 2019

Did Spicer's Peak early morning. Cloudy, Windy and damp. Second time was much easier to navigate. Still some challenging sections with the rock being a bit wet. Beautiful and unique summit.

Dan456 on 2 Feb, 2019

Great and challenging walk. We returned via the saddle west of the peak. There is a large cliff around 6 to 8 m in high that needs to be negotiated. I strongly recommend you bring rope to lower large items down (such as packs) before climbing down on the vine the Good Lord has provided. Always test them before trusting them

Warrigal on 9 Dec, 2018

Always a good challenge and beautiful views

drewmac on 1 Oct, 2018

This was one for the memory books. One of the most interesting and challenging hikes I've done in SEQ.

My party took what sounds like a slightly different route to the one described. From the Governor's Chair we headed directly away from it in the opposite direction and found a bush track for vehicles. We followed this for about 1-2km always heading left (there was a junction which was marked with tape and we took that route). You eventually pass the obvious national park signage about it being isolated etc, that is when you know you are getting warm.

From that point the track narrows and starts to climb, becoming fairly loose in places. After about 1(?) km of this scrub climbing you come to a rocky face with very loose ground leading up to it. This is very steep but there was a path up marked with a stone cairn and that is the way we went though the foot path followed appeared to go to the right around this rocky wall. Climbing up from here was not too difficult with care.

From this point it is a decent scramble with spectacular views over the valley almost at every point. You climb up and up until you reach the sheer cliff beneath the peak which you then follow to the right. This section was a little treacherous as parts of the path had eroded away and this was the most hazardous as there is nothing below but grassy hillside (it is not sheer but there is nothing to stop you if you were to lose your footing). Extreme care should be taken through this section.

We detoured around the steep chimney mentioned by another poster and found an obvious way up into the forest surrounding the summit. This climb section was not too difficult as there were handholds galore via vines and small trees. Once up in the forest you head left as others have described and reach the top where there is a large pile of rocks marking the summit. Good spot for a breather and to soak it all in, it feels like a little zen garden (did to me at least = ])

The return is back the same way and I find climbing down is always a bit easier than climbing up as your visibility of where you're going is a lot clearer. However, for those with a fear of heights, you may want to skip. Also, best done in winter as the climb aspect is completely without cover. Probably took 2 - 2.5 hours to reach the top? I can't quite recall. It wasn't a quick journey by any strech! As with most of my walks I find the return journey is at least 30-45 mins quicker.

In summary: extremely adventurous as the trail is not very obvious in parts and can be tricky. VERY rewarding and one of the best walks visa vi views and achievement around. Highly recommend.

Matty Vee on Aug, 2018

First time I have done this walk and really enjoyed it even though I was with a group of fit young men [ I am 69 ]. I agree with Peter Hill that it is probably best to head straight up rather than head to the right at the first scramble, nothing too difficult and good views at several points on the way up. The track was fairly easy to follow but would be hard to get lost even if it was overgrown as long as you follow the ridge. It took us an hour and a half to reach the summit, and about an hour down plus half an hour on the top for a snack and a break.
I would definitely to this again, but will probably travel a little lighter, especially leave the 2kg camera and lens behind and maybe go alone or with someone closer to my age so that I can enjoy the journey and not see how fast I can do it.

jgmansell on 22 Jun, 2018

The viewing point at the Governors chair was excellent, from there you have a fairly well marked track all the way to the summit. Had my GPS with me but barely used it. Is a fairly consistent climb and once you get to the cliffs the scrambling begins. The climbing component isn't too extreme and you don't have a lot of exposure (except if like us you have to descend in the rain when all the rocks are wet). The mountain reminded me of a slightly more difficult version of Flinders Peak. Once you get to the top bear left and you can see the summit view which probably isn't quite as good as the views you get when climbing the cliffline. That being said you can see all the Moogerah peaks, the steamers, Barney and beyond from the top. We got a little cocky and decided to duck over to the West summit. Quick tip, don't do that haha It's a lot more effort than we anticipated and there is nothing to see there anyway!

Vonsnrub on 9 Jun, 2018

This one will give you the fear.

Trail starts off from Governors Chair lookout, there is an overgrown path that follows the ridge around for some ok views across to Mt Barney Nat. Park, or there is a clear and easy fire trail that leads off from the carpark. They meet up later so choice is yours. From the end of the firetrail, the oath is single file and STEEP for a walking track, but not long. You'll find the first scramble about 1.5km uphill of the end of the fire trail. This scramble is short, steep and right against the cliff edge. Extreme caution required. Some have taken a path to the right (southwest) of this and gone around this ridge - I didn't go this way but heard it adds a half an hour and is just as sketchy. The first scramble has intermittent footpad and scrambling, but all scrambling is covered in loose dirt and foilage so do have good shoes for this. This will open to a rocky lookout with the main peak around 70 metres higher to the east, best views north, west and east are here. Options for summitting are straight up the same ridge near the cliff edge (not as bad as the first part) or around to the south slightly and then up onto the summit. Not a technically difficult section but the exposure is a bit scary.

Peter Hill on 27 May, 2018

Fantastic climb and scramble. Lots of different routes but is quite slippery when damp and loose rocks are everywhere so be careful. Going back to try a different route again soon, great views on the way up.

Lia Skye
www.livingahimsa.com.au

Lia Skye on 17 Dec, 2017

Start the walk from governers chair, (id recommend a 4wd/AWD as road up can be rough). Park your car and head towards the lookout there should be a path that veers right and starts to head downhill it is fairly distinct so you can follow it for the most part all the way up. The route itself is fairly steep with loose dirt but quite a lot of vegetation to dig into its fairly exposed as well but not dangerous if you aren't doing anything unsafe. there's no real rock scrambling until you hit just below the summit I found it easier to head right when the path splits off, there wasn't too much climbing involved but still a little. The summit has okay views but the best ones are from just below the summit.

polak on 13 Dec, 2017

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