Mt Coolum - bike ride and climb

The Ride.

Cotton Tree - Mt Coolum
Ride to Mt Coolum, climb the hill and return by bike to Cotton Tree.

34km return bike ride
200m climb to the top of Mt Coolum.








The Ride:
There are various route options for the ride to Mt Coolum once you cross the Maroochy River but the route described here is scenic and avoids as much riding on roads as possible. The terrain is flat except for riding over the bridge.

Heading out from the Cotton Tree Holiday Park we cross the Cornmeal Creek and head along Duporth Ave. Riding on the footpaths is accepted as the norm in Qld so take advantage of that and ding your bell as you come up on pedestrian. In about 500m take a right on to Picnic Point Esplanade. Now we follow the river to the bridge just over a 1km. Then on the bicycle path beside the motorway for nearly 2km then turn right onto Ocean Drive. Follow the bike path all the way to Mudjimba Beach where the road name changes to Mudjimba Esplanade. It is possible to ride on the beach side of the resorts at Marcoola but the path runs out at the end and west to David Low way. Take the gravel track for a bit. On to Marcoola Esp. and then the boardwalk behind the beach coming out at Tanah St East. Head Nth West cross David Low Way arriving at the base of Mt Coolum.

The Climb:
The sign at the base says its a 2-hour return to the summit and back. 

The lower part of the track.

For some fit people its 15mins non stop walk to the top and about the same down again. The climb is 208m and the path goes from gravel track to rough stone steps to rocky path through a treed canopy into an open escarpment and then low scrub. At the top is a really good view of the coastline both north and south and walking around the summit affords good views of the hinterland.

Upper section.

The view south.

The escarpment.

The upper mid section.