Mt. Coot-tha Reserve

Living on the Southside of Brisbane, there are so many options for local bushwalking locations. Living about 10 kilometres from the city of Brisbane, there are also reasonably quick visits to the Northside for bushwalking that are possible.

Mid-October saw myself and a friend visit Mt. Coot-tha Reserve for a catch up while bushwalking. It was a glorious spring morning, perfect for some time outside. 

We met at the J.C. Slaughter Falls picnic area section of the reserve. This seems to be the most popular and familiar place for meeting and walking. A lot of work has been done on the Summit Track over the last couple of years, making it an accessible method of reaching the Mt. Coot-tha Lookout. And let's be honest, that view is always going to be the main attraction!
The Summit Track is a couple of kilometres of medium uphill walking, with some stairs, and well-graded dirt or bitumen track. A huge variety of people frequent this track, as up to the summit and back is a good workout that doesn't take too long.

After reaching the lookout, we spent some time chatting and snacking while enjoying the view. Rather than take the Summit Track back down, we walked the Mahogany Trail. This track is closer to Samuel Griffin Drive so a touch more traffic noise than the Summit Track, but a lot less people. This track has no stairs and is well-graded dirt the entire way.  The end of the track opens out into the J.C. Slaughter Falls picnic section about a half kilometre away from where the Summit Track starts. 

It's easy to see why Mt. Coot-tha is such a popular spot for both tourists and locals alike. It's close enough to the city that it's easy to get to, and it has kilometres of well-maintained tracks that allow for not just walkers, but cyclists and horse riders too. I'm yet to see a horse in the reserve, but I'm sure it'll happen one day. The lookout has an awesome view of Brisbane even on hazy days, and the little cafe there has coffees for cool weather and ice creams for hot weather. 

I've been to Mt. Coot-tha Reserve many times but haven't walked all the tracks. Yet. Walking every track of the forest is a goal of mine, I've done maybe a third to a half so far. I'd better get out there a bit more often next year or else I won't be able to keep up with the new tracks being added!