Walk in Cunningham’s Footsteps, Tregony
Description
Retrace the footsteps of one of South East Queensland’s earliest European explorers, Allan Cunningham, in his historic journey to find the gap which now bears his name!
Allan Cunningham set out to explore the area to the west of Moreton Bay in 1827, crossing to the west of the Great Dividing Range from the Hunter Region and travelling north. In June 1827, Cunningham climbed to the top of Mount Dumaresq and after wrote in his diary that this lush area was ideal for settlement. Cunningham also climbed from his camp near Swanfels to the lateral ridge which extends west from near Spicers Peak and from here confirmed his position by taking bearings on Flinders Peak and Mt Warning. In the process he discovered both gaps, the one which bears his name and Spicers Gap.
For many years there has been a debate among historians about the accuracy of Cunningham’s observations on that day and whether he sighted the gaps. However, by following his footsteps we can clearly see that he correctly recorded both Cunningham’s Gap and Spicers Gap from his position on the knoll at 11am, and Mt Warning from his position at 3pm that day.
On Sunday 7th June 2015, NPAQ will lead you to this spot on the edge of Main Range National Park to experience what Cunningham experienced.
Walk in Cunningham’s Footsteps will start at Freestone Creek and finish at Spicers Lodge (afternoon tea supplied).
Useful Information
This is not a technical walk, but is steep in places. It is mostly off-track and involves around 800m of climbing over 15km. Participants need to be able to accomplish this by 3.00pm in order to match Cunningham’s locations and times. Please contact NPAQ if you have concerns about your suitability.
Camping will be available for Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th on the property of Spicers Lodge. However, only 30 people will be able to camp. There is no limit to the number of people who wish to only participate in the Walk.
Participants will be expected to raise funds for NPAQ by either making a minimum personal donation of $50 or a sponsorship target of $200 via Every Day Hero (details for raising sponsorships to come).
Contact
- NPAQ
- Phone: 07 3367 0878
- Email: admin@npaq.org.au
- Website: http://www.npaq.org.au/BookingRetrieve.aspx?ID=183099
- Cost: $50
- Booking required
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Cunningham's Gap, QLD South Branch Road, Tregony, Queensland, Australia
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Download attachment Cunningham's Footsteps Poster