Mt Cooroora

Ever wanted to actually call yourself the ‘King of the Mountain’? A hike up Mt Cooroora is your answer!

Soaring 439 metres above sea level, this climb is not for the faint of heart and there will be some sweat along the way. This track is well known for its crazy metal staircases and rock scrambling. The good news is that you will be rewarded with stunning 360-degree views of the Noosa Hinterland, including the coastal lakes and dunes of Cooloola Recreation Area.

To get to the start of Cooroora is easy and the path is well marked at the bottom of Mountain St in Pomona.

The beginning will lull you into a false sense that this is an easy walk with a meandering path around the base of the mountain. This issue is, the beautiful surrounds block your view of the actual mountain so you don’t know who far you have to climb!

Then about half way up there is a bit of a viewing seat off a side path which is a nice spot to catch your breath before the real ascent begins.

From here there is a combination of stairs (a lot of stairs) and some rock-climbing/scrambling to get to the top. This is where the burn happens and you will be grateful for sturdy footwear and a basic fitness level.

I would not recommend attempting this mountain in any sort of rain as those scrambling rock sections would be super slippery.

There is quite a bit of room when you finally reach the top, and a few great little rock ledges where you can settle for a while. There are even a few places you could stop for a picnic if you wanted – there views are definitely picnic-worthy!

Going down was fun but I definitely needed the chains to help me and my short legs down the steep bits!

There was a little bit of foot traffic on the Saturday morning we headed up but that just means you have an excuse to slow down and enjoy the experience rather than just rush up to the top…

I would allow at least 2 hours return to conquer this one and make sure you take regular breaks and plenty of water – especially if it is a warm day. You should probably make sure you carry your water in a backpack because you will need both hands to scramble up and down at points.

If running up mountains is your thing, each year at the end of July, Pomona King of the Mountain Festival is held here.  

This means that crazy people actually RUN and RACE up this mountain – and that includes entrants from all over Australia and NZ. For the record, the fastest time in 2018 was 23 minutes and 30 seconds!

Our legs are burning just thinking about that.

We celebrated our climb with a burger and a beer down at the Pomona Hotel which was the perfect way to finish a Saturday morning.