SUNDOWN ON SEVERN

The time was the 1890s, and the place was Sundown on the Severn River. Miners sought fortunes mining black gold (tin), squatters hunted koalas for sport and those passing the red granite outcrop known as Rats Castle mistook scrambling rock wallabies for giant rats. Nowadays, the koalas are gone, the rock wallabies are gone, and so are mining fortunes.

Today visitors to the northern section of Sundown searching for 4WD gold, shoot with SLRs and scramble up Rats Castle for awesome panoramic views.

Sundown is the most westerly of the southern Queensland granite belt national parks. Unlike Boonoo Boonoo, Bald Rock and Girraween visitors are few. There are few motorbikes here, either – this is serious 4WD country.

Most of Sundown is more than 600m above sea level, with some peaks rising over 1000m. Rugged red granite ridges, escarpments and gorges contrast markedly with the rest of the granite belt.

Intense geological folding, faulting and weathering has resulted in the layered rocks being turned side on to form a series of knife edge ridges with deep gullies. Red Rock Gorge is one deep intrusion into the granite and Rats Castle is one of many dikes.

Wallaroos, grey kangaroos and pretty-faced wallabies are common natives sharing the grazing with feral deer and goats.

Bird watchers can search out 130 species, including the superb lyrebird. Locals, though, come mostly to try their luck fishing.

The best way to experience Sundown is to head for Red Rock and stay overnight if time permits. From there, head for Burrows Waterhole, set up a base camp, and explore the area.

To get started, turn west at Ballandean, which is about 20km south of Stanthorpe. There isn’t a ‘Sundown National Park’ sign, but there are signs marked ‘To Sundown Road’. The park entrance gate is 10km from Ballandean. Once the gate is shut and money paid at the self-registration station, the adventures begin.

After half a kilometre you’ll come across the first of many decisions. Along the eastern side of a fence is an unmaintained track to Red Rock, while the main track to Red Rock continues ahead. Which way to go? For us 4WDers, it’s an easy choice – the unmaintained track, of course. This track is 4.2km long, joining the main track 1.5km before Red Rock. There are no real dramas, just that it’ll be slow going on the narrow trail, with a couple of rocky creek crossings. Allow about an hour.

From Red Rock parking and camping areas it’s a five-minute amble to the Red Rock lookout.