Giraween is an Aboriginal word meaning "place of Flowers, but is notfrom the local language from the area
Girraween National Park is only a 4 hour drive southwest from the heart of Brisbane. You head to Warwick then follow the signs to Stanthorpe and from where it’s pretty easy to find your way to the park with the aid of google.
The National park is beautiful, filled with boulders and is named Girraween, an Aboriginal word meaning place of flowers. It has rich historic and cultural significance to local people in and around the granite belt, where Girraween is situated, and many Aboriginal groups use the area for different purposes. Over recent years scientists and historians have found axe heads and other stone tools, some of which originated in Papua New Guinea, possibly as part of trading between tribes- pretty wild when you think about it.
There are quite a few picturesque, kangaroo filled campgrounds to choose from all with a varying amount of grey nomad (old couples in caravans) sitting around. Conveniently, most of the hikes begin straight from the campgrounds so you can roll out of your swag, strap on your bush boots and set off. Easily the most popular hike in the park is to ‘The Pyramid’, which looks more like a bald guy's head than a pyramid. If you set off early enough the sun shimmers off the rock as if it was the glistening cranium of an olympic swimmer. After scaling the wrinkled forehead of the pyramid, you wander through some pretty impressive cracks between the rock and get an expansive panorama of the surrounding bush. There are also giant boulders that look like eggs on stands because the rock isbeing eaten away by some sort of algae at the base. They look like you could push them over without much effort and you can’t help but imagine you are on the set of a Wile E Coyotee & Road Runner cartoon, 'MEEP MEEP'.
Another classic naming flop is Castle Rock which again looks nothing like a castle but is just as satisfying with its abundance of flowers, boulders and sheer drops. It can be a bit hectic on a windy day so check how vigorously your tent is flapping before you set off.
All in all it’s a great place to walk, swim, camp and escape the summer humidity of Brisbane.
Get more information here:
rymich.com/girraween
by Max Blackmore
2013
LFRF acknowledges all the Traditional Owners of the land [or country] and pay our respects to the Elders, past and present of all of Queensland and urges you to please do the same.
