Written by Rhett Stubbs
In my opinion Townsville Hike and Explore treks into some really beautiful places with stunners such the Terraces, Cascades, Five Bays at Maggie, Ollera Creek, Bullocky Toms Creek, Fred’s peak, Godwin’s peak and Halifax to name just a few. However an all time favourite of mine, and arguably our most popular hike is an adventure up to a hidden gem of a waterhole known as the Black hole. The Black hole sits 6 km upstream from the top of Jourama Falls.
Its fitting then, that we chose the Black hole as our first post Covid 19 group hike and it was awesome to see the return of regulars teaming up with existing members and a group of enthusiastic new starters to take on what is arguably the most rewarding hike on our list.
Setting out at 7.30am after acknowledging the traditional owners of the area, and talking about how social distncing would work, there was laughs and excitement as the groip started to ascend up to the lookout. However by 8.00am half way up the first climb, burning calf muscles revealled the truth to our trekkers, the glorious reward of the Black Hole doesnt come easy. Resting for a moment at the first stop, the good spirits and jovial nature of our group shone through in our star jump video that was posted early in the day. That spirit never wavered and on reaching the Black hole just after 12.30pm it was great to see a number of people taking up the opportunity to swim in what was near freezing water.
The trek back down the creek was simply stunning, with abundent water flowing over each fall and making for some spectacular photographic imagery. Although we grounded just on dark, the consensus of the group was that this was an awesome hike, and a great choice for bringing the Townsville Hike and Explore community together again.
Congratulations to all who made it, its no easy feat, and I hope to see many of you on future hikes.
