How to do the Stinson Walk in the Gold Coast Hinterland

How-to

By Saphira Schroers

History nerd? Avid hiker? The Stinson Walk is one of the most interesting Lamington National Park hikes to add to your list. It ticks all the boxes, and then some: it's physically challenging, boasts an engaging backstory, is home to gorgeous scenery, and even holds the secrets to a historic plane wreck.

Intrigued? Walk on.

Who or what is 'Stinson'?

The story of Stinson begins on a stormy night back in 1937. The Airlines of Australia Stinson crashed into the green mountains of the Gold Coast Hinterland and, tragically, four men died on impact. Three were left stranded in the dense, virgin rainforest.

Limited technology meant most of the search was happening almost 1000km south near Sydney, where locals reported they heard a plane crash. About a week later, with the wreckage still missing, local man Bernard O’Reilly set out into the Gondwana rainforest on a hunch. He located the two remaining survivors by pure luck and spearheaded the rescue mission to get them out.

The story captured the attention of Australians back in 1937 and remains legendary today.

Why do the Stinson Walk?

History is palpable along this Lamington National Park hike. Not every day do you get to walk in the footsteps of one of Australia's most famous rescue missions. The Stinson Walk is a fairly advanced hike (both physically and navigationally), so you’ll also gain serious hiker cred for completing it. It’s also a pretty hike. Catch your breath at several lookouts on the way – the McPherson range is spectacular from up here.

How to find the Stinson Walk

Sunset over the McPherson Ranges — Lamington National Park, Gold Coast

The Stinson Walk is located in Lamington National Park, just over 90 minutes' drive south of Brisbane. The start of the hike follows the Border Track. It starts immediately from O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, so parking is super convenient.

The walk traverses almost 40km through the area and, if you get to where you’re supposed to be at the end of the day, you’ll be at Christmas Creek Road. If you have friends, good for you! You can exploit them and their cars and do some fancy leapfrog parking at the start of the day so you can get back easily.

If you aren’t up to a hardcore hike but still want to explore the area, check out this guide to other incredible Lamington National Park hikes.

What to expect along the Stinson Walk

Starting along Border Track, the first lookout you'll encounter is Echo Point. From here, the elevation changes and scratchy lawyer vines come in strong.

You’ll soon hit Mt Throakban, where Bernard scaled a tall tree to see if he could spot signs of the wreckage over 80 years ago. The forest canopy is dense here – the perfect spot to rest and refuel.

Your next stop will be the aptly named Point Lookout. Close by is the steep descent to the wreckage, and a gravestone commemorating the men who lost their lives.

The descent will continue down to Christmas Creek where you'll encounter Westray’s grave lying among the ghost gums. Westray survived the crash but died later while trying to get help. Follow the creek down to get to Christmas Creek Rd, maybe even dip your toes in the freshwater while you're there.

How hardcore do you want to make this?

Fancy the challenge of 40km in a day? Or would you prefer to split this infamous Lamington National Park hike up over two days? However you decide to carve up this trail, some pre-prep is required. If you're planning a one-dayer, pack torches and start before sunrise. Food and water supplies are non-negotiable.

If the latter option sounds more appealing, a good spot to pitch your tent is at the clearing near the wreck – used by the volunteers on the original rescue mission. There are a few smaller campsites en route, too, best located through GPS coordinates on your app of choice.

Alternatives are to start at Christmas Creek and make your way up and back the same way – but this is the steepest part and it won’t be much easier on the knees this way.

Another option is The Stretcher Track, which starts from near the Stinson Park Campground.

Guided or self-planned?

We all love a spontaneous hike or weekend adventure – but the Stinson Walk requires a bit of preparation and a decent amount of hiking experience. The trail past Border Track can be overgrown and hard to find so you’ll need to be organised enough to download a good app and map the trail beforehand. You should also have navigation experience.

If you really want to take in all the flora and fauna on the hike (including ghost gums, Bowerbirds, a variety of snakes, and walking stick palms), not worry about getting lost, and hear the full details of the rescue mission from experts, consider doing a guided walk with O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. There are several held throughout the year so check directly with O’Reilly’s for details.