When my travel writer niece asked me to join her for 5 days on the Spicers Scenic Rim Trail, in south-eastern Queensland, I didn’t hesitate to say YES. She kept repeating the word “luxury”, and the fact that I had to walk 60km over 4 days seemed to be ignored. She knew exactly how to lure me in. There was also a lot of emphasis placed on the first dinner being held at Homage, a hatted restaurant, located at the beautiful Spicers Hidden Vale. My niece knows me better than I thought. This was definitely an amazing way to start off what is known as one of Australia’s Great Walks.
A full stomach and a great nights sleep, and then the work began. The Trail is rated medium to hard. I wouldn’t argue with that. I imagine most trips have their own weather conditions to contend with. Ours happened to be rain, but others may experience heat and humidity or colder weather at night. While this all presents challenges, nothing can take away from the sheer beauty and delight of being enveloped in nature for the 4 days of the trail. I fell totally in love with the rainforest which was lush and green as drops of rain tried to make their way through the dense canopy. The greenery seemed to nourish the soul and erase any other thoughts except for where to take the next step.
Spicers have thought of every detail on this trip. Whether it is a nice warm hand towel on arrival, followed quickly by champagne and cheese, to delicious three course dinners and a hot water bottle waiting in bed on a rainy night. The eco-lodges are buried deep in the forest and only those on the Spicers trek can stay the night. Then there were our guides. We were fortunate to have Ellie & Hayden, who just happened to be recently married and whose love of hiking and nature was evident from the word go. Nothing was too much trouble for them and they did everything with a smile. Finally, my group of fellow travellers. It is always so interesting to spend a short but intense amount of time with people you have never met and let their stories unfold.
So while “luxury” and “hatted restaurant” may have got my attention in the first place, it was definitely the landscapes and the people who really made this trip memorable…oh, and the helicopter ride back to the starting point (one of the perks of travelling with a travel writer).
