Glass house mountain 4x4 Track

[ondaboat Coopers Pale Ale Find all posts View Profile Close ondaboat]

I can confirm this is a definite, they have about 40 motion activated cameras in trees around the place and have already taken several drivers/riders to court. Just make sure you don't go past any "Don't go in here" signs.

Good to see your getting out havin fun. Hows the new house going? Moving in soon?

[rob_macca67 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close rob_macca67]

Thanks for the write up Rob, the Coopers St Maax go on next week so keen to give this track a go in the somewhat near future.

P.s tried the link to your pictures and got "Sorry, that page was not found".

Sorry.... had the wrong setting.... should work now

[Hazza Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hazza]

Glass house mountain 4x4 Tracks

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. Looking forward to New Years now.

Considering Glass House Mountains for a place to explore very soon. It seems there are a number of ways to get into the tracks. Could someone give me some road names that the tracks lead off so I have a starting point?

I do understand I have to stay away from the 'Do Not Enter' signs to avoid prosecution.

Any assistance would be appreciated .

Hazza

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

We usually meet at the firetower lookout on Glasshouse - Woodford rd and air down there...
From there you follow GH - Woodford Rd and immediately you have a Y junction... left is GH - W Rd and will take you to the powerlines (which you can follow north or south)
Right is connection rd which will take you to (depending of weather) some seriously rutted and slippery tracks if wet and pretty easy drive if dry.
GH is really about following your nose though...

As for the tracks you can or can't be on anymore,,, I HAVE NO IDEA... so hopefully someone else can fill you in on those.

[Hazza Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hazza]

Snaga,

Thanks for the info really appreciate it.

Happy New Year

Hazza

[Joshy Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joshy]

We usually meet at the firetower lookout on Glasshouse - Woodford rd and air down there...
From there you follow GH - Woodford Rd and immediately you have a Y junction... left is GH - W Rd and will take you to the powerlines (which you can follow north or south)
Right is connection rd which will take you to (depending of weather) some seriously rutted and slippery tracks if wet and pretty easy drive if dry.
GH is really about following your nose though...

As for the tracks you can or can't be on anymore,,, I HAVE NO IDEA... so hopefully someone else can fill you in on those.

Yeah as Snaga has already said, start at the firetower. From there we used to head north up the powerlines. Most of the big name tracks are in that area (big red and little red are a bit further up I think just off Beerburrum Woodford road from memory, although I wouldn't bother taking my Prado there), just go for a good look around but probably not if its too wet. I had to leave my old Hilux playtruck in there over night once after getting it lodged on a tree after a bit of an unexpected down pour made a steep clay gully extra greasy. Walked out in pissing rain and came back the next day and got winched out when the sun had come out and we could get another truck in a decent winching point.

There was a lot of talk a few months back on outterlimits4x4 about the cameras in trees and people copping huge fines for it, but it was always someone that knew someone. I'd just make sure I stuck to the state forest and don't enter national parks which should be well signed, most of them are close to the mountains. And I wouldn't go past any do not enter signs. And if you travel in a convoy of more than I think 5, you need a permit (although this may be an old rule). If you're worried, just drop into the rangers office at Beerburrum on the way past.

Found a link to some GPS coordinates for some of the more serious tracks. Not sure how accurate they are but anywhere in this area should be good starting point for a look around.

http://auszookers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=18727

Hope some of this helps.

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

Wish I'd seen this post last week

[Joshy Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joshy]

Here's another link about the access to forestry areas. I don't think it really makes it any clearer though.

http://www.fjcc.com.au/forum/qld-cha...-area-problem/

Years ago we used to have to apply to get a permit for each state forest, I remember I used to have a few in my glove box to cover from Beerburrum to up past Noosa. Then they removed the permits and anyone was allowed in so long as you were fully registered and licensed (in convoys less than five). Be a pity if they are trying to make the whole area inaccessibly to recreational 4x4's because the govt sold it to a private company (if all this talk is truth).

[prh Member Find all posts View Profile Close prh]

The following applies to QLD state forest managed by HQPlantations:

http://www.fpq.net.au/recreation.html

Seems that state forests are accessible without permit for small groups of up to 5 vehicles, or by permit for larger groups, competitions, or for commercial use (filming, etc)

Also refer to this: http://www.fpq.net.au/Links/fourwheeldriving.pdf

Some forests are evidently still managed by DERM so permits may be required?

[Joshy Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joshy]

Only problems with those guidelines is that you can only drive on formed roads with camber that their heavy vehicles use. I think you'll find it pretty hard to find somewhere to put it in 4WD on roads that are graded and drained!

[JoshF Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoshF]

Only problems with those guidelines is that you can only drive on formed roads with camber that their heavy vehicles use. I think you'll find it pretty hard to find somewhere to put it in 4WD on roads that are graded and drained!

I thought driving on formed roads is a requirement in all national parks and state forests in OLD

[Joshy Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joshy]

I thought driving on formed roads is a requirement in all national parks and state forests in OLD

I suppose that means that it's always been illegal to go 4WDing out there. Formed, graded roads don't really need 4WD. I'd think it would rule out the powerline tracks. And the 4X4 Action crew weren't driving on formed roads with camber and drainage.

"A network or roads and firebreaks criss-cross the State plantation
forests. This network is made up of formed roads that are
designed for vehicle traffic and are constructed with drainage
structures such as a camber, table drains and whoa boys. The
fire breaks are flat bladed tracks and are designed to assist in
managing fire and not to sustain vehicle traffic. As such firebreaks
are more susceptible to damage. Four wheel drive access is
therefore restricted to the existing network of formed forest road
with access to firebreaks prohibited."

My experience driving in NP where they say "Formed road" isn't necessarily a road with camber and drainage. Eg. driving Freshwater track or Kings Bore track at DI isn't what I would think is called a formed road, but it is 100% legal with a permit to traverse (although the tracks may have been upgraded since the last time I was up there). However the side firebreaks up there are illegal to use and not marked on a map.

I thought we used to be able to use anything that was already a track in GH including fire breaks.

[jimmy91 Member Find all posts View Profile Close jimmy91]

i wouldn't bother with glasshouse unless you have muddies, lift, winch and a pair of balls its only fun to flog it threw mud. Will put $50 to anyone in a prado that can do big red

[JoshF Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoshF]

I suppose that means that it's always been illegal to go 4WDing out there. Formed, graded roads don't really need 4WD. I'd think it would rule out the powerline tracks. And the 4X4 Action crew weren't driving on formed roads with camber and drainage.

"A network or roads and firebreaks criss-cross the State plantation
forests. This network is made up of formed roads that are
designed for vehicle traffic and are constructed with drainage
structures such as a camber, table drains and whoa boys. The
fire breaks are flat bladed tracks and are designed to assist in
managing fire and not to sustain vehicle traffic. As such firebreaks
are more susceptible to damage. Four wheel drive access is
therefore restricted to the existing network of formed forest road
with access to firebreaks prohibited."

My experience driving in NP where they say "Formed road" isn't necessarily a road with camber and drainage. Eg. driving Freshwater track or Kings Bore track at DI isn't what I would think is called a formed road, but it is 100% legal with a permit to traverse (although the tracks may have been upgraded since the last time I was up there). However the side firebreaks up there are illegal to use and not marked on a map.

I thought we used to be able to use anything that was already a track in GH including fire breaks.

all the examples you have provided are deemed formed roads ie don't make your own, don't use those made by others who shoudn't have made their own, from the DERM site

Driving

All users of national park and state forest roads must comply with regulatory signs. Access is restricted to designated, formed roads.

If driving on forest roads please read the following:
•All vehicles must be road registered and operated by licenced rider/driver.
•Ensure your vehicle is mechanically sound—carry essential spares, water, tyre gauge, and air pump.
•Please obey speed limits and road rules—the maximum speed limit on forest roads is 50 km/h. All normal road rules apply on forest tracks and roads.
•Watch out for the unexpected—slow down to allow time to react to changed road conditions, especially on gravel roads.
•Be aware of logging operations—heavy machinery may be in use within forestry areas at certain times. Please obey advisory notices regarding logging operations.
•Be aware of wet weather—please obey advisory notices regarding wet weather conditions. Access is not permitted in wet weather or where vehicle tracks sink into the road more than 2 cm.
•Access is not permitted on all the fire trails. Please adhere to advisory notices and signage.

[Joshy Member Find all posts View Profile Close Joshy]

I'm not sure if you've been out to GH before but there's the main roads that are graded and have drainage and they are just like a regular dirt road, and then there's the tracks which are pretty much 4x4 tracks only. I would think that these are classified as "firebreaks". The quote that I entered in above is from the plantation mob who run a lot of the forest, they are not under DERM control now apparently. They way I read it is that the majority of the tracks out there are being called "firebreaks" which means no access. There is a lot of formed tracks that are well worn that have open gates at the entry point (I'm not sure if they are open these days) but are not graded and do not have drainage.

So did we used to be allowed to traverse these tracks? Or can we still? Or have these always been off limits and everyone ignored it? Because back when I used to go get permits from the rangers office a few years back, the way they explained it was that we were allowed to use any of their tracks including fire breaks. I've even seen rangers out there when we were on tracks not formed roads and they never pulled us up or seemed to mind.