Where and How to Get There
Drive south from Cairns towards Townsville on the Bruce Highway A1 for around 30 minutes (30.4km) and you enter the Wooroonoonan National Park. Go past Gordonvale and about 800m south of the Mulgrave River bridge (Desmond Trannore bridge) turn right onto Moss Road and follow the signs to the car park.

What to Expect
Grade 5 hike, views, scramble, lookout. A CHALLENGE.
Where to Stay
Greenpatch Campground on the Mulgrave River nearby is a popular free camp with travellers. It has new amenities – and even hot showers for $2.
Further south, at Babinda, there is also another free (donation) campground with showers and toilets. You can also find this by a river at the Rotary Park.

Conquer The Pyramid!
Walsh’s Pyramid demands respect – whether you’re a fitness fanatic, weekend warrior or adventurer (or if you’re a sucker for punishment like me haha).
You’ll find this hard to believe – especially if you’ve conquered this hike before… there is actually an annual Pyramid Race held for competitors. It begins with a 3km run from Gordonvale to the base, then 3km run/scramble to the top – and then back again to Gordonvale. A total of 12km. There is also shorter races to compete in as well.
Local legend has it that two Gordonvale farmers created the race as a means to settle a bet and it has been run officially since 1959.

The Pyramid Race website challenges you:
“You’re damn fit, you run a lot, you have strength, grit and confidence, so the prospect of a of 12-kilometre race doesn’t especially faze you. You stare up at the perfect peak of Walsh’s Pyramid rising 922 metres above you and think “how hard can it be?”
So, you’re up for it. Let’s do this, challenge yourself.”
Now strap yourself in as we share the record times set by some absolute beasts! (I mean “beasts” in the nicest way possible haha).

No one has done it faster than Neil Labinsky, who stopped the clock at 1:15:34 in 2007.
The well-travelled champion rates it one of the toughest foot races in the country, but he has learned to adapt to the challenge during four wins, two second placings and one DNF.
“There are longer races out there, but this is definitely the toughest; everyone agrees,” he said.
“It can just feel so hard going up and then coming down if you’re desperate to make up time you are just throwing your legs out without knowing where you are going to land.
“When you reach the bottom, for sure, there is a little bit of relief there.”

So, you have an idea of the brutality of this mountain (or big hill). We’ll share our experience here.
We had some friends visiting from Brisbane for the New Year, and as you can imagine, this time of year brings no sleep, a “few” beers and a lot of sitting around. A few of us wanted to complete Walsh’s Pyramid but were a little hesitant due to our past week of “indulgement” haha. But – no excuses!

I thought I was going to die..
The day we started was a bit disorganised, so the hike began around 1pm – and to make it worse, it was 37 degrees!
The ascent from the carpark to the 1km was tough, and we had to stop once for a short break. Being a bit dehydrated, I found myself parched and desperate for water. I was thankful that I took two litres of water… but could have done with more.
Don’t just expect a hike – be prepared for a scramble in sections. There are large sections of exposed rock which can become very slippery and dangerous in the wet.

The feeling of impending death continued for my unfit body. As sweat cascaded from every pore of my body – my shirt, shorts, socks and jocks were beyond soaked. I’m pretty sure the stench scared all of the wildlife in the vicinity.
From the 1km-2km marker, breaks became more frequent and the sensation of burning pain heightened. Uphill hiking has always been a struggle for me, and Walsh’s Pyramid was a friendly reminder.
I had allowed myself just under one litre of water, and by the 2km marker, I was now faced with the temptation to finish the bottle and start another one… but somehow, in self control, I continued to stick to rationing.

The 2km marker to the 3km is brutal – and then the last 400m to the lookout and summit is just a final push as the terrain evens out a little.
This last kilometre is steeper than the first two kilometres. It truly is a mental battle! It certainly isn’t a long hike, but it is the relentless ascent (and then descent) that makes this challenge a formidable foe.
Pure respect for those who conquer this monster!

We passed lady who was coming down and she told us that the views were highly disappointing… being so close to the top – this was a little discouraging. She was dead wrong!
The view was incredible! The experience was incredible! The reward for busting our butts was incredible!
As any hiker can attest to, the sensation and the reward for any hike or adventure is priceless. We celebrated our victory by cracking open a beer (not so cold by the time we got up there haha) and eating our snacks.
After photos and spending some time soaking in the views, we prepared ourselves for the equally brutal and relentless descent. By this point, I was on such a high that I found it relatively easy (compared to the ascent). An extra motivator was probably because a storm was hot on our tails with impending rain! We only stopped once for a quick drink and then hustled back to the carpark before the rain arrived.
Our ascent took 2.5 hours including breaks and the descent took roughly 1 hour.

What an epic adventure to tick off the #ultimateaussiebucketlist! For a last minute decision, I was super stoked with completing Walsh’s Pyramid. Despite the pounding heat and tired legs, as always – IT WAS WORTH IT.
If you haven’t done this yet, or want to set a new personal record for yourself, put this on your list and conquer the monster.
Hike safely, let someone know your plans and embrace every moment – the rewards and satisfaction are priceless.