Distance: 7km
Duration: approximately 2 hours
Difficulty: 5/10
Effort/ reward ratio: 6.5/10
Last visited: August 2021
Nestled within Dinden National Park, Turtle Rock is often overlooked as a hiking option, being overshadowed by the nearby popular hike, Lamb's Head. Whilst Lamb's Head is an absolute favourite hike of ours, Turtle Rock provides a shorter and easier alternative with great views, making it a great Sunday afternoon activity or a decent hike with active kids. We completed this hike with our friend Owen (who originally introduced us!) and his daughter. Owen hadn't done this hike before and we were looking for a relatively cruisy hike to fill a free Sunday arvo and this one ticked all the boxes (okay, so some sections were not so cruisy!)
How to get there:
The hike is located approximately 60km from Cairns. The easiest and quickest way there is via the Kennedy Highway, passing through Kuranda on your way.
Once you hit the windy roads of the Kuranda Range, drive for approximately 30km, before turning left at the signs to Davies Creek.
Follow the unsealed road for approximately 10km, and past Davies Creek. Whilst the road is unsealed and needs a bit of grading to smooth it out, most cars (not just 4WD) would be able to make the trip without worry.
Turn right at the campsite nodes 3 & 4. There are both day use areas and camping areas and a luxurious (not) long drop toilet. This signals the start of the hike.
What you need to know:
The hike starts as a gradual, fairly flat-ish, easy to follow track through dry forest. It serves as a nice warm up for the calf muscles.
The track abruptly starts climbing upwards and a small section of bouldering is also required. Don't worry too much- the steepness of the hike really doesn't last too long. Continue to look behind you for beautiful views to the west of Cairns which makes the momentary burn of the muscles worth it.
After climbing over the boulders, the track flattens off and directly in front of you is the main affair- the turtle head. Sarah was the only one in our hiking group who could make out the shape of the turtle head, and to be honest, a fair bit of creative interpretation is required! Regardless of whether you agree with labeling the rock formation as a turtle or not, there are some beautiful views to appreciate here and a great place to have a breather post the climb.
What goes up must come down! Continue to follow the well formed track downhill through. Some sections of dry gravel are a bit slippery so watch your step.
The track eventually flattens out, so continue to follow this until you hit a creek that will require some wet feet, skillful rock hopping skills or just take your shoes off and go for a bit of a wade like we did.
This area is the campsite node 5 & 6 and if you choose you can start the circuit here and walk it in reverse. Continue to follow the gravel road back to campsite 3 & 4 which will be on your left. Complete disclaimer: When we did this hike the first time, we completely missed the turn off to Campsite 3 & 4 and didn't realise until we hit Campsite 1 & 2! Having completed this hike again, neither of us quite know why we missed it- it is very obvious so don't worry about making the same mistake we did!
This is a good hike to do if the Cairns coast is a bit showery. Whilst the area certainly isn't avoidant of rain, as it is located inland towards Mareeba, boasting 300 days of sunshine a year, the track sees far less rain than some of its coastal counterparts. Also a good hike to do if you can't stand leeches!
Start the hike with a warm up on a flat (ish) sandy track which is wide and well marked with orange arrows.
A small section of bouldering is required, hence a moderate fitness level is recommended. We saw small kids climb up this just before we did, so it is achievable but it was a challenge.
Enjoy views of the outback whilst catching your breath after climbing over the boulders.
Make you way to the main event, the Turtle Head! View it with an open mind, and you may just be able to make out the turtle shape!
Careful where you step! This python was sunning himself on the middle of the track. Despite us making some noise, he wasn't bothered by our presence at all.
This creek forms the base for Campsite 5 & 6. A small creek crossing will be required to get back to the gravel road to return to your car at Campsite 3 & 4.
Keep an eye out for this sign to avoid making the same mistake we did the first time and completely miss the turn off! Turn left here to get back to your car.
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