A group of Redlands bushwalkers arrived at Tugun beach on Tuesday battered and bruised from an unforgettable 18 day journey that might just set a local record.
Redlands Bushwalkers Club claim they are the first group ever to walk the entire 225 kilometre stretch from Gatton to Tugun.
The walk took the team, which was reduced from seven members to four along the way, through places like Cunninghams Gap, Spicers Gap and other parts of the Scenic Rim.
Redlands Bushwalking Club member Malcolm Thomson, who dropped care packages off to the group at various locations during their journey, said the walkers were pushed to the limit.
"They carried between 15 and 18 kilograms in their packs, which consisted of tents, water and everything else," he said.
"Obviously you need a mental fitness for this kind of walk, especially over the last few days because it's very physically taxing.
"I think they've had to cope with that as a group and they've done exceptionally well because there's no specific training for bushwalking except lots of bushwalking."
Mr Thomson said navigating through places like the Lamington Plateau where there is no discernible track was among the hardest parts of the journey.
"It's a combination of finding and following the route because there are some areas where there is nothing marked or it's marked but it's hard to find," he said.
"The other thing is getting through the country where it's very thick. They're trying to maintain speed to get to the next point, whether that be a water point or a spot to put a tent up all while nature is trying to kill them."
The walkers' biggest enemy was not the dangerous wildlife but the spiked wait-a-while plant, which inflicted some damage to the walkers.
"You can walk into one without any trouble but god help you when you try and get back out," Mr Thomson said. "It tears you to pieces."
"We had a couple of close misses - an eyelid and the bridge of a nose. You've got to be really careful with it."
Mr Thomson said the rare few that had attempted the walk called it quits around the Lamington National Park area.
"They were past the Scenic Rim when they got to into that area but it's like a feather in their cap to get the last bit to the beach done," he said.
"Some other groups have tried way back, probably in the 1970s or even earlier than that, but to my knowledge none of them have completed that length of walk through there.
"All the other bushwalking clubs in south-east Queensland were waiting to see how we went."
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