Cube Rock

In October 2023, my sister Clare was visiting in St Helens and we decided to check out the hike to Cube Rock in the northeast, near Gladstone.

The Stats

• Distance: 5½km (return)

• Time: 2½ hrs (inc. lunch break)

• Elevation: 284m

Location

The walk starts from Little Blue Lake on Gladstone Road at South Mt Cameron, which is about an hours drive northwest of St Helens (or an hour and forty five minutes northeast of Launceston).

The lake is an old tin mining site and the water that has filled it is coloured by dissolved minerals from the mining activity. This makes for a pretty view, but the water itself is toxic and not safe for swimming.

Route

The walk starts down the four wheel drive track at the western end of the lake, but the route here isn’t exactly clear. There are a myriad of tracks and it took us a little bit of searching to find the start of the walking track. Although we missed it on the way in, there was a sign, and once on the track proper there is a clear pad and regular markers.

Once on the track, you pretty much immediately cross Sapphire Creek and then start your way up hill.

The walk is pretty, with lots of interesting sites along the way.

About 2km in you reach the top of a ridge line where you look across a gully to see Cube Rock sitting atop the opposite ridge.

It is an impressive sight to see this massive cube-shaped boulder sitting on top of the ride like it has been placed there.

From the first ridge, it doesn’t take long at all to continue north on a track that becomes a horsehoe leading back down the opposite ride to Cube Rock, with thankfully no need to descend down into the gully and climb up the other side.