MT William Hike Cairns - Plan Wreck Site via Smiths Track

MT William Hike Cairns - Plan Wreck Site via Smiths Track

The MT William Hike is a very little used hiking trail that branches off the Smith's Track near Stoney Creek north of Cairns. Read this complete hiking guide, which leads you to the summit of Mt. William, where there is an aircraft wreck today.

Mt. William hike begins on a well-accessible path on the street near Stoney Creek. Although the MT Williams Trail is easily accessible, it is quite demanding because it is steep, dense and absolutely full of leeches!

above you will find the remains of a 1986 aircraft crash, in which eight people were killed in a tragic way when he hit the ridge line 250 meters from the highest point of Mount William. It seems that the wreck was moved to the summit, where there is now prayer flags and a monument where you can pay respect.

For those who want to tackle Mt. William hike near Cairns, I would suggest to open early and plan for at least half a day for undertaking! In this hiking guide, I will describe in detail how to get to the starting point of the hiking trail, as well as a detailed section about how to complete the hike.

• Alt = "Cairns-Regwald trees">
• Alt = "Mount William Track Cairns">
• Alt = "Cairn's plane Wrack site Mount William Stoney Creek">

How to get to the MT William Trailhead

The Mount William Track is very little known and more of a marked route than an official national park path. The route branches off from the popular Smiths Track, which is accessible from Stoney Creek or Speewah.

I started the hike by picking up the Smiths Track directly on the Stoney Creek Road, the same street that leads to the starting point of the Glacier Rock Trail. In the beginning it is a bit difficult to recognize the trail. However, you will see the small Smith's trail guide directly to the right of the concrete underpass on the left side of the street (if you are on the way to Stoney Creek).
Alt = "Beginning of the Smith Track on the Stoney Creek Road"> Smith’s track starting point on the left side
Below I attached the exact position of the starting point so that you can find it easier. On the opposite side of the street, right in front of the hiking trail, there is a large parking lot on which you can park your car. Alternatively, you can also drive up the steep driveway to a wide clearing next to the starting point of the hiking trail.

GPS coordinates: 16 ° 52’31.1 ″ s 145 ° 40’38.1 ″ E

MT William Hike Cairns-Hiking Leader

Hiking route: 13 kilometers
Duration: 4-6 hours
Height difference | ~ 1000 m AMSL at the summit
Difficulty: difficult

The MT William hike Cairns is a pretty long hike with many meters of altitude. The first section along the Smith Creek is easy to follow. However, after you have turned onto the MT William Trail, you have to carefully stick to the ligaments and markings so as not to get lost.

I completed the hike in a decent pace in a little more than 4 hours. Depending on your speed, the test day can take much longer. I would propose to take off early so as not to navigate down in the dark.

also remember to bring Deet! I hiked Mt. William Trail in the dry season, the leeches above the cloud line were absolutely devastating.

Smiths Track from the Stoney Creek Road

Almost immediately after you have taken the path, the Smith's track steeply climbs up a slightly exposed and prevailing eucalyptus forest. Make sure you stretch your legs, because there is no warming up here, but only a sharp leg burner to start the hike.
Alt = “Smiths pursue Cairns”>
At almost every point during this first climb you can turn around to enjoy a great view of the suburbs of Northern Cairns and right on the Glacier Rock.

Follow this wide, obvious path that becomes flatter and then rises steeply again. You will find that the trees and plants change quickly with increasing heights.

Related Post: Cairn's hikes: 36 Best hikes

Detoured to Mt. William Track

After about 1.9 kilometers, at a height of about 490 m, there is a sharp left fork Alt = “Smiths pursue Cairns”> easy to overlook junction to Mount William Track

This is very easy to overlook, so pay attention to a fairly ambiguous path on the left. So that you do not miss the junction, enter these coordinates: 16 ° 53 ′ 3,366 ″ S 145 ° 39 ′ 54.216 ″ E.

Nasser, muddy ascent to Mt. William Summit

You will immediately find that this route is much less busy than the first section. They have to navigate over and around dense tree fall and avoid fields with thorny thorns, while slowly climbing the ridge line towards Mt. William over dense, rooted undergrowth.
Alt = “Mount-William-Trur”>
This route is well marked by ligaments in the trees. I strongly recommend keeping out for it, otherwise you could get lost easily.

Unfortunately, Mt. Williams hike does not offer much in epic prospects. However, there is a rocky point known as "North Peak", approximately at the 3.8 km mark, from where you can look over Cairns and the surrounding suburbs.
Alt = “Nordspitze on Mount William hiking Cairns”>
According to this viewpoint, the path becomes level when you cross the saddle towards Mt. William. This section was my favorite, with ancient trees that protrude over Farnfeld and tropical shrubs.
Alt = “Mount William Trail Cairns”>
At a height of about 700 m, I entered the clouds that turned everything into a wet, moist and muddy fight to the summit. To say the truth, I've never seen so many leeches in my life. Even after I poured my legs and shoes with bush men, I had to stop every 20 meters to peel and snap the spines from my legs, arms and face. Tip: take an extra -bath!

drive on, past the saddle before reaching a last, light but slippery climbing to the summit.

Wracking point of the 1986 plane crash in Cairns

Since there was not much information online online, I was concerned that I would not find the wreck in the middle of the thick vegetation. But before I even knew that I was on the summit, I stumbled across the destroyed fuselage and the plaque.
Alt = “Mt William Plane Wrack Stoney Creek”>
According to the Bureau of Aircraft Accident, the aircraft fell: PA-31-310 Navajo in 1986 due to a fatal misjudgment of the pilot, where, after a few obvious misunderstandings regarding the flight routes, it flew to Biboohra with a cloudy sky. Apparently the plane crashed only 250 meters southwest of the summit. It seems that the fuselage and the wreck residue were brought to the top of Mt. William for the purpose of the memorial.
Alt = “Cairn's tarpaulin Wrack site Mount William Stoney Creek”>
I decided that I wouldn't stay here too long because the leeches were still paving grief. I paid my respect and quickly made my way back to dry ground.

The descent

Mt. William hike is a back and back path, which means that you reverse and follow the same route down again. However, as soon as you meet the Smiths Track again, you can turn left at the fork and continue to Speewah.

Further hikes in Cairns

I hope that you liked this guide to Mt. William hike in Cairns, Queensland. I spent several months to explore the best adventures, hikes and waterfalls in the area. Regardless of whether you are a local from Cairns or a visitor who is looking for epic adventures, be sure to take a look at some of my other guides and blogs below.

Take a look at this list of the best waterfalls in Cairns or this contribution to the best activities in Cairns for some quick ideas.

If you have any questions or even trail updates, leave a comment below to help other hikers!

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