Self-guided walk an indulgent fork in the road for independent hikers

I've been out hiking in the rainforest for most of the day and haven't seen a single person. Ferns brush my legs, I dodge rocks, and occasionally scramble over fallen mossy trees. Now I've come to a fork in the trail. Dirt paths head off in two directions. One takes me towards a shower and a comfortable bed, the other takes me to... well, no hot water and no 500-thread count. I shudder to think.

Luckily I have a map of today's route loaded into an app on my phone, so I look at the screen, realise it's a right turn, and don't take the wrong turn. I'm back on track. But this is one of the trials of the trail when you don't have a guide in a remote area where only a handful of humans pass through each day.

Queensland's Scenic Rim Trail is about 90 minutes' drive west of Brisbane, across the glorious Main Range National Park. Independent hikers can traverse the 47-kilometre route using the basic public campsites, each with a drop toilet and dirt patches for tents. But the most popular way to walk the trail since it launched has been on a four-day guided tour with luxury accommodation.

Now, for the first time since it was created, the Scenic Rim Trail is offering a limited number of departure dates for four-day hikes that are self-guided. It's the same path, the same accommodation, the same meals, but you do all the walking independently. I've joined one of the first departures to see how it compares.

Day one is hard... but that's got nothing to do with me being on my own. To get up to the ridge that the trail follows for the next few days, everyone has to do the same steep climb through eucalyptus and grass trees. The views below are spectacular, although a few of the scrambles up rocks are particularly difficult.

But other than an ache in my left knee, I forget about the climb when I reach the farmhouse accommodation mid-afternoon just as the host, Trevor, is pulling freshly baked scones from the oven. He owned a bakery for 25 years - and it shows - but now, Mount Mistake Farmhouse is his home for most of the year. "I just feel a big grin coming across my face every time I come towards it," he says.

This historic farmhouse has been renovated with a series of comfortable modern rooms with private ensuites, enough for the 12 people doing this particular self-guided tour. We walk separately (alone or with travelling companions) but the accommodation is a warm and communal space. Trevor prepares a large dinner to share - chicken, eggplant, rice and salad - then joins us for a chat about the next day.

Ancient rainforest, almost spiritual in its energy, is the backdrop for the next two days of walking, before a gentle descent through sun-dappled eucalypt woodland on the final day. In the evenings, we stay at two different ecocamps specially built for this environment. The private two-bed cabins are all separate, with balconies over the lush greenery. Elevated walkways connect them to the communal area, where again we gather for dinner. For these two nights, our host is Kerrilee, who tells us, "This is my mountain". She grew up at the bottom of the cliff and this range has always been a part of her life... although there was no walking as a child.

"We didn't have time to go bushwalking," she laughs, "because if you had time to go bushwalking, you weren't working hard enough!"

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Kerrilee is still working hard: cleaning the ecocamps, cooking us dinner, preparing breakfast, packing us lunch. In fact, even though this is a self-guided tour, there are a lot of similarities with the guided tour. Regardless, you even have to carry your own pack between accommodations unless you pay a supplement (my bag weighs about 10kg with lunch and water).

Obviously the biggest difference is that you don't have a guide throughout the day, and they are more than just navigators. I'm able to stop and listen to the calls of the birds... but I can't ask anyone what they are. I know there's important Indigenous heritage here, particularly with ancient trees and shapes of mountains... but I have nobody to tell me about it. And a rusting wreck of machinery is a reminder this was once a logging site... but I need somebody to explain that history.

Ultimately, a preference between guided and self-guided comes down to the individual. Some people may prefer the guided option because of safety (I've had to bring a personal locator beacon and first-aid kit). While some may prefer the self-guided option because of price (the difference is about $3400 compared to $1500 per person twin share). But the best thing is that there are now finally options. This self-guided experience is excellent, and is just what luxury hiking in Australia needs.

Plus, if you're worried about being alone, be comforted by the knowledge you are still looked after. People like Trevor and Kerrilee consider the Main Range National Park and the Scenic Rim Trail to be their home, and they will always treat you like the welcome guests you are.