An VH9 essay regarding told as a story about a personal aviation experience. It was a routine training flight like any other, Archerfield to Lismore via an overfly at Gold Coast, Lismore to Stanthorpe, and Stanthorpe back to Archerfield. The weather was good, 3 oktas at 5000, light wind from the south. But all that was out of my mind, I was too focused on my first solo entry into the class C airspace at Gold Coast. My instructors told me to make a Go-NoGo point, a point where I would not be able to safely clear the ranges between Queensland and New South Wales. I rotated at 10:00 local and headed south; I contacted Brisbane Centre 12 minutes later whilst over Logan Village. I could see rotor clouds forming over the ranges, “nothing I hadn’t prepared for” I thought; I’ll press on. Brisbane center cleared me to pass overhead the Gold Coast at 3000 - 500ft below the now overcast sky. Still, I pressed on. The controllers at Gold Coast cleared me back onto the area frequency. I tuned into it; the frequency was silent.