Gold Coast National Parks

Lamington National Park
Lamington lies on the Scenic Rim, a chain of mountains stretching across the Queensland-New South Wales border. With nearby parks, it is the heart of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves (Australia) World Heritage Area.

Lamington is pleasant throughout the year, with drier months from May to October probably the best time to visit. Storms are common in summer, and can cause a sudden drop in temperature. Winter days are sunny, but often chilly, with evening temperatures near freezing. School holidays and weekends are busy. Tracks will be slippery after rain. Lamington National Park is just two hours from Brisbane and less from the Gold Coast.

On the Gold Coast Hinterlands just 30 minutes drive from Surfers Paradise, enjoy 160km (100 miles) of walking tracks leading through the park beside crystal clear streams, to cascades and waterfalls, through wind eroded caves in volcanic ash, cliffs. fern filled gullies and mountain lookouts with spectacular views. Take a day trip from the coast or stay in a mountain resort or lodge.

For further information contact Lamington National Park on + 61 (0) 7 5533 3584 (Binna Burra Section) or + 61 (0) 7 5544 0634 (Green Mountains Section) or call the Queensland National Parks contact centre on 13 13 04.

Burleigh Head National Park
Burleigh Heads is directly in-between Coolangatta and Surfers Paradise offering a wonderful National Park where you can get to see some fabulous scenery and a range of wildlife, as well as more great Gold Coast beaches.

Visit the spectacular Burleigh Headland and experience the scenic rainforest walk while you’re there. It’s a quiet retreat for wildlife watchers with picnic areas nearby. You can see hundreds of lorikeets roosting each night in the huge pine trees. If you’re lucky you may spot some whales off the point or you can learn about the Aboriginal culture. Ph: Burleigh Heads Information Centre on (07)5535 3032. (Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads).

Tamborine National Parks
Tamborine Mountain is part of Australia's famous Gold Coast, yet separate from it. The Gold Coast spreads out northwards along the coastal plain from the Queensland/NSW border for a distance of some 40 kilometers. Behind the coastal plain a series of hills and plateaus rise steeply to provide a green scenic rim framing the surf and sand to the east.

Mount Tamborine is the most northerly plateau, positioned directly west from Surfers Paradise. The beaches, shopping and night life of the Gold Coast are a comfortable 40 minutes drive from the Mountain. Located just 62 km from Brisbane and sitting on the edge of the escarpment behind the city of the Gold Coast, Tamborine Mountain is both an actual geological phenomenon (the result of an outpouring of lava from Mt Warning) and also a collective term for a number of small villages stretching along the 8-km ridge of the mountain range.

Tamborine Mountain plateau looks down on the surrounding lowlands, across the Nerang and Coomera River valleys to the Gold Coast and Pacific Ocean to the east and over the beautiful Albert River valley and right out to the Great Dividing Range to the west. The Gold Coast view is picturesque by day, but by night it becomes a shimmering fairyland of light. From certain vantage points you can also see north to Moreton Bay and Brisbane or south over Beechmont and out to the Border Ranges.

Mt Barney National Park
Mount Barney National Park is made of large areas of wilderness included in the World Heritage Area: Central Eastern Rainforests Reserves (Australia). The national park is about 120km west of Brisbane via the Mt Lindesay Highway and Mt Barney Road on the NSW/Qld border. The park is accessible via a network of local roads including Barney View Road, Mt Barney Road, Upper Logan Road and Sidenspinner Road. Most of these roads are accessible to 2WD vehicles.

Several impressive mountains make up the bulk of the park including Mt Barney (which is the second highest mountain in southeast Queensland), Mt Maroon and Mt May. There are areas of open forest, rainforest and other varying forms of vegetation types. The national park is home to many endangered plant species, animals and birds, with populations of various Kangaroos and Wallabies, including the endangered Rock Wallaby.

The rugged peaks within Mt Barney National Park are some of the best known and most spectacular mountains in south-east Queensland. For self-reliant and reasonably fit visitors with sound bush walking experience.

Please contact the Boonah Office of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service for further information on (07) 5463 5041.

Springbrook National Park
Covering land on and around Springbrook Plateau, the 2720ha park protects rainforests, eucalypt forests and the headwaters of rivers flowing to the Gold Coast.

Springbrook lies on the Scenic Rim, a chain of mountains stretching across the Queensland-New South Wales border. Walking tracks ranging from easy to challenging take you to lookouts, waterfalls and ancient forests.

Springbrook is about 90 minutes from Brisbane and 45 minutes from the Gold Coast. The park has three sections: Springbrook Plateau, Mt Cougal to the east and Natural Bridge to the west.

At 900m above sea level, Springbrook can be cool even in summer. Rainfall averages 3000mm a year, mostly from December to March. Drier months from May to October are probably the best time to visit. Holidays and weekends can be crowded.

For further information contact Springbrook National Park on + 61 (0) 7 5533 5147 or call the Queensland National Parks contact centre on 13 13 04.

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