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.
Click here for Gold Coast national park and national reserve information.