Australia National Parks - QLD Gold Coast

QLD Gold Coast National Parks

Lamington National Park

Rugged mountain scenery, tumbling waterfalls, rainforest, wildflower heaths, tall open forests, picturesque creeks, varied wildlife and some of the best bushwalking in Queensland are protected in Lamington National Park.

One of Queensland’s best-loved parks, Lamington is the core of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves Australia World Heritage Area along the Queensland-New South Wales border ranges. The park’s beautiful rainforests include the largest subtropical rainforest remnant in the world and one of the most extensive Antarctic beech cool temperate rainforests in Australia.

Lamington is home to an incredible variety of wildlife including rare and threatened plants and animals such as the Coxen’s fig-parrot, eastern bristlebird, Richmond birdwing butterfly, milk-vine and blotched sarcochilus, a beautiful orchid.

For thousands of years, Aboriginal people lived in and visited these mountains. Early European settlers also valued the area, and fought to make it one of the first parks in Queensland. The O’Reilly family established a guesthouse near the park in 1926 and founding members of the National Parks Association of Queensland built Binna Burra Lodge next to the park in the 1930s.

Have a picnic at Binna Burra or Green Mountains. Picnic tables, toilets, electric barbecues and tap water are provided. See colourful crimson rosellas, king parrots, pademelons and brush-turkeys around the picnic areas. Go birdwatching during the day or spotlighting at night.

The best way to see the park is bushwalking. Choose from many short or full-day walks which take you to the park’s best attractions. Let someone reliable know your bushwalking plans and advise them of your safe return.

Stay overnight at campgrounds or resorts at Binna Burra or Green Mountains. Both the national park campground at Green Mountains and the private campground at Binna Burra have good facilities including toilets, hot showers and water supply. Take a fuel stove for Green Mountains. Open fires are not allowed.

You can bush camp in the park between February and November. Bush camping is only allowed in specific places. Conditions apply. You must book through the Green Mountains office and pay for your campsite at least three weeks in advance.

Visit the information centres at Binna Burra or Green Mountains to learn more about the park. Read the information displays at the start of the walking tracks to determine the best walk for you.

Location

Binna Burra is near Beechmont, about 110km or 1 hour 40 minutes’ drive from Brisbane, or an hour from the Gold Coast via either Canungra or Nerang.

Further Information

Webpage: Lamington National Park

Springbrook National Park

Enjoy a bushwalk in the fresh mountain air. Look for logrunners in the rainforest leaf litter or listen for the call of the Albert’s lyrebird. The Twin Falls circuit is a great introduction to the park. See rainforest, open forest and montane heath, waterfalls and scenic views on this short walk.

You can bush camp at Purling Brook Falls. Campsites are limited and bookings are essential. The campground has very basic facilities (no showers or bins) and is unsuitable for caravans. Bush camping is not allowed in the park.

Discover the plateau’s fascinating past and the present-day forests at the Springbrook Information Centre. The centre is housed in a 1911 schoolhouse.

Choose from graded tracks between 700m and 17km. The Purling Brook Falls circuit is the most popular walk.

Location

Springbrook is 30km from Nerang or 42km from Mudgeeraba via the Springbrook plateau.

Further Information

Webpage: Springbrook National Park

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
160 Ann St
Brisbane QLD 4000
(07) 3227 7111