Access keys | Skip to primary navigation | Skip to secondary navigation | Skip to content | Skip to footer |
Problems viewing this site
Parks and forests > Find a park or forest

Tamborine National Park

Park alerts and park summary

Getting there and getting around

Tamborine Mountain is about 80km south of Brisbane via Beenleigh and Tamborine Village or via the Pacific Highway and the Oxenford-Tamborine Road.

Travelling north from the Gold Coast, Tamborine Mountain is 36km from Southport via the Pacific Highway and the Oxenford-Tamborine Road or 28km from Nerang via the Nerang-Beaudesert Road. From Canungra, take the Tamborine Mountain Road for 4km.

Please note

The steep, narrow roads from Nerang and Canungra are unsuitable for buses, trailers, caravans and trucks.

Wheelchair accessibility

The Cedar Creek walking track as far as the lookout is suitable for assisted wheelchair access. The toilets at Cedar Creek are wheelchair-accessible.

Park features

The Witches Falls section of the park was declared in 1908, making it Queensland's first national park. Over the years additional reserves have been declared and today the park is made up of 13 sections of land on the Tamborine plateau and surrounding foothills.

The park protects remnants of Tamborine Mountain's plant communities and includes areas of rainforest with distinctive piccabeen palm groves, wet eucalypt forest dominated by tall flooded gums, open forest with bracken fern understorey and woodland. Surrounded by urban and rural development, these plant communities provide essential wildlife habitat. Tamborine Mountain escarpment contains 85 percent of all fauna species and 65 percent of all flora species in the Gold Coast City area.

The park is home to many rainforest animals including the rare Albert's lyrebird and one of the world's largest skinks, the land mullet. The Richmond birdwing butterfly and noisy pitta migrate seasonally to the park from nearby higher altitude rainforests.

Basalt columns, cliffs, rocky outcrops and waterfalls are a lasting legacy of volcanic eruptions 23 million years ago. Tamborine is the most northerly remnant of the flows from a volcano centred on Mt Warning.

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) is currently improving tracks and visitor facilities in Tamborine National Park, to enhance visitors' safety and enjoyment of the park's natural features. Some tracks may be temporarily closed. QPWS apologises for any inconvenience this may cause. Information on this web site and signs on site will provide current information on any track or area closures.

Camping and accommodation

Camping

To protect the natural values of this park, camping is not permitted within the national park. There are private campgrounds on Tamborine Mountain. See the tourism information links below for more information.

Other accommodation

There is a wide range of holiday accommodation on Tamborine Mountain, including hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and cabins. For more information see the tourism information links below.

Things to do

Start your visit at the Tamborine Mountain Visitor Information Centre at Doughty Park, Cnr Geissman Dr and Main Western Rd, North Tamborine, open 10am to 3pm daily.

Walking

Walking tracks are provided in six sections of Tamborine National Park. Most walking tracks are short and can be walked within a few hours. The walks are relatively easy although some tracks have short, steep grades. At usual walking pace, 3km takes about an hour. If you are walking with young children, or if you are birdwatching or taking photographs, allow extra time.

Cedar Creek Falls track — 500m return to lookout, 900m return to the rock pools (Allow 20–30 minutes) Easy grade

Access to this visitor area is via Cedar Creek Road. The track to the lookout is suitable for strollers and assisted wheelchair access. The lookout offers views of waterfalls, cascades and rock pools. The section from the lookout to the rock pools is not suitable for strollers or wheelchairs. For your safety, access is not permitted to some of the rock pools and parts of the gorge, as indicated by signs on site. Near the start of the track are two picnic areas, with tables and wheelchair-accessible toilets, located in large, open, grassy areas surrounded by tall eucalypt forest.

Palm Grove Rainforest Circuit — 2.6km circuit (Allow 1 hour) Easy grade

Piccabeen palm groves and rainforest with emergent strangler figs and distinctively buttressed yellow carabeens feature on this walk. Palm Grove Avenue is the main access point and carpark for this track. Parking for buses and caravans is not available.

The Jenyns Falls circuit, which branched off the Palm Grove circuit, is currently closed as it is considered unsafe. (It is not marked on the map).

Curtis Falls, Joalah section — 1.5km return ( Allow 30 minutes) Moderate grade

Joalah is an Aboriginal word meaning "haunt of the lyrebird". The loud calls of the male Albert's lyrebird can be heard during winter. The track starts from the Dapsang Drive carpark. It is also possible to start at the shops on Eagle Heights Road, adding an extra 800m return to the walk.

On this track you will walk through rainforest and descend steep stairs to a large pool at the base of Curtis Falls. There is an impressive view of the falls and surrounding columnar basalt rockface. Swimming is prohibited at the falls. A restricted access area below Curtis Falls protects an important glow-worm colony. The track continues from the falls, along a piccabeen palm-fringed creek to a giant strangler fig. Beyond this strangler fig, the lower Joalah track is closed for your safety due to rockfalls.

Sandy Creek Circuit, The Knoll section — 2.6km circuit (Allow 1 hour) Easy grade

Scenic views, rainforest with tall trees emerging above the surrounding canopy, piccabeen groves, transition forest with large flooded gums and open forest feature on this walk. Please remain on the designated track, as there are steep cliff edges. Supervise children carefully. There is a branch track to Cameron Falls Lookout.

Access to the start of this walk is via Main Street, North Tamborine and Knoll Road. The parking area is very small and unsuitable for large buses.

There is a picnic area near the start of the walk, in tall, open forest, with a large shelter shed and picnic table. From the northern edge of the picnic area you can enjoy views to Flinders Peak and Brisbane.

Witches Falls Circuit — 3.1km return (Allow 1 hour) Moderate grade

This track zigzags down the steep mountainside through open forest with banksia trees and into rainforest with huge strangler figs. You will pass seasonal lagoons surrounded by piccabeen palm groves and rainforest before you reach Witches Falls. After heavy rain the lagoons fill with water and come to life with many species of insects and frogs. The track returns through rainforest and behind the cemetery. The falls only flow after recent rain and can be viewed via a 200m detour from the circuit to a lookout platform.

The Witches Falls Circuit starts from the picnic area on Main Western Road. The grassy areas have electric barbecues, picnic tables and toilets, and are surrounded by tall eucalypts.

Witches Chase Track — 2.7km circuit (Allow 2 hours) Moderate grade

This track also starts from the picnic area on Main Western Road. The walk descends through rainforest to Witches Falls and continues along the cliff to Witches Chase, passing through rainforest with large red cedar trees and through eucalypt forest. From here, the Witches Falls carpark is 2.7km via the Beacon and Main Western Roads.

Macdonald Rainforest Circuit — 1.4km circuit (Allow 30 minutes) Easy grade

This relatively flat track passes through rainforest with large strangler figs, piccabeen palm groves and tall trees festooned with vines and ferns. The track is ideal for birdwatchers and visitors seeking a quiet rainforest walk away from road noise and large numbers of people.

The track starts from the carpark on Wongawallen Road, off the Tamborine-Oxenford Road. Miss Jessie MacDonald donated this area of land. A small shelter shed and picnic tables are provided at the park entrance.

Picnic and day use areas

There are picnic areas at the start of most of the walking tracks in the park. They are described above.

Other sections to visit

Zamia Grove section

Donated by Edwin Franklin and Frank Salisbury, this section is on the plateau edge and preserves a grove of cycads (Lepidozamia peroffskyana). Cycad plants can be seen growing on the edge of a small grassy area at the park entrance. Cycads are very ancient; fossil records indicate that they existed almost 300 million years ago.

Panorama Point

At Panorama Point a rough, gravel track leads into an area of tall open forest where grey gum, casuarinas, brush box and bloodwoods are common. On clear days views of Moreton Bay and North Stradbroke Island are possible. There are no facilities.

Pirralilla section

Donated by Miss Kath Dobbie, this park is located opposite the fig tree roundabout in Long Road. Pirralilla is an important area of remnant rainforest, containing rare and threatened plant species. A community-led revegetation project demonstrates what can be achieved with local native species.

Things to know before you go

Essentials to bring

Opening hours

For your safety, walk in Tamborine National Park in daylight hours only. The Tamborine Mountain Visitor Information Centre at Doughty Park is open from 10am to 3pm daily.

Permits and fees

Permits may be required for commercial or organised activities. Contact the park office for further information.

Pets

Domestic animals are not permitted in Tamborine National Park.

Climate and weather

At 525m above sea level, Tamborine plateau is consistently 5 degrees cooler than the adjacent lowland. Average daytime temperatures are 17 degrees Celsius in winter and 25 degrees Celsius in summer. The area averages 1500mm of rain a year, most of which falls between December and April. Take a raincoat and warm clothing at all times of the year. For more information see the tourism information links below.

Fuel and supplies

Fuel and supplies are available in North Tamborine, Canungra and nearby towns. For more information see the tourism information links below.

Staying safe

For more information, please read the guidelines on safety in parks and forests.

Looking after the park

Regulations are designed for your safety and to help you to care for your national parks. Please abide by them and you will ensure enjoyment of the natural environment every time you visit. Remember that all natural and cultural resources of the park are protected.

See the guidelines on caring for parks for more information about protecting our environment and heritage in parks.

Park management

The Witches Falls section was declared on 28 March 1908, making it Queensland's first national park. Over the years additional reserves have been declared and today the park is made up of 13 sections of land on the Tamborine plateau and surrounding foothills.

A management plan for Tamborine National Park will be prepared in the future.

Tourism information links

Beaudesert Country Tourism
Tamborine Mountain Chamber of Commerce
Gold Coast Tourism Bureau Information Centre

For tourism information for all regions in Queensland see www.queenslandholidays.com.au.

Further information

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Gold Coast
  • PO Box 203, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
  • ph (07) 5576 0271
  • fax (07) 5520 1963
EPA Customer Service Centre
  • 160 Ann Street, Brisbane
  • PO Box 15155, City East QLD 4002
  • ph (07) 3227 8185
  • fax (07) 3227 8749
  • email csc@epa.qld.gov.au

<< Return to park summary


Last updated: 20 April 2006