Bushwalking in Brisbane

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Brisbane is a gem for those who like nature and love walking around in it. Of course, the city itself isn’t overly bushy (although there are many student houses in West End doing their best to get their backyards looking as natural as possible), but there are some very bushy bits just a few hours drive in all directions.

One of the most popular areas is the Lamington National Park (about 100 kilometres south of Brisbane) where twisted trees tangle limbs with equally gnarled neighbours and lean over your thin little walking track to strangle the fading afternoon light.

You can wander in and out of thick forest and open, cleared land. With Lamington you can start off at Binna Burra (on the northern edge), or plunge right into the thick of it at Green Mountain. Walks from either place vary from the easy, to the ‘only if you are extremely fit and are able to leap tall buildings’ affairs.

Trails from the Green Mountain are the most spectacular out of the two. The Cunungra Creek/ Blue Pool trek is about 15 kilometres – you can take a dip at Blue Pool and say hello to the odd eel or platypus. That will take up a whole day. Or if you like nature, but like it better without lots of effort, then a 20 minute walk from Green Mountain will have you taking the Treetop walk – where you’ll be up in the canopy amongst some bird friends.

Lamington’s neighbour is the Mount Barney National Park – it’s a fairly remote location, and it attracts the dedicated and the lean. A lot of its walks are quite rugged/ difficult. Most of them are unmarked. There are divinely inspiring views to be had from Mount Barney’s summit. If you’re indestructible, you could think about getting there via Logan’s Ridge. If you’re a bit soft around the middle, then Peasants or South Ridge will be more your style. Just allow for around 8-10 hours of walking.

The Glasshouse Mountains, on the Sunshine Coast, are also a magnet to tourists and people who like walking for no good reason. It’s about a 60 kilometre drive from Brisbane, and if you miss the mountains then you’re definitely in the wrong area. They rear up over the landscape with sheer sides – relics of ancient volcanoes. There’s a national park you can explore, and the main lookout is the place to be for a sunset. You can take the Bruce Highway from Brisbane and turn off on to the Glass House Mountains Road, or take the main road from Caboolture. Follow the sign posts to navigate your way around the area to take in the mountains which have walking tracks (Beerwah, Tibrogargan, and Ngungun).

And then there’s Girraween. Okay, it’s a fairly hefty three-hour drive, past Stanthorpe, but if you happen to be in Brisbane in Spring and you’re fond of wildflowers, then Girraween will charm your little cotton socks off. There are wildflowers gratuitously strewed everywhere, just waiting for someone to turn up with a camera. The name itself means ‘place of flowers’ – which is convenient. And since it is such a drive, you should think about taking a tent (bring some firewood too) and setting up for the night at either Bald Rock or Castle Rock camp grounds. There’s 17 kilometres of graded walking tracks, you can go for a bit of a dip in the waterholes, and there are some rare birds and beasts wandering about the area.

You’re going to need a car to get to these locations, so if you don’t have one of your own, You can find a car or people mover with our friends at Brisbane Alpha Car Hire or check out carhire.com.au (car hire brisbane) for a brilliant car rental Brisbane deal.

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