Summary

The Sunshine State

Queensland has a wealth of bushwalking opportunities including multiple World Heritage Listed rainforests such as the Daintree and Lamington National Park, great coastal and island parks like Fraser Island and Hinchinbrook Island.

Other Information

World Heritage Areas

• Fraser Island
• Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (Lamington NP, Springbrook NP, Mount Chinghee NP, Mount Barney NP, Main Range NP)
• Great Barrier Reef
• Riversleigh
• Wet Tropics (Daintree NP, Barron Gorge NP, Cedar Bay NP, Girringun NP, Wooroonooran NP)

Contact details

Queensland Parks and Forest:
https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/

Regions

The link below provides a region map of QLD as a reference to what council zones are included in the 7 geographic regions of QLD.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_Queensland#/media/File:Qld-regions-map.gif

1. Far North Queensland
2. North Queesnland
3. Central Queensland
4. Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday
5. Wide Bay Burnett
6. Darling Downs South West
7. South East Queensland

Walks in Gold Coast

(South East Queensland)

Easy

4 km return

1 hr

Paradise Point Foreshore Walk

.Walkway around a peninsula along the broadwater. All sealed through parks, dunes and built up areas.

Very Easy

500 m return

15 mins

Phil Hill Environmental Park (Jabiru Island Walk)

Boardwalk trough mangroves along the Coomera river.

Easy

2.3 km return

1 hr

Rainforest Circuit

A wild, natural headland in the heart of the Gold Coast offers walks along the rocky foreshore and through rainforest, with the chance to see whales in winter/spring and sea-eagles soaring along the coast.

Easy

3.5 km return

45 mins

Schuster Park

Schusters Park is a great spot to take the kids for a quick walk or stay the day for a picnic by the creek. There is lots of room to run around, and a sandy beach to launch kayaks from. Put on some mozzie repellent before exploring the flat trail through the mangroves along the northern peninsula of the park.

Easy

800 m return

40 mins

South Nobby Headland

A walk on South Nobby Headland also referred to as Little Burleigh or North Burleigh Headland which is within Mick Schamburg Park . The walk links to Miami Beach via Don Macsween Park and North Burleigh Beach via Ed Hardy Park while enjoying many lookout points with views North to Surfers, East to the Pacific Ocean, South to Burleigh Heads and West to the Gold Coast Hinterland. As well as traversing the Miami Rainbow Stairs.

Easy

8 km return

2 hrs

Tallebudgera Creek Circuit

This is a pristine waterway, one of the ‘must do walking tracks’ on the Gold Coast

Easy

2.5 km return

45 mins

Tugun Hill Conservation Area

The Tugun Hill Conservation Area is approximately 16 hectares and is managed for conservation purposes.

Very Easy

2 km return

1 hr

Varsity Lakes Wetland Circuit

A short circuit around the wetlands

Walks in Ipswich

(South East Queensland)

Easy

2 km return

1 hr

Kholo Gardens (Multiple Tracks)

A picturesque retreat into nature seven kilometres from the Ipswich Central Business District is the peaceful Kholo Gardens at Pine Mountain. It’s an unexpected delight to explore with its lush gardens, crystal clear lily pond, bush walks and open spaces. Giant Kauri trees and Hoop Pines planted by early settlers, rare birds and plants, and the nearby Brisbane River all make this a special place to spend some time. It’s also a sacred site for the indigenous Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul People.

At this subtropical haven, you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the 400 metre walk through Tree Fern Lane under a natural rainforest canopy. The more energetic can try the steeper 800 metre Coal Creek Walk – aptly named seeing as the earliest recordings of coal in the area were made here in 1825.

Formerly the site of a water pumping station, Kholo Gardens has an historic well onsite as well as a charming little old church, relocated here in 1990 from Redbank. With that and a stunningly restored Queenslander nearby, you can see why this is a popular venue for weddings and other functions. There are also barbecues, picnic tables and public toilets.

Walks in Jimna State Forest

(South East Queensland)

Medium

3.2 km return

1 hr

Araucaria Circuit

The Araucaria walk, the longest of the the two walks in the Jimna State Forest, begins with a short walk across a suspension bridge at the end of the camping ground. The 3.2km walk takes about an hour and takes you through open bushland at the start into a hoop pine/dry rain forest. As it winds through the forest, you ascend gently and walk around a dry river gorge. There's plenty of bird watching in the early morning and late afternoon. Look for (and hear) bell miners (bellbirds), finches, sulphur crested cockatoos, Australian wood ducks and wood swallows and many more species. Staghorns and elkhorns can be seen in part of the rainforest. Move back into grassland before reaching the suspension bridge.

**Updated Oct 2024: This walk has been closed and suspension bridge removed