A Trip to Springbrook National Park
Springbrook National Park is located about 100 km south of Brisbane, on the border with New South Wales, slightly east of Lamington National Park. It is one of a series of great adjacent national parks in Southeast Queensland.
To reach the Springbrook Mountains from Brisbane, drive south on the M1 highway and take exit 69 at Nerang heading west. The roads throughout the entire trip are quite comfortable; while winding and featuring two or three narrow bridges that were single-lane, they are more comfortable than the road to Lamington National Park.
From the Gold Coast, the park is only about 40 km away (a 45-minute drive).
♦ Recommended tours to Springbrook Park (for booking on Viator):
Even before climbing the mountains, you can see beautiful farms along the road and hot air balloons above, taking advantage of the early morning hours when there is almost no wind blowing.
Our articles about the Gold Coast and Brisbane:
♦ A trip to the city of Brisbane
Start the tour in the section called Natural Bridge. There is a 1-kilometer circular walking trail inside a rainforest. You go down the stairs and arrive at a special waterfall that drops into a cave with a natural bridge arch before it.
The cave is quite dark, and you can see the waterfall from its inner side. On the ceiling of this cave, thousands of tiny lights of glowworms shine at night.
From the cave, the trail continues and loops around the waterfall to beautiful viewpoints from above, where you can see it falling into the cave.
From there, return a few kilometers on the road and turn towards the main section of the park called Springbrook Plateau.
On the way, you can stop at a picnic area (Australians deserve high praise on this topic: wherever possible, there are perfect picnic areas, which include shaded tables, electric barbecues, water, restrooms, playground equipment, and on the beaches, showers as well). On-site, beautiful black and white crows will keep you company.
It is recommended to stop along the way at a lookout point near a charming cafe/motel named Paddymelons. From the lookout, called Wunburra, there is a view of wooded mountains towards Surfers Paradise, which can also be seen from a distance, including the city's high-rise buildings and the sea.
Continue south and park in the picnic area parking lot to see Purlingbrook Falls. A short trail through the forest leads to a view of an impressively tall waterfall. Further along, there will be more waterfalls.
From there, drive further south and reach a small, unmanned visitor center. Get a park brochure there and walk along a short boardwalk elevated above the ground to another mountain viewpoint. At the beginning of the trail, a beautiful antique carriage is displayed under a shelter.
Further south along the road, there is a turnoff to a viewpoint with the promising name Best of All Lookout. After a short drive of about two kilometers, you reach the parking lot of this lookout point and enter the forest on a 300-meter asphalt trail. At the end of the trail, there is a surprising exit from the forest onto a very special viewing platform.
The lookout is located at the edge of a high cliff, offering a stunning panoramic view of mountains and valleys stretching all the way to the sea. You can even see Byron Bay, located about 50 kilometers away, when visibility is good! Mount Warning, located about 15 km south of the lookout, is also clearly visible.
Head north from there towards the canyon and Twin Falls. From the parking lot of the picnic area called Tallanbana, enter the forest to reach a cliff-top viewpoint overlooking the beautiful Twin Falls, which drop from a great height into a lovely valley/canyon.
Continue on the 4-kilometer trail into the canyon, which leads to the bottom of three waterfalls. At two of them—Twin Falls and Blackfellow Falls—you can even walk behind the falling water, between the cliff wall and the cascade. Along the way, you will also pass through narrow passages within fissures of giant rocks.
From here, you can return to the motel restaurant at the park entrance mentioned earlier for a good meal in a pleasant environment. The restaurant features both indoor and outdoor seating areas with a lovely garden containing many sculptures and various decorations. The service is friendly, and the food is delicious.
It is of course recommended to choose a day for the park trip when the weather is nice.