Fact Sheet - Tamborine Mountain National Park

The Park Features

Tamborine Mountain is the most northerly remnant of the flows from a volcano centred on Mt Warning which erupted violently 23 million years ago. Basalt columns, cliffs, rocky outcrops, steep escarpments and waterfalls are geographical features. Unique plant communities are protected including magnificent rainforest with distinctive piccabeen palm groves, wet eucalypt forest with tall flooded gums, open forest with bracken fern understorey and woodland. 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.

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) is continually improving tracks and visitor facilities in Tamborine National Park, to enhance your visit to this unique environment. To protect the natural values of this park, camping is not permitted within the national park.

Walking Tracks

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 car park 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 car park. 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 rock face. 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. Please 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 car park 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 car park 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 in the individual walking tracks information shown above.

Map of all Walking Tracks – Tamborine Mountain

You may view or download a PDF document showing a printable Map of all Walking Tracks on Tamborine Mountain