Tamborine is a national park in the Gold Coast hinterland and is a part of the Scenic Rim Regional Council of

South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. Th ...

, Australia, south of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. It covers 11.60 km² on the plateau of

Tamborine Mountain Tamborine Mountain is a plateau and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Tamborine Mountain had a population of 7,506 people. Geography The plateau is a , . The name is from the of Yugumbir language of the Wanger ...

and around its foothills. The

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

is long, wide and rises to an altitude of . The elevation of the plateau keeps the temperature down a little in summer although December to April is also the wettest time to visit. Winter is drier but also cooler. The protected area is scattered across 14 separate reserves which make up the National Park, interspersed with villages. There are a number of picnic areas as well as scenic drives and many bushwalks to lookouts, gorges,

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

s, rainforest areas, wet

eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', '' Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, open forest and woodlands. Wildlife in the park includes

Lyrebird A lyrebird is either of two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds that compose the genus ''Menura'', and the family Menuridae. They are most notable for their impressive ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environ ...

s, the elusive

platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative or mono ...

brush-turkey Brushturkey, brush-turkey or brush turkey generally refer to birds in three genera in the megapode family, and sometimes to other species such as the Australian bustard: Megapodes ;''Alectura'' * Australian brushturkey, ''Alectura lathami'' ;''Aep ...

lorikeet Loriini is a tribe of small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries. The species form a monophyletic group within the ...

eastern whipbird The eastern whipbird (''Psophodes olivaceus'') is an insectivorous passerine bird native to the east coast of Australia. Its whip-crack song is a familiar sound in forests of eastern Australia. Two subspecies are recognised. Heard much more ofte ...

s and

satin bowerbird The satin bowerbird (''Ptilonorhynchus violaceus'') is a bowerbird endemic to eastern Australia. A rare natural intergeneric hybrid between the satin bowerbird and the regent bowerbird is known as Rawnsley's bowerbird. Description Mature mal ...

s. The significance of the park is underscored by the fact that it provides habitat for 85% of all fauna species and 65% of all flora species in the Scenic Rim Regional Council area.

Camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

is not permitted in any part of the park. A range of small-scale cottages, bed-and-breakfast style accommodation, hotels and motels is available. The main areas to visit in the park are Joalah, Cedar Creek, The Knoll, MacDonald Park, Niche's Corner, Palm Grove and Witches Falls. All have picnic facilities and walking tracks. All but Cedar Creek have information centres; most have toilets and some have barbecues.

Witches Falls

Cedar Creek Falls in Tamborine National Park 2

The Witches Falls section, on the eastern side of Mount Tamborine village, became Queensland's first national park in 1908. The main walk here is the Witches Falls Circuit () which snakes down a steep slope through closed in forest into rainforest with

cycad Cycads are seed plants that typically have a stout and woody (ligneous) trunk with a crown of large, hard, stiff, evergreen and (usually) pinnate leaves. The species are dioecious, that is, individual plants of a species are either male o ...

groves, seasonal lagoons, enormous strangler figs and

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

groves, en route to the falls. An alternative way of seeing the falls is via the Beacon Road Track (four km one way). Access is off Main Western Road (also known as Tamborine Mountain Road and Geissmann Drive). Subtropical rainforest containing large red cedar trees and strangler figs is the predominant vegetation here.

Palm Grove

On the western side of Tamborine Mountain village is the Palm Grove section of the park. The Curtis Road Track ( one way) links Curtis Road and Palm Grove Avenue. The Palm Grove Circuit () passes through rainforest, fig and palm groves. Curtis Road runs off Tambourine Mountain Road (in Tamborine Mountain) and Palm Grove Avenue runs off Central Avenue in Eagle Heights. The section is named after the

piccabeen palm ''Archontophoenix cunninghamiana'' (Bangalow palm, king palm, Illawara palm, ''piccabben'', ''piccabeen'') is an Australian palm. It can grow over 20 m tall. Its flower colour is violet and the red fruits are attractive to birds. It flowers i ...

s flourishing in the area.

Joalah

In between, and to the north of Witches Falls and Palm Grove, is the Joalah section of the park which features the Curtis Falls Walk (return). It descends to a rock pool at the base of the falls, offering fine views of the

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

rock face. Brush-turkeys can be seen along the Joalah Circuit (4 km), which links up with the Curtis Falls Walk. Access is off Eagle Heights Road.

MacDonald Park

Also in Eagle Heights, adjacent to the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens, is the MacDonald Park section. It has a rainforest circuit () wherein the plants are named. Access is off Wangawallan Road.

The Knoll

The Knoll section of the park is located in the north-west of North Tamborine. It contains the Cameron Falls Circuit () which offers fine views, rainforest environs, open forest and the occasional black skink sunbathing on the rocks. Knoll Road runs off Main Street. The Tamborine Mountains Natural History Association Information Centre is also located in the village of North Tamborine. Stands of forest she-oak are found at the Knoll as well as the lacebark, an Australian native flowering tree.

Cedar Creek

Heading north from North Tamborine, via Tamborine Mountain Road, there is a turnoff into Cedar Creek Falls Road. One of the most delightful walks in the whole Tamborine area is the Cedar Creek Circuit (3.2 km) which explores the creek's various cascades, rock pools and plant communities, such as open and dry rainforest and hoop pines. The falls tumble (gently rather than spectacularly) down into a gully. The Rock Scree Walk intersects with the circuit walk, for a potential detour.

Niches Corner

Located approximately north of the Knoll and main section of Tamborine Mountain, Niches corner sits looking towards the Gold Coast and delivers expansive views. One of the best walks in the whole Tamborine area is the Niches Lookout Circuit () which explores the Niches Corners various cascades, rock pools and plant communities, such as open and dry rainforest and hoop pines.

References

External links

{{National Parks of Queensland National parks of South East Queensland Protected areas established in 1993 1993 establishments in Australia Tamborine Mountain