Barker Creek circuit
Get back to nature on this rainforest track with splendid views of the tallest waterfall in the Bunya Mountains.
- Journey type
- Walk
- Distance
- 10km circuit The same start and finish point, but the traveller doesn’t return along the same path
- Time suggested
- Allow 3–4hr walking time.
- Grade
- Grade 3 walking track
Accessible by
- Conventional vehicle
- Bicycle
Journey facilities
- Lookout (natural)
- Walking
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The Barker Creek circuit passes through spectacular fern-carpeted bunya pine forest. Photo credit: © Queensland Government
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There is a small patch of eucalypt forest along the Barker Creek circuit. Photo credit: Darren Jew © Queensland Government
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The rainforest undergrowth is full of different species of fungi. Photo credit: © Robert Ashdown
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Pass through a grassy 'bald' on the Barker Creek circuit. Photo credit: Robert Ashdown © Queensland Government
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Meander through lush, green rainforest on the Barker Creek circuit. Photo credit: Maxime Coquard © Tourism and Events Queensland
From Dandabah picnic area or Paradise car park, meander through rainforest, past picturesque waterfalls—Paradise, Little and Tim Shea falls. Walk through an exceptional stand of bunya pines before emerging above a fern-carpeted forest.
Take the short 750m detour to Big Falls lookout to view the falls and valley below featuring large hoop pines. The true splendour of the falls, the tallest in the Bunya Mountains, is only revealed after heavy rain. Have lunch on the grassy ‘bald’ above Big Falls and view Barker Creek Gorge.
Look for carpet pythons basking in patches of sunlight. Gaze at grey goshawks and wedge-tailed eagles soaring, or topknot pigeons wheeling overhead.
Getting there and getting around
Barker Creek circuit is in the Bunya Mountains National Park, 200km north-west of Brisbane and 125km north-west of Toowoomba in the South Burnett region.
- The circuit starts from either the Dandabah picnic area at the south-eastern park entrance (turn onto Bunya Avenue and drive 1km to the picnic area) or Paradise car park, 2.5km along Bunya Mountains Road from the south-eastern park entrance.
Three steep, narrow and winding routes, signposted as the Great Bunya Drive, lead to the park. The Bunya Mountains Road passes through the park from the south-east to the north.
For more details on how to get to Bunya Mountains National Park, please see getting there and getting around.
Wheelchair access
There are no wheelchair-accessible facilities.
Before you visit
Opening hours
Barker Creek circuit is open 24 hours a day.
Check park alerts for the latest information on access, closures and conditions.
Visiting safely
For more safety information see Visiting Bunya Mountains safely and Walk with care.
- The Bunya Bunya walking track is closed 29 January 2023 to 29 January 2024