Cooloola Recreation Area, Great Sandy National Park Sunshine Coast

Go back in time to the late 1800s at the Mill Point Settlement site where remnants of this flourishing timber mill township remain today. Photo credit: Rob Cameron © Queensland Government

Four-wheel drive past towering coastal sand cliffs and coloured sands in the paradise of Cooloola Recreation Area. Photo credit: © Tomek Z Genek

Mill Point circuit

Amble through the allocasuarina and paperbark forests that fringe the wetlands bordering Lake Cootharaba, and discover the area’s early European heritage.

Journey type
Walk
Distance
5.1km return Start and finish points are the same and the traveller must return via the same path
Time suggested
Allow 2hrs walking time.
Grade
Grade 3 walking track

Accessible by

  • Conventional vehicle
  • Trail bike

Journey facilities

  • Walking

From the Elanda Point car park, follow the Cooloola Wilderness Trail through Elanda Plains, a stretch of once-cleared farmland that has since been revegetated with native trees. Walk along an old tramway track towards Mill Point and discover the ruins of an old farmhouse in a clearing.

Continue along the tramway track to the historic Mill Point Settlement site, a timber mill township that flourished from 1862 to 1892. Explore the site—you won’t find much structural evidence of the mill but read the signs and journey back in time to appreciate how people lived—then continue along the circuit and return to the car park.

Refer to the Cooloola and Inskip recreation areas discovery guide (PDF, 4.3MB) for a map and more details.

Getting there and getting around

Mill Point circuit is in Cooloola Recreation Area, Great Sandy National Park, on the Sunshine Coast between Noosa Heads and Rainbow Beach (155–240km north of Brisbane).

  • The walk is in the southern section of Cooloola, and starts from the Elanda Point car park, which is accessible by 2WDs.
  • The first 1.9km of the track ventures along the Cooloola Wilderness Trail before branching off to the mill site and returning via a circuit to the Cooloola Wilderness Trail and back to the car park.
  • Campers at the privately-operated Elanda Point camping area can also access the circuit from linking tracks (enter from the back of the camping area and exit at the road entrance to the camping area).
  • The mill site at Mill Point can also be accessed by boat from Boreen Point or by canoe from Elanda Point.

Getting to Elanda Point

  • From Brisbane drive 135km north on the Bruce Highway or the Sunshine Motorway to Tewantin; or from Gympie drive 58km south and east on the Bruce Highway to Tewantin.
  • From Tewantin drive 19km west and north via McKinnon Drive and Louis Bazzo Drive to Boreen Point. Turn left onto Lake Flat Road and drive 2km to the Elanda Point access road.

Wheelchair access

  • There are no wheelchair-accessible facilities.

Drinking water

Do not drink from Lake Cootharaba as it is salt water and unsuitable for drinking.

Before you visit

Opening hours

Mill Point 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 Cooloola Recreation Area safely and Walk with care.

View all park alerts