Main Range Conservation Park Brisbane | Southern Queensland Country

Photo credit: Mark Nemeth © Queensland Government

About Main Range Conservation Park

    Park features

    Main Range Conservation Park and adjacent Main Range National Park extend from the fertile valley of Blackfellow and Flaggy creeks to the rugged gorges, ridges and high plateau country of the Great Dividing and Mistake ranges.

    Bottlebrush and she-oaks hug creek lines, giving way to open woodlands of eucalypts and grass trees on slopes and foothills. Glen Rock—a distinctive outcrop of volcanic rock—and other rocks and cliff-lines, are a feature of steep ridges and plateaus. Dry vine scrubs and rainforest cling to moist, shaded gullies and mist-shrouded mountain tops.

    These parks protect the upper catchment of Blackfellow Creek, which flows out of the park towards the Lockyer Creek system and ultimately to the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay.

    Wildlife is abundant. The park is home to vulnerable species including the brush-tailed rock-wallaby, glossy black-cockatoo, as well as koalas and greater gliders—now listed as endangered.

    Looking after the park

    This area’s natural beauty and diverse wildlife can be threatened by the activities of people.

    You can help protect the park by:

    Guidelines

    • Please leave all plants and animals undisturbed.
    • Follow directions on all safety and other signs—this protects you and the habitats and wildlife of the park.
    • Leave your pets at home. Domestic animals (other than horses) are not permitted in Main Range Conservation Park.
    • Take care with fire and obey fire restrictions. Light fires only in fireplaces provided and keep your fires below the grate. Put your fire out with water before you leave it, especially during hot or windy conditions.
    • Bring your own clean, milled firewood that is free from soil, pests (e.g. fire ants) and potential pathogens. Never collect firewood from the park or from roadsides. Dead timber provides homes for wildlife, and damage is caused as people gather wood.
    • Horseriding and mountain biking are permitted only on shared trails as signed. Please be considerate of other park users.
    • Please do not feed the wildlife. Feeding native animals may cause poor health and sometimes death.
    • Use toilets where provided. If toilets are not available, bury all faecal matter and toilet paper 15-20cm deep at least 100m from tracks, camp sites and watercourses. Bag and carry out disposable nappies and sanitary products.
    • Keep detergents, soaps, sunscreens, and toothpastes out of streams and watercourses. These can pollute water and damage aquatic life.
    • Take your rubbish home. Remember—bring it in, take it out. This includes all food scraps, scraps of foil, sweet’s wrappers, fruit stickers and cigarette butts.
    • Keep to walking tracks and shared trails. Don't shortcut or make your own path. Take care near cliff edges.

    Weeds, pests and pathogens

    Stop the spread of weeds, pests (such as fire ants) and pathogens (disease producing organisms such as Phytophthora, myrtle rust and amphibian chytrid fungus). Soil and detritus can contain pathogens such as fungal spores that are harmful to the forest and frogs. Weed seeds can easily be transported in gear, clothing, and horse feed.

    • Before you visit, check your clothing, footwear, gear and horse feed are free of soil, weed seeds, eggs, insects, spiders, lizards, rats and mice. Clean camping spade and camping gear with a disinfectant wash.
    • Brush soil and plant materials from your tent and pegs before each pack up.
    • Keep to designated roads, walking tracks and shared trails at all times.
    • For more information watch the stop the spread of weeds video.

    Be frog friendly

    Waterways provide important habitat for many wildlife species, particularly frogs and crayfish. Please help protect these sensitive habitats by following the guidelines below.

    • Please avoid swimming to minimise your impact on the waterways.
    • Please do not disturb or remove rocks or trample vegetation in or directly adjacent to creeks.
    • Never disturb, handle or remove frogs, their eggs or tadpoles.
    • Do not use or discard, soap, detergent, shampoo, sunscreen, insect repellent or any other potential pollutant in creeks or along the banks.
    • Keep to walking tracks and shared trails, and cross directly where the track crosses the creek.
    • Keep horses out of watercourses and avoid horse dung polluting waterways.

    Ride with care and consideration

    Horseriding and mountain bike riding are welcome at Main Range Conservation Park, but only on the shared trails as indicated on maps and signs. Riding is not permitted on the Mount Machar track.

    Horseriders should take steps to limit weeds and soil pathogens, as well as to the environment. See horseride with care for more information.

    Mountain bike riders should be realistic about their skill level, wear the right safety gear and give way to walkers and horseriders. Please follow the cyclists code of conduct to protect yourself, the park and all visitors.

    See the guidelines on caring for parks for more information about protecting our environment and heritage in parks.

    Park management

    Main Range Conservation Park and Main Range National Park are managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 to preserve and protect their natural and cultural values in perpetuity.

    Glen Rock (thought to be named after its prominent volcanic rock outcrop), was purchased by the Queensland Government in 1996. It was initially declared a regional park with the local shire council as trustee—providing open space to the public of South East Queensland for a range of recreational purposes, including walking, camping and horseriding. It became a State forest in 2011.

    In 2022, approximately 2,890ha of the former Glen Rock State Forest became conservation park, and the other 3,400ha was added to adjacent Main Range National Park. These park sections sit at the northern tip of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, recognised internationally by UNESCO for its outstanding geological history, evolutionary significance and role in nature conservation.

    Tourism information links

    Lake Apex Visitor Information Centre
    www.luvyalockyer.com.au
    34 Lake Apex Drive, Gatton Qld 4343
    ph (07) 5466 3425
    email info@visitlockyer.com.au

    For tourism information for all regions in Queensland, visit Queensland.

    • There are currently no park alerts for this park.