Visiting Lamington safely
Walking is the only way to see the park's many natural features.
Photo credit: Lightcapturer © Queensland Government
Getting there and getting around
Getting to Lamington
- Green Mountains section map
- Binna Burra section map
- Gold Coast and hinterland parks locality map
- View Google map
Lamington National Park is made up of two sections—Green Mountains and Binna Burra. Green Mountains section is located on the western side of the Lamington Plateau. The Binna Burra section encompasses the rest of the park to the east.
Getting to Green Mountains section
From Broadbeach, drive 40km to Canungra via Nerang. From the north, take Pacific Motorway exit 34 to Beenleigh, route 92 to Tamborine, and route 90 to Canungra. The 36km winding and often narrow bitumen road from Canungra requires care and takes at least 50min. This road is unsuitable for recreational vehicles (RVs) longer than 4m and vehicles towing caravans and camper trailers.
Getting to Binna Burra section
Allow 70min from Broadbeach. Drive 38km to Beechmont via Nerang. From the north, take Pacific Motorway exit 69 and follow the signs west to Lamington National Park—Binna Burra section. The final 1.8km of the drive is very narrow and winding.
There are many commercial tour operators that conduct tours to Lamington National Park. See the tourism information links for further details.
There is no public transport to the park and getting taxis and ride share operators to pick up from the park can be difficult.
Wheelchair accessibility
There are wheelchair-accessible toilet facilities at the day-use areas in both the Green Mountains and Binna Burra sections of Lamington National Park. Binna Burra section also has wheelchair-accessible picnic tables.
At Green Mountains section there are two wheelchair-accessible walking tracks. The Centenary track is a 900m universal access track, and the first 700m of the Border Track is accessible for wheelchairs with assistance.
Be prepared and use sound judgement. Walk with friends, keep to the tracks, and always carry water, torch, first-aid kit and a map.
Photo credit: Robert Ashdown ©️ Queensland Government
Sturdy footwear can make all the difference to a day's walk.
Photo credit: Robert Ashdown ©️ Queensland Government
Carry the park's guide which includes detailed walking track information.
Photo credit: Lightcapturer, Queensland Government
Staying safe
Lamington National Park is a wild place with hidden dangers for the unwary visitor. Be careful and don't take risks. It is vital to pay close attention to signs that warn of local dangers. Follow these tips and use common sense to stay safe in Lamington National Park.
Water safety
Entering the waterways in Lamington National Park can be harmful to both yourself and the environment.
- Never dive or jump into the water as it may be shallow or hide submerged obstructions.
- Spinal cord injuries such as quadriplegia and paraplegia are some of the serious results from either jumping or diving into creeks. People who have injured their spines through jumping or diving into water often drown.
- Crossing waterways can be hazardous during and after heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded waterways.
Walking
- Be prepared, even on short walks, and judge your ability and conditions carefully before setting out. Do not expect to be warned of every possible danger.
- If walking at night, please exercise caution and ensure you have sufficient lighting. We do not recommend walking at night.
- Before setting out on long walks, leave a copy of your bushwalking plans with a friend, relative, reliable person or place of accommodation. This person has the sole responsibility of contacting police if you are overdue. The plans should include:
- your name, address, number of people in your party, ages and any medical conditions
- vehicle registration, make, model, colour and parking location
- the route you are taking, expected times of departure and return.
- Rescue and medical help can be hours away—even by helicopter. Remember that a search and rescue is costly, endangers people's lives and can damage the environment.
- Leave plenty of time to reach your destination. Do not attempt long walks after midday.
- Take care near cliff edges, at lookouts, on rocks and near waterfalls, especially in wet weather. Never stand on cliff edges while looking through a camera or binoculars. Many tracks have steep drop-offs beside them, so walk carefully. Keep children under close supervision—a steep drop-off may be just around the corner.
- Keep to the walking tracks where provided and take care on rocks, as they may be slippery. If you leave the national park's walking track system you are fully responsible for your actions and safety.
- Walk with a recognised bushwalking club. This is a good way to gain experience.
- Walk with one or more friends. At least one member of each party should be a competent map-reader and bushwalker.
- Learn map and compass skills. Recommended maps for bushwalking are 1:25,000 topographic maps. It is also advisable to carry a recognised bushwalking guidebook for the area.
- Carry sufficient water and food as well as a first-aid kit.
Wildlife
- Eels inhabit many of the park's pools and streams. Disturbing them by wading or sitting in these water bodies may result in a quick, sharp bite. Some bleeding may occur. Have a first-aid kit handy to treat the bite.
- Check yourself and children daily for ticks, often found in body creases. Follow the recommended method for tick removal.
- Leeches are common in wetter areas. Insect repellent on your socks helps keep them away. Remove them by pushing with your fingernail where they have attached. Some bleeding after removal is normal due to the anticoagulant in the leech bite, but there are usually no ill effects apart from an itchy bite-mark.
- Stinging trees (recognisable by their very large, round leaves) can deliver an extremely painful sting—do not touch their leaves, including dead ones, or any part of the tree.
- Venomous snakes live in the park, so watch for snakes on the path, and wait for them to move away. Never pick up, disturb or try to kill a snake. Carry elastic bandages in case of snakebite and know the correct first-aid procedure.
In an emergency
In case of accident or other emergency please:
- call Triple Zero (000)
- call 106 for a text-only message for deaf or speech or hearing-impaired callers
- advise your location and nature of the emergency
- stay on the phone until you are told to hang up.
The nearest hospitals are located at Beaudesert, Robina and Southport on the Gold Coast. Mobile phone coverage is not reliable. Depending on your mobile phone provider you can often get a signal near lookouts.
For more information, please read the guidelines on safety in parks and forests.
Before you visit
- Essentials to bring
- Essential to know
- Opening hours
- Permits and fees
- Pets
- Climate and weather
- Fuel and supplies
- Frequently asked questions
Essentials to bring
Always be prepared, even on half-day walks, and use sound judgment while visiting and walking in Lamington National Park.
- Take warm clothing and raincoats, as weather can change quickly at any time of the year.
- Wear sensible footwear—boots or strong shoes.
- Wear a hat and apply sunscreen to prevent sunburn.
- Carry adequate drinking water, a fuel stove to boil creek water for drinking and/or chemical tables to treat creek water.
- Take a torch and some extra food.
- Always pack a first-aid kit and first-aid manual. Learn first-aid procedures.
- Carry the park's guide that includes detailed walking track information (obtained from the park information centres) or download a copy of the Lamington National Park guide .
- Bring your camera and binoculars for viewing wildlife. A torch, preferably with a red filter to protect animals' eyes, is useful for spotlighting at night.
A topographic map and compass are essential for any off-track walking and a GPS, EPIRB (or PLB) are highly recommended, but know how to use them!
Day visitors must also bring their own rubbish bags as no bins are provided in the picnic areas and all rubbish (including food scraps and bagged sanitary products) must be carried out.
Essential to know
- High impact recreational events or large group activities require a permit.
As Lamington National Park has areas of fragile geology, high numbers of endemic, rare, and threatened species and sites of significant indigenous cultural value, certain activities are restricted and/or not permitted in the park. These activities include, but are not limited to:
- Abseiling and other cliff-based activities are restricted.
- Mountain-bike riding is not permitted.
Restricted access areas
Egg Rock (Kurraragin) is identified as a significant First Nations people’s area under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 and is a restricted access area .
Snake Ridge and East Mount Gipps are restricted access areas for the protection of the endangered eastern bristlebird and Hastings River mouse.
Poondahra cliffs and surrounds are restricted areas because of unstable geology and the protection of endangered, vulnerable and near-threatened species such as Westringia rupicola.
Drones
Flying drones in national parks can affect visitors' experience and privacy, disturb wildlife and impact First Nations peoples' cultural heritage. If you choose to use a drone recreationally you must ensure it is operated in a manner that does not cause a nuisance to other park users or interfere with wildlife or cultural heritage, and you must follow all of Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) rules and regulations. You can be fined for breaking the rules. Commercial drone use in the park requires a permit—contact the Assessments and Approvals Team via parkaccess@des.qld.gov.au.
No swimming
Swimming in the World Heritage area is discouraged.
- Waterways can be polluted by sunscreens, insect repellents, perfumes and personal hygiene products—harming the pristine aquatic ecosystems and associated wildlife.
- Swimming negatively impacts the outstanding universal values of the World Heritage area.
- Disturbing or removing rocks and trampling creek bank vegetation can cause erosion and harm breeding sites for aquatic wildlife.
For more information on how to protect our natural waterways, see caring for parks.
Opening hours
Lamington National Park is open 24 hours a day. The park’s two information centres are only opened during the weekends pending availability of volunteers.
Green Mountains park office is open Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 3.30pm (park duties permitting).
Binna Burra park office is open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 4.00pm (park duties permitting).
Permits and fees
All remote bush camping areas within Lamington National Park require a camping permit and fees apply. Permits must be booked online and a camp site tag with your booking number must be displayed at your camp site. Remember: camping fees must be lodged before camping overnight—fines apply for camping without a permit.
All bush camping sites are closed between 1 December and 31 January the following year.
For more details, see camping information.
Pets
Domestic animals are not permitted in Lamington National Park.
Climate and weather
Lamington is on average 5°C cooler than Brisbane. Extreme winter temperatures can get below 0°C. Frosts can occur.
The park receives an average of approximately 1,600mm of rainfall per year. The wet season is typically from November through to March.
Visitors familiar with Lamington National Park tend to appreciate walking in winter as the fine weather makes views less hazy, rain is usually minimal and leeches uncommon.
For more information see the tourism information links.
Fuel and supplies
Fuel and supplies are available at Canungra and Nerang. No fuel is available on Lamington Plateau. For more information see the tourism information links.
Frequently asked questions
For more information, please read the frequently asked questions.
- Partial track closure - Illinbah circuit. 16 March to 29 December 2023