About Mooloolah River

Park features

Mooloolah River is one of the Sunshine Coast’s most significant protected coastal lowland habitats. Rapid development along the coast has left very few of these habitats intact. Those that remain have extremely high conservation value and are essential for the survival of local plants and animals.

The park’s coastal rainforest, melaleuca forests, wallum banksia woodlands, scribbly gum open forests, sedgelands and closed heaths are all threatened regional ecosystems.

The Jowarra section of Mooloolah River National Park is one of the few remaining coastal rainforest areas. It is an important home for wildlife including the wompoo pigeon, eastern yellow robin, and the vulnerable Richmond birdwing butterfly.

Explore Mooloolah River National Park and enjoy its beauty and tranquillity—take a bushwalk, canoe up the Mooloolah River or cycle along the edge of the park on the Council’s bikeway.

Looking after the park

Mooloolah River National Park’s plant communities are all threatened regional ecosystems. With its sandy soils the park is very sensitive to human impacts. Damage to ground surfaces can take many years to recover.

Waterlogged areas are particularly sensitive to the impact of walkers. The soil becomes deeply compacted and trampled plants do not recover quickly. Care for the environment by turning back when the track is covered by water rather than walking around the edge and widening the track and damaging plants.

Always stay on track and visit only on foot. Bicycles, motor bikes and vehicles are not permitted in the park as they cause too much damage in this sensitive, sandy environment.

Many of the parks plants are adapted to fire and some germinate only after fire but there is a fine balance between appropriate frequency of fire to maintain species diversity and too frequent or too hot fires that reduce diversity. Fires are not permitted in the park and visitors, particularly smokers, need to be very careful to ensure they don’t accidentally start a fire.

Are you a local resident?

Growing local native plants in your garden will help retain this area’s biodiversity and reduce the risk of exotic plants becoming weeds in the park. Obtain a plant species list and visit a native plant nursery to find out what species are available.

All the plants and wildlife here, including many rare and threatened species need this park for survival. Never take dogs into the national park. If you own cats, lock them up at night. When buying a pet, choose one that will not impact on local wildlife.

You are privileged to live so close to such a valuable conservation area. When you visit the park take good care of it by being a minimal impact visitor.

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

Park management

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) manages this park under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.

Tourism information links

Visit Sunshine Coast Information Centres
visitsunshinecoast.com
ph 1300 847 481 (within Australia)
email visit@visitsunshinecoast.com

For tourism information for all regions in Queensland see Queensland Holidays.