Things to do
Take a peaceful walk along one of the management vehicle tracks that border the park.
Photo credit: Anthony Dillon, Queensland Government
Begin your Pine Ridge Conservation Park heathland adventure in the north-west section of the park where parking and picnic facilities are provided by City of Gold Coast Council. The conservation park information sign is also located here.
Bushwalkers can explore on sandy, internal management vehicle tracks. There is also a sealed council pathway bordering the park that can be used by walkers and bike riders.
Note: Toilet facilities are not provided. The nearest public toilets are located at Runaway Bay Sports Precinct West to the south of the park on Oxley Drive, or at Paradise Point Parklands to the north-east of the park on The Esplanade.
Management vehicle tracks
Explore the park by walking the internal management vehicle tracks. Tracks are not signed—download the park web map or take a photo of the orientation sign map to take with you on your walk.
Some tracks pass through wetland areas and may be impassable after wet weather.
- To protect sensitive wetland areas, turn back when the track is covered by water. Walking through and around waterlogged areas deeply compacts soils and tramples plants—damaged areas take a long time to recover.
- Slippery and very boggy conditions also increase fall and injury risks.
Boronia blooms can be seen late winter or early spring.
Photo credit: Katie Roberts, Queensland Government
Wallum banksia Banksia aemula in bloom.
Photo credit: Katie Roberts, Queensland Government
Bearded dragons share the sandy management trails with walkers. Please give them space.
Photo credit: Katie Roberts, Queensland Government
Explore quietly and you may encounter lace monitors, koalas, bearded dragons and birds, including sacred kingfishers (pictured), rainbow bee-eaters and variegated fairy-wrens.
There are a variety of plant communities to see, including coastal heath areas that offer spectacular wildflower displays during winter and spring.
Many plant species thrive in wet and dry coastal heaths found on the sand plains—prominent species include dwarf banksia Banksia oblongifolia, weeping myrtle Baeckea frutescens, wallum boronia Boronia falcifolia, tea-trees Leptospermum sp. and grasstrees Xanthorrhoea sp.
Fringing the wet heaths are tall open forests dominated by swamp paperbark Melaleuca quinquenervia and some swamp mahogany Eucalyptus robusta trees. Sedges and herbs carpet the forest floor.
Banksia woodland grows on the sand plains and dunes—a gnarled form of wallum banksia Banksia aemula dominates the canopy with an understorey of wattles Acacia sp., tea-trees Leptospermum sp. and grasstrees Xanthorrhoea sp.
On sand ridges there is open eucalypt forest featuring pink bloodwood Corymbia intermedia, Moreton Bay ash Corymbia tessellaris, coast cypress pine Callitris columellaris and brush box Lophostemon confertus, wattles Acacia sp. and black she-oak Allocasuarina littoralis.
In places shell heaps (middens) are reminders of many Traditional Owners meals of shellfish, especially 'ginyin-gar' (oysters). Middens are irreplaceable examples of Aboriginal culture. Please show respect by leaving sites undisturbed. Nyah-nyah ngalingah gamaygay gaban—take care of our wilderness.
Obtain a Pine Ridge Conservation Park species list and discover the diversity of plants and wildlife living in this park.
- There are currently no park alerts for this park.