Nature, culture and history

Culture and history

Samford Valley history

The land in and surrounding Samford Conservation Park has sustained life for thousands of years. It is believed the area was known as ‘Kupidabin’, an Aboriginal word from the Waka language, meaning ‘place of possums’.

Samford’s natural wonders and unique biodiversity have played an important part in the development of Brisbane’s valley area. The forest, now a declared conservation park, has had many different uses over the years. An area of 317 acres between Bunyaville and D’Aguilar National Park was declared a timber reserve in 1873. Gold mining also took place but proved to be unsuccessful with little gold found in the area. Today, Samford Conservation Park protects 624ha of land.

Historically, Samford Conservation Park has been used by travellers, with a train line running through the park from Camp Mountain to Ferny Grove in the early-to-mid 1900s. The train line was operational up until the late 1940s when it closed after a train derailed while coming down the mountain in 1947. Sixteen people were killed and 38 more injured as a result of this accident. Today the park is a popular place for many activities including horseriding, mountain-bike riding and is a great place for families to have a picnic.