Springbrook National Park Brisbane | Gold Coast

4.8stars, rated out of 5

Google reviews (3169 total)

Google reviews for Springbrook National Park

4.8stars, rated out of 5 Write a review

  • 5stars, rated out of 5 John Kanowski
    5 months ago

    Very nice national park, up in the mountains so quite cool. Visited the Twin Falls area of the park on a Saturday and was very busy. The walk to Twin falls is relatively short and popular with families. We walked part of the Warrie Circuit which had a few waterfalls, need a full day to walk the whole length (14 km).

  • 5stars, rated out of 5 Denille Obermeyer
    5 months ago

    Very beautiful hike! We did the Purling hike. Definitely do it starting from clockwise direction. Beautiful views and incredible vegetation! The waterfall was stunning!

  • 5stars, rated out of 5 Neo
    7 months ago

    This is a very big national park which you can't finish with just a day tour. You will need at least 2 or 3 days to explore all the places in the national park. The detail of the places I will give a review at the specific place in Google map. If you want to go for camping there is a settlement area which you need to get a permit through the website or by phonecall If you want to see the lookout point there are some lookout points which are best of all lookout, canyon lookout, purling brooks fall lookout, and etc. If you are into hiking there will be a long train at the canyon lookout which will be 14KM long which will take you about 6hours++ If you want a short want you can probably walk to the twin falls, it is worth it. Overall I have a very pleasant experience there. Definitely worth a visit and plan a stay there

  • 5stars, rated out of 5 Sudharsan Narayanan
    3 months ago

    Small but gorgeous park. The park is well designed and allows one to have a short but satisfying trek . It's a bit of a drive from the gold coast but worth it

  • 5stars, rated out of 5 Alex Hoare
    4 months ago

    So blessed to have this wonderful national park so close to the Gold Coast. The Twin Falls and Purling Brook hikes have fantastic waterfalls and are great for people looking for a 4-8km hike. Lots of kids do these hikes too. For anyone looking for something longer, the Warrie Circuit is around 16km and has 7 or 8 waterfalls along the way. On the other side of the national park, in the Numinbah valley, Natural Bridge is a great place to visit during the day or at night to see the glow worms. In the town of Springbrook there are a few cafes and some great accommodation. I can highly recommend it for a day trip from Brisbane or the Gold Coast or a nice weekend away. One thing I can highly recommend is the Springbrook observatory to see the amazing stars. There are also lots of amazing lookouts around the town to visit. One thing that can be improved is the parking at the Canyon lookout, so if you are going on a sunny weekend, be aware that it will fill up very quickly. Overall I think it’s a fantastic national park and we’ll worth a visit.

  • More info and reviews

Virtual parks—tour Springbrook National Park from your desktop

See ancient World Heritage rainforest, discover a surprising cave and waterfall and look out across volcanic cliffs—all from the comfort of your home! Photo credit: © Queensland Government

Virtual tour - MyRanger app

Discover the beauty and diversity of Springbrook National Park through the virtual ranger guided tours. Get up close and personal with some of the park’s unique animals through the Augmented Reality experiences. It’s like having a personal ranger in the palm of your hand.

Photo credit: © Jen Bartlett

Things to do

    Plan our walk so you can catch as many waterfalls in a day. Water and time have shaped this World Heritage listed park. Warrie circuit, Springbrook.

    Plan our walk so you can catch as many waterfalls in a day. Water and time have shaped this World Heritage listed park. Warrie circuit, Springbrook.

    Photo credit: Cameron Semple

    At any time of the year expect cooler and often wetter conditions, so bring warm clothes and a raincoat!

    At any time of the year expect cooler and often wetter conditions, so bring warm clothes and a raincoat!

    Photo credit: Adam Creed, Queensland Government

    Take in the breath-taking views of Mount Warning from Best of All lookout.

    Take in the breath-taking views of Mount Warning from Best of All lookout.

    Photo credit: Maxime Coquard, Queensland Government

    Watch erosion as it happens from the viewing platform along the Cougal cascades track. Remember to remain behind the barriers.

    Watch erosion as it happens from the viewing platform along the Cougal cascades track. Remember to remain behind the barriers.

    Photo credit: Lightcapturer, Queensland Government

    Camping and accommodation

    Camping

    Camping is available at The Settlement camping area on Springbrook plateau. Camping permits must be booked in advance, online or by phone. Fees apply.

    Camping is not permitted anywhere else in Springbrook National Park other than at The Settlement camping area.

    View the Camping information.

    Other accommodation

    There are several privately-run campgrounds, guesthouse, lodges and bed and breakfasts within a short distance of Springbrook National Park. For more information see the tourism information links below.

    Walking tracks

    Springbrook National Park offers a wide range of walking opportunities ranging from 300m to 54km in length.

    The Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk can either start or finishes at The Settlement camping area. If you are interested in undertaking this 54km walk, please read the walk's details so you can better plan your Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk.

    View the Journeys information for walking track details.

    Guided tours and walks

    A number of commercial operators conduct night tours to Natural Bridge section of Springbrook National Park to view the glow-worms. You can discover the glow-worms at night without joining a tour but the basic cave rules must be followed. For more information see the tourism information links.

    Picnic and day-use areas

    There are several popular picnic areas. No rubbish bins are provided in Springbrook National Park—please take your rubbish home with you. Electric barbecues are provided throughout the park.

    Springbrook plateau

    All picnic areas on the plateau have toilets and sheltered picnic areas. Springbrook plateau can be cool and rainy at all times of the year so carry a raincoat and warm clothing. Cliffs and waterfalls are spectacular but dangerous features of the park. All creeks on the plateau abruptly become waterfalls.

    Rocks are slippery, even when they appear dry. Keep to walking tracks and supervise children closely—wandering off tracks could be fatal.

    The Gwongorella picnic area map (PDF, 330.8KB) provides details of where to find wheelchair car parking and wheelchair-friendly picnic facilities. Please use car parks provided. If the car park is full, park at The Settlement picnic area (PDF, 248.2KB) and access the Gwongorella picnic area via a short walking track. There is no wheel-chair parking at this location.

    The Settlement picnic area, located opposite The Settlement camping area, features a large, flat grassed area suitable for large group activities. If you are planning to conduct a non-commercial organised activity in the park, you may need an organised event permit.

    Natural Bridge section

    A sheltered picnic table and toilets are provided. Water is not suitable for drinking.

    Part of Cave Creek within the park has been declared a restricted access area. Access to the creek, including within the cave, and creek bank is prohibited.

    If you are looking for a place to swim or picnic, visit Bochow Park, a City of Gold Coast Council park, 4km north of Natural Bridge. This park has easy access to the Nerang River. Before entering the water please be aware that there are many hazards in natural waterways—serious injury or death can result from people diving or jumping into pools, lakes and rivers.

    A public telephone is available further north along the Nerang–Murwillumbah Road and adjacent the Numinbah Valley Hall. Cafes are located to the north of the park on Nerang-Murwillumbah Road as well as at Crystal Creek or Chillingham located south of the park in New South Wales.

    Mount Cougal section

    The small picnic area is located adjacent to the car park and beside the walking track entrance. Picnic tables and toilets are provided. Water is available for washing only—it is not suitable for drinking. No barbecues are provided.

    Viewing wildlife

    Subtropical rainforest, ancient Antarctic beech, hoop pines, eucalypt forest and montane heath habitats shelter an incredible variety of wildlife. More than 100 bird species live in the park. The elusive Albert's lyrebird, more often heard than seen, is part of an ancient, unique bird group that probably evolved when flowering plants began to dominate the landscape. In the winter months its vibrant composite call can be heard from the depths of the valleys. Springbrook provides an important refuge for this species of songbird.

    The most frequently seen reptiles are prehistoric-looking lace monitors, glossy black skinks known as land mullets, and sleepy carpet pythons.

    The abundance of water in the park has resulted in a diverse selection of water-dwelling animals. Frogs are the most vocal, blue spiny crayfish the most colourful and eels the most surprising. Orange-eyed treefrogs Litoria chloris and large, beige-coloured great barred-frogs Mixophyes fasciolatus are often seen on the tracks at night.

    Other rare and threatened animals such as the Richmond birdwing butterfly rely on Springbrook and Numinbah's forests for their survival.

    Horseriding

    Guided by the horseriding strategic framework, horseriding is permitted on specific forest trails in the Numinbah section of Springbrook National Park.

    Help protect the park environment of Springbrook National Park by adopting a minimal impact approach to horseriding.

    • Stay safe by following the horseriding safety guidelines and the give-way code for shared trails.

    MyRanger mobile app

    Why not add to your visit by downloading the MyRanger mobile app. It provides information about the park and its wildlife, interactive maps, and virtual guided tours led by the local rangers, it’s like having a local park ranger in your phone!