About Tamborine

Park features

The Witches Falls section of the park was declared in 1908, making it Queensland's first national park. Over the years additional reserves have been declared and today the park is made up of 14 sections of land on the Tamborine plateau and surrounding foothills.

The park protects remnants of Tamborine Mountain's plant communities and includes areas of rainforest with distinctive piccabeen palm groves, wet eucalypt forest dominated by tall flooded gums, open forest with bracken fern understorey and woodland. These plant communities provide essential wildlife habitat in a landscape almost entirely surrounded by urban and rural development.

Tamborine Mountain escarpment hosts 85 percent of all animal species and 65 percent of all plant species found in the City of Gold Coast area. Some common animals seen in the national park include Australian brush-turkeys, scrubwrens, pademelons and one of the world’s largest skinks, the land mullet. Catch a glimpse of the near threatened Albert’s lyrebird or hear it mimicking calls of other birds, particularly during the winter months. The Richmond birdwing butterfly and one of the rainforest’s most colourful birds, the noisy pitta, migrate seasonally to the park from nearby higher altitude rainforests.

Basalt columns, cliffs, rocky outcrops and waterfalls are a lasting legacy of volcanic eruptions 23 million years ago. Tamborine is the most northerly remnant of the flows from a volcano centred on Mount Warning (Wollumbin).

Looking after the park

• Take your rubbish home. No bins are provided.
• Let animals find their natural food. Human food can make native animals susceptible to disease, and can cause overpopulation and aggressive behaviour.
• Do not ride bikes in the park. Riding bikes in national parks causes erosion and disturbs other visitors.
• Do not take or disturb plants or animals. Everything is protected.
• Keep to the defined walking tracks. Short-cutting causes erosion, damages plants and can be dangerous on steep slopes.
• Show consideration for other park users and keep noise to a minimum.
• Please use gas and electric barbecues provided. Lighting a fire in the national park is prohibited.

Trail bikes are not permitted in Tamborine National Park.

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

Park management

The Witches Falls section was declared on 28 March 1908, making it Queensland's first national park. Over the years additional reserves have been declared and today the park is made up of 14 sections of land on the Tamborine plateau and surrounding foothills.

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) manages Tamborine National Park under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 to preserve and present the remarkable natural and cultural values of the area.

Tourism information links

Tamborine Mountain Visitor Information Centre
www.visitscenicrim.com.au
Doughty Park, 2 Main Western Road
North Tamborine Qld 4272
Phone: (07) 5545 3200
Email: tmvic@bigpond.com

Beaudesert Community Arts and Information Centre
www.visitscenicrim.com.au
Westerman Park, Cnr Mt Lindesay Highway and Enterprise Drive
Beaudesert Qld 4285
Phone: (07) 5541 4495
Email: bdstarts@bigpond.net.au

Canungra Information Centre
www.visitscenicrim.com.au
12–14 Kidston Street, Canungra Qld 4275
Phone: (07) 5543 5156
Email: canungrainformation@bigpond.com

Surfers Paradise Visitor Information Centre
www.destinationgoldcoast.com
2 Cavill Ave (Cavill Mall), Surfers Paradise Qld 4217
Phone: 1300 309 440
Email: infosurfers@gctourism.com

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