Things to do

Lace monitors frequent the campgrounds.

Photo credit: Sophia Levy, Queensland Government

Camping and accommodation

Choose from two waterfront camping areas in the forest.

The Log Dump camping area on Kauri Creek is the only camping area with a toilet. It is accessible by boat or conventional vehicle in dry conditions. A boat ramp is located beside the camping area.

Hedleys camping area is accessible by boat or high clearance four-wheel-drive. There is also an access road through private property. A fee for traversing may apply.

Camping permits are required and fees apply. A tag with your booking number must be displayed at your camp site.

• Find out more about camping in Tuan State Forest.
• Book your camp site online. If you cannot book online, see camping bookings for other options.

Other accommodation

There is a range of holiday accommodation in and around the Tinnanbar township.

Walking

The park has no walking tracks. Explore along numerous unsealed roads with care.

Driving

There are no all-weather roads in the forest—4WD recommended. When exploring the unsealed roads, look out for and obey regulatory signs.

Licensed drivers in fully road-registered vehicles may drive or ride on formed roads in this forest. Conditionally registered vehicles are not permitted.

Boating and fishing

There are numerous opportunities for fishing and boating along the creeks and in Great Sandy Marine Park. Boat ramps provide access at the townships of Boonooroo, Tuan, Poona and Tinnanbar and at Log Dump camping area.

Commonly caught species include whiting, bream, flathead and mangrove jack.

Fishing activities are allowed in the Great Sandy Marine Park, but some restrictions apply to encourage sustainable use. Be aware that the area upstream from the Log Dump camping area boat ramp is a marine national park (green) zone. Read more about marine park zones and how to fish for the future. The creeks are part of the Great Sandy Strait Ramsar site and part of the Great Sandy Marine Park's designated 'Go Slow' zone. Refer to Map 4 'Great Sandy Strait—River Heads to Kauri Creek' (PDF, 6.4MB) , see insert map 23 for details.

Fisheries regulations apply—information on bag and size limits, restricted species and seasonal closures is available from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Practise sustainable fishing

• Use legal tackle. Use barbless hooks, where possible, and avoid using stainless steel hooks which don't dissolve.
• Respect any fishing closures.
• Take only what you need.
• Return unwanted fish to the water immediately. Handle the fish gently to minimise stress.
• Collect only enough bait for your immediate needs. Release any unwanted live bait into the same area where it was collected.
• All refuse from fish cleaning, including offal, scales and unused bait, should be buried at least 30cm deep, below the high tide line.
• Discharge no waste into the water.
• Refuel on land to avoid pollution.

Horseriding and cycling

Horses and bicycles may be ridden on formed roads within the forest. Bikes should be suitable for off bitumen riding. Look out for and obey regulatory signs.

Read more about horseriding and cycling in parks and forests, safety and minimal impact.

Abundant wildlife

The State forest conserves almost 200 plant species within a range of habitats, including wallum heathland and swampland, banksia woodland, and blue gum and scribbly gum open forest. These communities are valuable habitat for a number of rare and threatened species including the glossy-black cockatoo, ground parrot and certain plants such as the leafless tongue-orchid Cryptostylis hunteriana and Wide Bay boronia Boronia rivularis.

The reserve also protects valuable coastal landscapes including wetlands, waterways, sand plains, beach ridge plains and hilly terrain.

Kauri Creek estuary supports coastal wetlands of seagrass, mangroves and saltmarsh. These are important habitats for shorebirds, waterfowl, seabirds, marine fish, crustaceans and molluscs. It is also the habitat for the vulnerable water mouse. Seagrass is important for dugong and turtle populations and productive fisheries.

The Great Sandy Strait is one of Australia's few passage landscapes where a river’s outflow is blocked by an offshore island (Fraser Island). The resulting intertidal sand banks, mud flats and calm waters provide ideal conditions for shallow seagrass beds, mangrove forests, salt marshes and saltpans. These habitats support a range of wildlife, including threatened species such as shorebirds, dugongs, and marine turtles.

See Great Sandy Marine Park for more about nearby marine areas.