Bushwalk Australia

hey all

myself and some family members are going to be in Brisbane for a week in September and we are all keen to do a day hike close to Brisbane. ( couple of hours drive out is fine) we all have experience in hiking and we dont mind what sort of walk either. thank you

Should be quite a few good options, but from experience, walks in the Glasshouse Mountains are only about an hours drive out.
Check the web for what walks are available and open at the time.
http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/glass-house-mountains/about.html

Binna Burra or O'Reilly's are probably the most accessable. Shipstern Circuit is an excellent day walk. Park information.
For an overnighter do Binna Burra - O'Reilly's return.

Hey gossy,

I second Lamington NP (both Binna Burra and O'Reilly's are great, though you'll come across loads more people at O'Reilly's as its a popular tourist spot). Both are 1.5-2 hours drive from Brisbane. If you are into rainforest and waterfalls, Lamington has several good options. I recently did Toolona Creek circuit at O'Reilly's and thought it was awesome (some photos are on my blog here: http://sirkingchampionmunch.blogspot.co ... rcuit.html). Shipstern as suggested is good also, if you like varied vegetation + lots of views + one big waterfall.

If the weather is fine and you prefer hiking up a mountain (and getting unobstructed views from the top), there are several good options in Mt Barney NP. Again you're looking at 1.5-2 hours drive. Mt Barney itself is a very long and challenging day depending on the fitness of your group, but Mt May or Mt Maroon are shorter options (although I haven't done either walk before, there are numerous trip reports on the web).

West is Main Range NP, again some great rainforest walks with good views. Within 2 hours' drive you can visit Cunningham's Gap (Mt Mitchell or Mt Cordeaux are great walks) or Spicer's Gap (Mt Mathieson Circuit/Governor's Chair Lookout for awesome views).

North there is glasshouse mountains as suggested, about an hour drive. You get a nice view from the top of Mt Ngungun (short walk with some easy scrambling sections) but the two other popular options Mts Tibrogargan and Beerwah are currently closed. Another hour further north you could do some nice beach hiking at Noosa NP or Cooloola NP.

For something closer to the city, D'Aguilar NP has a nice selection of short, easy walks (see: http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/daguilar/). Greene's Falls/Rainforest circuit is probably the pick of the bunch, but you can combine several to make a longer day of it. There are nice picnic areas here if you fancy a barbeque. It's also a nice drive up through here to Mt Nebo or Mt Glorious but on weekends you have to contend with multitidues of cyclists and motorcyclists.

In short, there are many, many options for hiking around Brisbane. Just depends on what kind of walk you're keen on and how much time you have to spare.

Cheers,
Munch

gossy1985 wrote:hey all

myself and some family members are going to be in Brisbane for a week in September and we are all keen to do a day hike close to Brisbane. ( couple of hours drive out is fine) we all have experience in hiking and we dont mind what sort of walk either. thank you

All good suggestions so far. My blog here has notes and photos from a range of walks in the area. http://www.hikinginseqld.com

Hi Gossy,

Munch has posted some great walks, all worth checking out. I'll add a few more...

In Lamington National Park, try Dave's Creek Circuit or the Coomera Circuit in addition to the Toolona Circuit mentioned by Munch. Dave's Creek is probably the most varied walk in the park (it has a remarkable range of vegetation for such a short walk), and it's easy. The Coomera Circuit is a bit longer, but it's gorgeous -- beautiful rainforest scenery, waterfalls, creek crossings and blue crayfish sitting smack in the middle of the track. Highly recommended.

As for the Scenic Rim mountains, Mt Maroon is fairly steep, but the views from the summit are definitely worth the effort. Likewise, nearby Mt Greville is worth a look. Climb up Palm Gorge and descend via the South East Ridge and you'll have a great (albeit tick-infested) walk on your hands. If you're into photography, nearby Lake Moogerah makes for a great detour -- it's particularly pretty at sunrise. Apparently, Mt Edwards (the picturesque mountain just behind Lake Moogerah) makes for a lovely, easy day walk, as well.

If you're prepared to venture a little further afield, Girraween National Park (in the granite belt three hours south of Brisbane) offers superb bushwalking terrain. A few hours north of Brisbane, there's the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk, which can be done in several stages if you're more into day walks.