In My Backyard: Springbrook
For a change of scenery and a cooler change during our warm sticky Summer days Springbrook mountain and plateau is only 32 kilometres from the Gold Coast. Spectacular waterfalls, lush rainforest, ancient trees, impressive views, exceptional ecological importance and natural beauty makes this a worthwhile day trip whilst visiting the Gold Coast.
Springbrook National Park
Springbrook is part of the world heritage listed Gondwana Rainforest and is made up mainly of National Park. The drive up is via a winding road, which is one lane in some parts, you will be rewarded with glimpses of breathtaking views back over the high-rise buildings of the Gold Coast. Small cascades of water trickling over rocky escarpments, burbling brooks and streams, lush green rainforest featuring ferns and the tallest of trees and plunging deep canyons are all on offer.
Along the way there are many lookouts with panoramic views, quaint little cafes and teahouses to stop for some refreshments, parks with picnic and BBQ facilities and walking trails to suit all levels of fitness. Explore these forest habitats with nine different walks and encounter the diverse wildlife – such as the the elusive and unique Albert’s Lyrebird.
Purling Brook Falls
Luckily we have had recent rainfall so the water was cascading down the 100m Purling Brook Falls into the deep canyon below. There are several walks available at Purling Brook Falls, starting with the short 100 metre walk to the lookout, the more challenging 4 kilometre circuit walk or the 6 kilometre Waringa Pools walk. All offer magnificent views of the waterfall and dense rainforest vegetation.
Springbrook Walks
- Wunburra Lookout – Class 2 walking track 30 metres return.
- Canyon Lookout – Class 1 walking track 30 metres return.
- Goomoolahra Falls Lookout – Class 2 walking track 200 metres return.
- Best Of All Lookout – Class 2 walking track 600 metre return.
- Purling Brooks Falls Circuit – Class 3 walking track 4 kilometres return.
- Twin Falls Circuit – Class 3 walking track 4 kilometres return.
- Warrie Circuit – Class 4 walking track 17 kilometres return.
Best of Views Lookout
The name says it all! This lookout offers majestic panoramic views to the south over the Tweed Valley and Tweed Coastline and breathtaking views of Mount Warning.
Canyon Lookout
Take in the superb views of Twin and Rainbow Falls, the sheer walls of The Canyon and the ocean beyond from the easy to get to Canyon Lookout.
Don’t forget to stop by The Old Teahouse Gallery on the way back down the mountain for a sumptuous Devonshire tea and a browse in the gallery.
There is nothing more refreshing than the cooling mountain air and the verdant green vegetation of a rainforest to instantly make you feel alive. I enjoyed my outing to Springbrook and would highly recommend it to visitors and locals alike for a great day trip from the Gold Coast or Brisbane.
Check out my previous post In My Backyard: Tamborine Mountain for more of the Gold Coast Hinterland.
Linking up with Travel Photo Thursday
When I first visited my husband on the Gold Coast this is where he took me. Absolutely stunning :)
Well that would bring back very romantic memories Pinky. Springbrook is indeed stunning and I wish I had more time to do some more walks. :)
You have captured the beauty of this stunning part of our wonderful country! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you Marian. The mountains in the Hinterland of the Gold Coast do have a lot of natural beauty. I loved taking my camera along to capture this.
I am fairly sure I have had afternoon tea or lunch or something at that tea house. Great atmosphere.
The Old Teahouse is a fantastic place for Devonshire Tea or even High Tea. The gallery is also very interesting. Thank you for visiting my blog. :)
WOW! I love the lush vegetation and green EVERYWHERE!
Yes it is very beautiful in the hinterland this time of year as it is our wet season. It is a great time to do some bushwalking and sightseeing. :)
What a lush and tropical area, those views to the coastlines look stunning!
Thank you Noel. On a clear day you can see so far out to the Gold Coast and down to the Tweed Coast. The fact that we have had recent rainfall also added to the lush greenness and beauty of the mountains. It is a photographer’s dream! Thank you for dropping by my blog.
Great Photos. We’ve been to this area. We stayed for a night or two at a modern Queenslander at Canyon Lookout quite a few years ago and we went on some of the walks. I’m sorry I missed that teahouse though!
Thanks Jan. I really enjoyed my day trip to Springbrook after recent rainfall. It had been very dry here up until Christmas, but now it is lush and green everywhere again which makes for much more spectacular photos. Canyon Lookout had the most magnificent views down over the canyon and out to the Gold Coast. It would be a lovely place to stay. Yes the Old Teahouse has the best Devonshire Tea!!
Hi Kathy! What a fab day trip. I love the heat, but it’s always nice to be able to get away from it for a little bit. Love the views, and tea to end the days sounds perfect. Thanks for linking up this week. #TPThursday
It is a wonderful way to escape the heat that we have been experiencing here in Queensland. Because we have also had some good rainfall everything is lovely and green. It instantly makes you feel cooler.:)
I remember visiting Purlingbrook Falls at the end of summer and taking photos of everything just because it was so green!! There’s not much green around in summer in South Australia … It’s been WAY too long since I’ve been to Springbrook – hope my 2015 travels take me there!
I was even pleasantly surprised as to how beautiful and green Springbrook was. It is amazing how much beauty there is in our hinterland. I am going to have to get out there more often with my camera. Yes we were travelling through SA early last year and it was extremely dry.
I’ve not been up since Christmas and the rain arrived, it’s looking fabulously green, must head in again soon. Your photos are gorgeous.
Thank you Toni. What a difference some decent rainfall made to our beautiful hinterland. It was a magnificent sight to see water cascading down over the deep canyons and lush green everywhere. Thanks for visiting my blog. I will definitely be checking yours out as well. :)
I feel the coolness just looking at our photo of the ferns by the side of the road. I like that they rate the trails as I am sometimes hesitant that it may end up being more difficult than what I anticipated. The views from the lookout are so pretty. It does indeed look like a great escape from the heat.
We have had weeks and weeks of oppressive heat so a trip to the mountains is definitely just what the doctor ordered. Our National Parks do a good job with all the walking trails providing good pathways and clear information about the difficulty of the walks. I hope to bring you more of our beautiful hinterland. :)