CONONDALE NATIONAL PARK, QLD

Explore rainforests and clear mountain streams within Conondale National Park. Pic: visitsunshinecoast.com

Conondale National Park is just out the back of Maleny in the Sunny Coast hinterland.

Barely an hour out of the capital’s northern suburbs, this is one of Brissy’s nearest faraway places. The park protects a chunk of hilly wilderness amongst the Great Dividing Range and is criss-crossed by a network of challenging 4WD tracks.

The whole area is lush and verdant and the winding drive into the park alone will get your head in the right place. The lower reaches of the park are cloaked in dense eucalypt forest, while pockets of temperate rainforest are tucked away deeper within the park.

Enter the park from Booloumba Creek Rd where you’ll need to ford a river stone lined creek crossing almost immediately.

Booloumba Creek and Peters Creek snake throughout the park, both creeks intersect with offroad tracks, providing a handful of opportunities to get the wheels wet and muddy.

STUFF TO DO

4WDING: The hilly terrain offers up a wealth of steep and slippery climbs and descents. You’ll be thankful for all the clearance your rig can muster, particularly after rain when some of the steeper sections turn downright treacherous.

BUSHWALKING: Get out of the rig and hoof it for a close to the ground experience of this wild chunk of subtropical wilderness.

There are many kilometres of dedicated walking track within the park, with the 56km Conondale Range Great Walk the pick of the bunch. Dedicated hikers generally take three days to complete!

IMPORTANT INFO

LOCATION: 130km north of Brisbane, access is via the Bruce Highway.

CAMPING is available within the park at Booloumba Creek Camping Area. The camping areas are 4WD accessible only and provide toilets, untreated water and fire rings.

FUEL is available at Maleny, Beerwah and Kilcoy.

MORE INFO is available at www.nprsr.qld.gov.au

Comments are closed.