SUNDOWN NP, QLD

Pack the fourby, camper and kayak for a weekend of adventure at Sundown National Park. Pic: Brett Roberts/ parks.des.qld.gov.au

Sundown National Park is one of the best locations in southeast Queensland to escape the suburban sweat for some serious 4WDing.

Something about the red dusty tracks and sparse vegetation even gives the place a remote feel. You could almost be out on the edge of the outback, miles from anywhere.

Instead, the park sits just above the New South Wales border and is just three hundred clicks southwest of Brisbane’s CBD. Far enough away to feel like a real adventure, but still close enough to get there and back in a weekend with left over time for exploration.

There’s camping available at Red Rock Gorge and at two other sites on the Severn River, but facilities are pretty minimal, so be prepared to rough it a little.

This spot’s hard to beat when you’ve had it with the coastal crowd and are craving someplace rugged and raw.

STUFF TO DO

4WDING is what you came here for, and you won’t leave disappointed. As you enter the park, the steep and rocky dips and climbs of the Sundown Road are just a taste of what to come.

If you’re really looking for a challenge check out the Rats Castle Track. This rocky and rutted loop is a fun drive but is only suitable for high clearance vehicles and experienced drivers.

THE SEVERN RIVER snakes through the park and is the ideal spot to base yourself if you’re planning a trip during the warmer months.

There are two campsites on the banks of the river at Reedy Waterhole and Burrows Waterhole, and the river’s flats and gorges are well worth exploring if you’ve got a bit of free time.

IMPORTANT INFO

LOCATION: 300km southwest of Brisbane via the Cunningham Highway.

CAMPING is available at both Red Rock Gorge and Reedy Waterhole campsites, which are both equipped with pit toilets, as well as Burrows Waterhole, which offers no facilities.

FUEL is available at Stanthorpe, Warwick and Ipswich.

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

Comments are closed.