Discover Scenic Rim Regional: Nature, Walking Trails and Local Flavours

In Scenic Rim Regional, rainforest walking trails meet lakes, striking landscapes and experiences centred on local produce. The region encompasses six national parks and includes the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, including Lamington National Park. This means you can tailor your trip to a range of interests: nature and walking, water activities, or discovering local agriculture and cuisine.

National Parks and Walking Trails

The trails vary in length, duration and destination. In Tamborine National Park, walking trails are spread across six sections; most can be completed within a few hours. The Curtis Falls Track is a 1 km Grade 3 trail. It passes through moist eucalypt forest and rainforest to a waterfall. Tamborine National Park is Queensland’s oldest national park and was declared in 1908.

A much longer hike is the Scenic Rim Trail: this four-day, 47 km walk runs from the starting point at Thornton View to the endpoint at Cunninghams Gap and is intended for experienced bushwalkers. By comparison, the Curtis Falls Track is a short, standalone trail. If you are choosing walks based on how long they take, these two details offer different points of reference.

Main Range National Park, one of Scenic Rim’s six national parks, also offers a variety of trails. The Mount Cordeaux Track is a 6.8 km circuit to a lookout below the 1,135 m summit. The 3.2 km Heritage Trail is associated with Queensland’s best-known example of challenging 19th-century civil engineering. The trails connect visitors with nature in different ways while also offering a historical perspective.

At the foot of Mount Barney, Mount Barney National Park has four maintained Grade 4 walking trails. The Lower Portals Track ends at a deep pool in a rocky gorge.

Local Produce and Food Experiences

Scenic Rim Eat Local Month takes place every year in June. The regional program brings together paddock-to-plate experiences, farm-gate events, workshops, long lunches and festivals. It highlights both local produce and the food-related encounters and activities on offer. It is worth checking event dates in advance when planning your visit.

At the quarterly Farm Gate Trails, you can buy jams, relishes, flowers and produce, and meet producers from Scenic Rim. Along the country roads, there are also roadside stalls and farm shops selling fresh produce, coffee, jams, relishes, plants and flowers. This lets you enjoy local flavours through both a recurring event and the offerings available along the roads.

If you are interested in how things are made, you can book tours of farms that produce food, beverages and agricultural products. Wineries and breweries offer information about regional grape varieties and tasting tours at their cellar doors. These experiences have different focuses: farm tours explore agriculture and its produce, while cellar doors and tasting tours focus on wine and beverages.

Lakes, Culture and Getting Your Bearings

Lake Moogerah is a destination for water sports and fishing; Lake Wyaralong offers a quieter lake experience. The region therefore offers different kinds of lakeside experiences. Other activities include climbing at Frog Buttress in Moogerah Peaks National Park and swimming at the swimming hole known as The Gorge.

Scenic Rim’s cultural heritage includes connections with the Mununjali, Ugarapul and Wangerriburra communities, as well as the Yugambeh language group. Alongside the national parks and historical connections found on some of the walking trails, this offers another perspective on the region beyond nature and outdoor activities.

For a sense of the wider area, Scenic Rim is about 80 km, or an hour’s drive, from Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Within the region, you can plan your trip around the things that interest you most: multi-day hikes, shorter trails, lake activities or local produce. The experiences listed here offer specific and varied starting points.

Discover more destinations: Moreton Bay Regional, Southern Downs Regional, Sunshine Coast Regional, Mount Isa City, Lockyer Valley Regional, Mackay Regional, Burdekin Shire, Gold Coast City.

For the broader travel overview: Queensland.