Southern Queensland SUPERYACHT GUIDE

GOLD COAST

National Parks, Gondwana Rainforests

Springbrook National Park and Lamington National Park both lie in the Gold Coast hinterland and are about an hour’s drive frommost parallel coastal locations. More recently they have become known for their rainforests which now comprise part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia . These rainforests are a listed UNESCOWorld Heritage Area which contains the most extensive areas of subtropical rainforest in the world with ancient and primitive plants and animals.

The rainforests were originally listed to cover just New South Wales but in 1994 it was extended to cover property in Queensland including Lamington and Springbrook National Parks and other areas. parks.des.qld.gov.au/management/managed-areas/world-heritage- areas/gondwana-rainforests

Lamington National Park is to the west of Springbrook and covers a much larger area of 22,000ha. It is full of tracks and trails to explore and its attractions are many. The Green Mountain section includes the Centenary Track, a short, fully-paved trail that takes only 30 minutes. The Moran Falls Track covering the falls and the Morans Creek gorge is closer to 5km. You can also cover the entire park as part of the Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk of 54km which requires an overnight stay. tinyurl.com/qld-lamington-np tinyurl.com/parks-des-gc-great-walk

Springbrook National Park lies close to the NSW border and covers 6,500ha. The Natural Bridge is a key attraction in the western section of the park in the rainforest. The bridge was created by nature with the force of the waterfall carving a bridge-like structure into the basalt rock. Access is from the Nerang-Murwillumbah Road car park with an easy one-kilometre clockwise circuit walk descending into the rainforest to visit the rock formation, spotting local birdlife, rare frog species and koalas along the way. tinyurl.com/dgc-springbrook-nat-bridge For a closer experience with the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia in Springbrook National Park, arrange a private one-day tour with a dedicated rainforest guide and tailor the tour on distance and difficulty. Learn about the rainforest, the endangered wildlife and plant species and how to protect them, visit waterfalls, ancient Antarctic Beech forests and so much more. rainforesttoursaustralia.com/private-tours.html

Gold Coast

Overhead view of Purling Brook Falls, Springbrook National Park.

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND SUPERYACHT GUIDE

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