Head outdoors and explore the Moreton Bay Region
FROM the beach to the bush, there are plenty of destinations to explore now the weather has warmed up and we head into summer. Check out our list.
Moreton Life
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FROM the beach to the bush, there are plenty of destinations to explore now the weather has warmed up and we head into summer
Northbrook Gorges in the southern section of D’Aguilar National Park offers a day of hiking and rock pool swimming among beautiful scenery. This little-known and well-hidden hike is a must for anyone who loves bush-bashing and riverbed walking.
There are several rock pools along the journey, but the highlight is the large, almost crystal clear, rock swimming pool and short waterfall in the second gorge. Shaded by the forest’s towering trees and tall gorge walls, the pool provides a refreshingly cool swim.
Sheep Station Creek Conservation Park is an easy escape into nature for walkers and horse riders.
The 231 ha bushland reserve is abundant in wildlife including birds, reptiles, butterflies, marsupials and mammals. The open, grassy forests provide an ideal habitat for the resident koala, wallaby, short-beaked echidna, and locally-threatened Greater Glider families.
The three walking circuits, all classified as easy, range from 1.1km to a 4.4km loop. As one of the quieter bushwalks around Brisbane, the area is great for bird watching, especially around dawn and dusk.
Pine Rivers Park, on the Bald Hills flats along the banks of South Pine River, is one of the most popular public recreation spaces in the Strathpine region. With wide open grassed areas and shaded picnic spots, it’s a great family getaway. A flying fox and climbing frame are nestled among the mature norfolk pine trees and there’s a garden maze surrounded by a pedal train track. A toddler playground includes a fenced sandpit and swings area. There is also a wheelchair accessible Liberty swing.
Lake Kurwongbah is a peaceful expanse of water surrounded mostly by privately owned residential acreage. This often-forgotten spot is a shared recreational water sports zone for power boats, water skiers, paddlers and rowers.
Power boat users must be affiliated with the local clubs, while paddle craft such as kayaks and canoes may be used daily. Vessels can be launched from Mick Hanfling Park, off Torrens Rd, and there is a wash-down zone.
Fishing is permitted and the lake surrounds are also suitable for walking and bird watching.
Bellthorpe National Park provides a great day trip experience. A short drive west of Woodford, it is at the southern end of the Conondale Range, west of the Glass House Mountains. Offering some of the region’s best 4WD tracks, the park can be accessed from three entrances for a great trip back to nature.
Bellthorpe was once home to a prosperous timber-cutting industry and a gantry is still at the northern section of the park for visitors to explore and photograph.
Samford Valley Rail Trail offers a chance to discover some of Queensland’s railway history. The tracks of the Ferny Grove Line once continued on to Dayboro, cutting through the Camp Mountain Range on their way to Samford Village. The line closed in 1955 due to dwindling passenger numbers as more trucks and cars hit the road.
Today, the 8.3km rail trail is a shared bike and walking path, starting at Ferny Grove train station and continuing towards Samford Valley along Lanita Rd. The sealed, mostly flat trail (also known as Samford to Ferny Grove Cycle Link) is well-maintained and signposted.
Mount Glorious in the southern section of the D’Aguilar Range is one of the region’s best bushwalking destinations. There are a number of well-maintained tracks to guide walkers through the cool, subtropical rainforests. Seven of the walks are family friendly, with boardwalks to safely traverse tricky terrain.
Nature’s best showcase includes tall palms, incredible strangler figs, fallen trees covered in fungi and moss and, if you time your hike after rain, bubbling brooks trickling beside the tracks.
5000 bookings before $35m northside hot spot even opens
Flame-kissed steaks, a kids’ arcade, half-court basketball and wall-to-wall sport. The northside’s newest pub venue opens this week after a booking frenzy.
Young woman charged after man dies in two-car crash
A 22-year-old woman has been charged over a two-vehicle crash which claimed the life of a 59-year-old man. DETAILS