A day trip to Mount Tamborine

Mt Tamborine is such a beautiful place in the Gold Coast hinterland, and a great place to explore with children. There is so much to see and do, from waterfalls, to caves, to fossicking for thundereggs. Here are a few things to try on your next day trip to Mt Tamborine.

Waterfall walks

The Tamborine National Park protects over 2000ha of the legacy of the 23-million-year-old Tweed Shield Volcano. Tamborine Mountain lies along the northern end of the biggest erosion caldera in the southern hemisphere, and one of the largest on Earth! The area is largely covered in rainforest and spectacularly featured with a number of breathtaking waterfalls. Pack a picnic and enjoy some of our favourite waterfall walks.

CEDAR CREEK FALLS

Cedar Creek Falls is a popular walk, though the path is not suitable for wheelchair users and strollers. The walk takes around 45 minutes at a leisurely pace and takes you past several water features. Find your starting point on Cedar Creek Falls Road, opposite the Thunderbird Park sign.

WITCHES FALLS

This moderate walking track takes about an hour. It’s quite steep in places and criss-crosses steep mountainside terrain over open forest and into the rainforest. There are seasonal lagoons to navigate before arriving at Witches Falls. After heavy rain this is an especially beautiful and wildlife-dense route. Your return will take you behind the cemetery and then back to the picnic and parking area on Main Western Road.

JOALAH SECTION (CURTIS FALLS)

The name comes from the Aboriginal word meaning lyrebird, and they are out in force in this area in winter. This moderate track should take about 30 minutes. You can access via Dapsang Drive carpark or Eagle Heights Road shops. You’ll find rainforest, steep stairs, a large water pool, beautiful views and impressive rockfaces.

Thunderbird Park

There is so much here at this tourist attraction for families to enjoy. Dinosaur fans can go on a prehistoric dig for gemstone-filled thundereggs, formed back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and thrill-seekers can traverse the treetop challenge!

The Treetop Challenge is a high-ropes adventure course comprising 11 zip lines, suspension bridges and the adrenalin-inducing canyon flyer zip line.

With a Souvenir Miner’s Permit from Thunderbird Park, children can fossick for hidden treasures from prehistoric volcanic lava in the world’s largest Thunderegg Mine.

There are lots more things to at Thunderbird Park, including:

◗ Horse Riding◗ Mini Golf◗ Laser Skirmish◗ Bush Walking◗ Swimming ◗ Bird Feeding◗ Interactive Reptile Show◗ Camping

And there’s a kiosk and deli on site, too!

Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk

This amazing eco-adventure allows you to brush the canopies of the tallest trees in the rainforest! Set on 30 privately-owned, untouched acres of land bordering Cedar Creek, the Skywalk is a 45-minute stroll at an ambling place, taking you 30m high into the rainforest canopy.

It’s all safely enclosed in bridges with lookouts, resting points, and information boards along the way.

You’ll also find an Eco Gallery, the Birdwing Café, a gift shop, modern toilet facilities and plenty of parking on site too.

Wildlife

Whatever walk you plan to do on your Mt Tamborine day trip, grab your binoculars and a checklist because Tamborine Mountain is teeming with wildlife! On your mountain walks, look out for

◗ A healthy snake population (including carpet pythons)◗ Giant earthworms (up to 1 meter long!) ◗ Lots of birds! Lyrebirds, scrub turkeys, tawny frogmouths, whipbirds, bowerbirds, parrots and lorikeets ◗ Platypus in the rockpools◗ Glow-worms◗ Ringtail and brushtail possums◗ Koalas◗ Wallabies◗ Bandicoots◗ Butterflies by the THOUSANDS ◗ Frogs (especially after the rain!)

Glow Worm Caves

The Glow Worm Caves have long been a popular day trip destination for Brisbane families. Inter-connected caves provide both education and entertainment. Your kids will be awestruck by the gorgeous visual displays – they’re really something else!

Glow-worms are a primitive fly species found only in Australia and New Zealand, and we’re lucky enough that our part of the world provides the perfect habitat.

The Mt Tamborine Glow Worm Caves at Cedar Creek Estate are artificial man-made caves designed to recreate the very specific conditions that glow worms need to thrive. You are guaranteed to see the cave filled with thousands of glowing worms all year round.

Don’t let the fact that the caves are artificial put you off; they’re extremely well done and filled with realistic stalagmites and stalactites. The controlled environment means that you won’t be disappointed on your glow worm spotting adventure.

When you’ve finished with the glow worm caves, be sure to check out the frog hollow and find yourself a shady spot to enjoy a picnic in the beautiful grounds of the Cedar Creek Estate.

Botanic Gardens

For a quiet change of pace, visit the Botanic Gardens at Tamborine Mountain.

Covering 11ha, the gardens consist of exotic species, rainforest, flowering cherries, rhododendrons, magnolias, camellias and maples. Themed areas include the Japanese garden, rose garden, bromeliad garden, wisteria-covered pergolas, perennial cottage garden and a lake. This is a great place for a picnic, some contemplation time in the Japanese Garden, a short rainforest walk, or to organise a family game of cricket.

Getting to Mount Tamborine

Leaving from Brisbane CBD, you’re looking at just over an hour’s drive south via the M1. It’s all very well sign posted. Once you leave the M1, the drive up the mountain can be quite winding, but spectacularly scenic!

There is so much for families to do on the mountain that you can set off without a specific plan in mind and see where the many signed attractions take you. It really is a unique and beautiful place!

Find out more here: www.familiesmagazine.com.au/things-to-domt-tamborine