On the New South Wales side of the border range above the Gold Coast hinterland, the land rises into steep, forested ridges that are the eroded rim of the ancient Tweed Volcano. Numinbah Nature Reserve protects a slice of this country, a jumble of rainforest gullies, eucalypt slopes and rocky outcrops, looking south across the great green bowl of the Tweed valley towards the sharp peak of Wollumbin, also known as Mount Warning.
For riders, this area is best known for the road that crosses it. The Nerang–Murwillumbah Road runs from the Gold Coast up the Numinbah Valley, past the Natural Bridge, where a creek pours through the roof of a cave, and over the range into New South Wales before dropping towards Murwillumbah. It is a classic local ride: tight bends through rainforest, sections where the road clings to the hillside, and stunning views over the caldera. Surfaces can be bumpy and patched, and the road is often wet under the canopy, so caution is wise. On weekends it fills with riders, so expect company, and police presence is not unusual.
The Tweed Volcano was active around twenty-three million years ago, and erosion has since carved out the caldera, leaving Wollumbin as the remnant of its central plug. The surrounding rainforests are part of the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage site, holding plant lineages that go back to the days when Australia was joined to Antarctica. Wollumbin is a sacred site for the local Aboriginal people, and the traditional custodians ask visitors to respect it.
The forest is full of life: brush turkeys scratching in the leaf litter, lyrebirds calling from the undergrowth, pademelons at the edge of clearings at dusk, and glow-worms in sheltered gullies at night. After rain, the waterfalls come alive and the air smells of damp earth and leaves.
Murwillumbah, about fourteen kilometres away, is the nearest town with full services, including fuel, cafés and accommodation, and it has an excellent regional art gallery. On the Queensland side, Nerang and the Gold Coast suburbs have everything you need. Carry water and a rain jacket, since the weather can change quickly in the mountains, and be prepared for slow traffic on the narrowest sections.