State forests in Queensland do not always sound romantic, but Palen Creek earns a second look. It sits in the hills south of Rathdowney in the Scenic Rim, between the Logan River country and the border ranges, a mix of eucalypt forest, old timber land and gullies of rainforest that run up toward the New South Wales border. The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, which are listed by UNESCO, begin a few ridges away, and the wildlife does not care much about the boundary.
The approach is along the Mount Lindesay Highway, the main road between Beaudesert and the border at Woodenbong, and it is a good one. South of Rathdowney the road starts to twist as it climbs toward the range, with open views across cattle paddocks and up to the flat-topped bulk of Mount Lindesay, an old volcanic plug that marks the border. The surface is generally sound but it can be patched, and log trucks and caravans are common enough that you need to read the road ahead and pick your overtakes carefully.
There is nothing in the forest itself beyond tracks and gates. Rathdowney is the nearest stop, small but useful for a drink and a snack, and Beaudesert, about thirty-seven kilometres north, is the market town where you can fill up, find a supermarket and choose between several places for lunch. Kooralbyn is closer on paper but needs a detour.
The forest is a good place to understand how fire and water shape this country. Ridges carry dry eucalypt woodland, blackened trunks showing past burns, grass trees with their spiky skirts, while the gullies hold dark green rainforest where the creeks run. Kookaburras, wedge-tailed eagles circling over the ridges and wallabies browsing the clearings are all common sights. In late winter the wattles flower, and in early summer the cicadas can be deafening.
Choose cool, dry months for the best riding and the clearest views. In the wet, the gravel tracks in the forest turn greasy and creek crossings rise quickly, so stick to the bitumen unless you know what you are doing. Pause at a gate with the engine off, and listen to the bush ticking in the heat; it is a quieter, older kind of Queensland.