The Gold Coast hinterland is the green wall behind the beaches and high-rises of southern Queensland, and it is a steep, wet, forested country of ridges, gorges and waterfalls that climbs toward the New South Wales border. The nearby ranges belong to the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, a UNESCO site said to protect the largest area of subtropical rainforest in the world.
The rock itself tells a story. About twenty-three million years ago a huge volcano, the Tweed volcano, rose here, and its eroded remains form a giant ring of mountains around a central plug, which is now Mount Warning. The soils of dark basalt feed a rainforest of strangler figs, tree ferns, giant stinging trees and rare Antarctic beech, which clings on in the cool mountain mists as a relic of the ancient southern continent. Birds such as the Albert's lyrebird and the paradise riflebird live in the forest, and rivers cut through to waterfalls that pour over basalt cliffs.
The riding here is some of the best near any city in Australia. The roads of the hinterland, such as the climbs to Beechmont, Springbrook and Tamborine Mountain, are narrow, winding and well surfaced, with tight bends, hairpins and views down to the coast, and they are popular with riders at the weekend. Police patrols and speed cameras are common, and wet leaves and gravel can make corners treacherous after rain. Early morning rides, before the tourists arrive, are the most pleasant, with mist rising from the valleys. Summer brings heavy storms and humidity, while autumn and spring are mild.
The nearest places, Tallebudgera Valley, Bonogin and Lower Beechmont, are suburban and rural communities, with a few shops, cafes and fuel stations, and the Gold Coast itself, only a short ride away, has every service. Stop at a hinterland bakery for a pie, an Australian institution, and a flat white. Take care with wildlife on the road at dawn and dusk, particularly wallabies and kangaroos, which can appear suddenly.