Why this ride
It goes by way of 'Palen Creek' State Forest, Lamington National Park, Springbrook National Park and back through Lamington National Park. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve and Springbrook National Park
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 477 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 14
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve
Nothofagus is the botanical name of the southern beech, and the name of this reserve gives away its treasure: stands of Antarctic beech growing high on the McPherson Range along the Queensland–New South Wales border. These gnarled, moss-covered trees, some of them centuries old and sprouting from root systems far older still, are living relics of the forests that covered Gondwana before Australia drifted away from Antarctica.
Read the complete Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve is where the day begins. Next is 'Palen Creek' State Forest.
2. 'Palen Creek' State Forest
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.
Read the complete 'Palen Creek' State Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
'Palen Creek' State Forest comes up about 66 km into the recorded legs. Next is Lamington National Park.
3. Lamington National Park
Ask anyone in Brisbane about Lamington and they will probably mention one of two roads, and both of them will make you work. The national park covers the high plateau of the McPherson Range on the Queensland side of the border, a huge expanse of rainforest, waterfalls and cliff-edged lookouts at the heart of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage area. It was named after Lord Lamington, a governor of Queensland at the end of the nineteenth century, who is said to have been less than thrilled to have a park, and later a cake, named after him.
Read the complete Lamington National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 177 km into the recorded legs you reach Lamington National Park. Next is Springbrook National Park.
4. Springbrook National Park
South of the Gold Coast, the land rises suddenly into a plateau of ancient rainforest, waterfalls and cliffs, and this is Springbrook. The plateau is about nine hundred metres high, and it is what remains of the huge Tweed shield volcano, which erupted some twenty-three million years ago and left a vast eroded caldera, with Mount Warning as its central plug. The rim of the caldera forms the Scenic Rim around it, and Springbrook's cliffs and gorges are part of that rim. It is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, a World Heritage area, and its cool, wet forest is a startling contrast to the beaches and high-rises thirty minutes away.
Read the complete Springbrook National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Springbrook National Park, about halfway. Next is back through Lamington National Park.
5. back through Lamington National Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Lamington National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Lamington National Park sits at 317 km, about halfway. Next is back through 'Palen Creek' State Forest.
6. back through 'Palen Creek' State Forest
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete 'Palen Creek' State Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through 'Palen Creek' State Forest comes up about 416 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve.
7. Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve closes the day.
Leg by leg
Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve to 'Palen Creek' State Forest
Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve → 'Palen Creek' State Forest is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
'Palen Creek' State Forest to Lamington National Park
'Palen Creek' State Forest → Lamington National Park is 111 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Lamington National Park to Springbrook National Park
Lamington National Park → Springbrook National Park is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Springbrook National Park to back through Lamington National Park
Springbrook National Park → back through Lamington National Park is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Lamington National Park to back through 'Palen Creek' State Forest
back through Lamington National Park → back through 'Palen Creek' State Forest is 111 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through 'Palen Creek' State Forest to Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve
back through 'Palen Creek' State Forest → Mount Nothofagus Flora Reserve is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.