Springbrook National Park - QLD

Springbrook National Park covers 3425ha and is in three sections — Springbrook Plateau, Mount Cougal to the east and Natural Bridge to the west. The Plateau has many lookouts with fabulous views while Mount Cougal offers an insight into the area’s logging history. Visit Natural Bridge by day to see a unique waterfall or after dark to discover the park’s amazing glow-worms.
The Settlement campground is on Springbrook Plateau. Travelling up from the Gold Coast, turn left off Springbrook Road at the Springbrook Public Hall into Carrick’s Road and follow the signs. The campground is on the right. Camping is no longer permitted at Gwongorella, near Purling Brook Falls.
To camp in the national park a permit is required and bookings must be made in advance. Fees apply.
Springbrook Plateau section
From the Pacific Motorway, Springbrook Plateau is 29km from Mudgeeraba or 42km from Nerang. Exit the Pacific Motorway at Mudgeeraba (exit 79 from the north, exit 80 from the south) and follow the Gold Coast-Springbrook Road. Alternatively, e xit the Pacific Motorway at Nerang (exit 69) and follow the Nerang-Murwillumbah Road for 42km then take the Springbrook turn-off at Pine Creek Road. Both bitumen roads are steep and narrow.
DANGER: Sheer cliffs and waterfalls. One slip could be fatal — serious injury or death may result from walking near the edge. Keep to the track. Supervise children closely.
Springbrook National Park is recognised as part of one of the world's most outstanding and valuable places. In December 1994, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee officially declared the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area over the Scenic Rim (including Lamington and Springbrook National Parks and most of Main Range and Mount Barney National Parks) and the rainforests of northern New South Wales.
The landscape of the Springbrook plateau is a remnant of the northern side of a once huge shield volcano that dominated the region about 23 million years ago. The volcano was built up of highly mobile basalt lavas, and whilst centred on Mount Warning, it extended approximately 80km across. At approximately 2000 metres high, the volcano poured lava over 6000km² (north to Tamborine, south past Lismore to Coraki and west to Kyogle). Some lava flows were 270 metres deep. Basalt, rhyolite and pyroclastic rock were formed. Later eruptions laid down the acidic rhyolite that is responsible for the sheer cliffs of Springbrook plateau.
About 10 million years ago the volcano began to die. The remaining lava plugged the numerous vents and over the millennia, weathering and water erosion have relentlessly sculpted the volcano to form a classic erosion caldera landform. The Mount Warning caldera — the crescent of perpendicular cliffs extending from Springbrook to Lamington plateau and the Tweed Range above the Mount Warning vent valley — is the largest and best of its age in the world. Visit Best of All Lookout to view the grand scale of this magnificent landform.