Brisbane National Parks and Forest
A popular recreational site for decades, Venman Bushland National Park - with its mixture of eucalypt and angophora trees - is home to koalas, possums, gliders, wallabies, powerful owls and many other bird species.
Originally private property, the park protects the headwaters of Tingalpa Creek. Frogs, water-rats and water dragons live in and around this creek and the surrounding waterholes.
The park offers a couple of signposted, easy to moderate walking tracks as well as a picnic and barbecue area where you can sometimes spot wallabies. The Go Bush program offers ranger-guided tours and talks, as well as children's activities and field skills workshops.
The park now forms part of the Koala Bushland Coordinated Conservation Area, managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
Disabled Accessibility:
A number of pathways in the Daisy Hill Forest Park and Venman Bushland National Park are accessible to strollers and wheelchairs.
| Where: | At 40km south of Brisbane city on West Mt Cotton Rd. |
The cool mountain tops and forest flats of Brisbane Forest Park provide a rich and varied habitat for wildlife and a diverse range of plant species. Just 20 minutes from Brisbane city, Brisbane Forest Park comprises part of the 50,000 hectares of protected forest that forms the D'Aguilar range. The park is home to more than 800 species of plants - some rare and endangered - in open eucalypt woodlands, scribbly gum forests and lush subtropical rainforests.
Endangered giant barred frogs inhabit the cool mountain streams, gliders soar through the open forest at night, and owls hunt for snakes and possums. For a close-up look at some of the park's amazing animals, visit the Walk-About Creek Wildlife Centre at Brisbane Forest Park Information Centre. The Go Bush program offers ranger-guided tours and talks, children's activities and field skills workshops.
Discover remote gorges and spectacular lookouts to Brisbane city, Moreton Bay, the Border Ranges and Glasshouse Mountains. Enjoy a picnic or explore a number of beginner to advanced level walking tracks, horse-riding and mountain biking trails, and scenic driving routes accessible to two-wheel-drive vehicles.
Getting There:
Brisbane Forest Park Information Centre is situated on Mt Nebo Road at The Gap, just 12km from the city centre. A bus service from the city stops at the entrance; however, visitors will need alternative transport to reach the picnic areas, walking tracks and lookouts.
Disabled Accessibility:
Accessible facilities include the information centre, parts of Bellbird Grove including the Black Wattle shelter shed and Rose Gum toilets, Jolly's Lookout, Maiala picnic area, Bunyaville, Lomandra and Ironbark Gully.
| Where: | 60 Mt Nebo Road, The Gap. |
Fort Lytton is an important historical site. Originally one of several coastal fortifications built in the 19th century to safeguard Australia's ports and shipping lanes, it was used until the end of World War II for Brisbane's defence against enemy forces.
Concealed by grassy embankments linked via underground passages, the pentagonal fortress was once surrounded by a water-filled moat and is regarded as the birthplace of Queensland's military history.
The park is only open to the general public on Sundays and most public holidays from 10am to 4pm. A guided tour is included in the entry fee. The Go Back in Time program hosts a wide range of activities from the site, including annual festivals, cannon firings and guided tours of colonial prisons, forts and quarantine stations.
Disabled Accessibility:
There are disabled toilets on the site; however, the grass pathways are not easily accessible for strollers or wheelchairs.
| Where: | From central Brisbane, travel east along Lytton Road. Drive through the Hemmant Industrial area, then swing left to South Street and through the gate to Fort Lytton. From Wynnum, drive west to the end of Tingal Road, left into Pritchard Street and right to South Street. |
A mere 40km offshore from Brisbane, Moreton Island National Park is a place that conjures up images of exotic tropical locations normally found in glossy travel brochures. Long stretches of sandy beach, crystal clear creeks and lagoons, coastal heath, rocky headlands and an abundance of wild flowers ensure this is a sight not to be missed.
The island ecology sustains a fragile community of small mammals and reptiles and a massive number of local and migratory bird life. The glistening waters are home to dugongs, curious dolphins and migrating whales, and the beaches are a beachcomber's delight with colourful starfish and sea urchins.
Access around the island is by four-wheel drive vehicle only and the island is criss-crossed with swamps, fresh water creeks and a unique expanse of sand dunes, known by locals as the 'The Desert'.
Getting There:
Moreton Island can be reached by boat or barge. Vehicle and passenger barges run daily.
Disabled Accessibility:
Some of the barge landings, boat ramps and commercially operated tours are wheelchair accessible. For more information see the information links above.
| Four-wheel-drive vehicles are essential for driving on the island. All vehicles must be registered and have a valid Moreton Island Recreation Area vehicle service permit and fees apply. The island can be reached by barge or boat. Barges for vehicles and passengers run daily. |
Picturesque St Helena Island is 7km northeast of Manly, a bayside suburb of Brisbane. St Helena Island's national park contains the ruins of the state's first penal settlement. The remains of the prison, the jetty and Queensland's first tramway, along with the existing vegetation, tell of the island's colourful history.
Other valuable sites on the island tell of the habits of Aboriginal people who have seasonally visited the island for thousands of years.
A picnic area with toilets, picnic tables and a shelter shed is provided on the southern end of the island, along with information regarding guided tours, walking tracks and access restrictions.
Disabled Accessibility:
There are wheelchair accessible toilets on the island, however the grassy paths and crushed coral roads on the island are not easily accessible for strollers and wheelchairs.
| Regular ferry services depart from Manly and New Farm. |
