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 birds.
Originally private property, the park protects the headwaters of Tingalpa Creek, and frogs, water-rats and water dragons live in and around the waterholes and the creek.
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 for 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 is part of the over 50,000 hectares of protected forest that form the D’Aguilar range. The park is home to over 800 species of plants, some of which are 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.
Disabled:
Facilities in the park 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 historic site that was used for Brisbane’s defense against enemy forces until the end of World War 2. Concealed by grassy embankments, the pentagonal fortress was originally surrounded by a water filled moat and is regarded as Brisbane’s military history’s birthplace.
Disabled Accessibility:
The grass pathways at Fort Lytton 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, the Moreton Island National Park is a place that conjures up images of exotic tropical locations you normally see in glossy travel brochures.
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 curious dolphins, migrating whales and the beaches are a beachcombers 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 and fresh water creeks and a unique expanse of sand dunes in the islands interior, known by locals as the ‘The Desert’.
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. |
St Helena Island is 7km north-east of Manly, a bayside suburb of Brisbane, and the island’s national park contains the ruins of the States 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. |
