Queensland Attractions

Venue: Lamington National Park    When: Daily

Queensland's Lamington National Park covers an enormous area of beautiful rainforest and mountains and is renowned for its incredible variety of flora and wildlife.

The park (named after Lord Lamington, who was governor of Queensland when it opened in 1915) was listed as a World Heritage Area in 1994. It encompasses warm and cool subtropical rainforest, with many vines and a canopy that reaches to around 40 metres; warm and cool temperate rainforest, the latter containing much moss, and finally dry rainforest. Open forest and woodland areas include eucalyptus and gum trees and the heathlands and shrublands contain rare plant species.

The park is also home to a bewildering variety of wildlife: thousands of birds including parrots, cockatoos and owls; mammals such as platypuses, possums, koalas, kangaroos and wallabies and a huge number of different frogs, snakes, lizards, insects and water life, including turtles.

A range of accommodation is available, both at Binna Burra and Green Mountains. Binna Burra Lodge, established in 1933, offers cabins and camping grounds, as does O'Reilly's Guesthouse. It is advisable to book in advance.

The best way to enjoy the natural wonders of the park is to venture out on some of the many inspirational walking tracks. There are at least a dozen walks (half or full day) at both Green Mountains and Binna Burra. Some offer a bird's eye view of the forest canopy along suspension bridges 15 metres above the ground, or beautiful river areas like Moran's Falls. You can also check out the caves around Binna Burra or pass through a number of unique plant communities on the Dave's Creek Circuit.

Visitors are asked to respect the surroundings and assist in the conservation of these important areas.