SCENIC RIM - SOUTH-EAST QUEENSLAND

We entered Queensland via Warwick and took the Cunninghm Highway to the Gorge Campground near Aratula. This campground is very cheap but quite pleasant. The amenities are very basic with cold showers unless you want to light the ‘donkey’ heater, but there is plenty of room and it is quiet. It was nice to be able to have a campfire too as the nights were getting cooler.

John & Leo enjoy the fire at the Gorge Campground, Aratula.

The views as you head toward the coast are quite spectacular.

 

From Aratula we continued on to Boonah amd Beaudesert then on to Canungra where we decided to stay at James Sharp Park, which is 4 klms south, beside the Coomera River on Beechmont Road. This is a lovely spacious park with very clean toilets and excellent fire pits etc. There are no showers but the river is fine for a dip. There are heaps of birds around as well. If you want to be closer to town there are very good facilities at the Canungra Recreation Ground as well.

James Sharp Park, Canungra

The Scenic Rim encompasses the mountains, plateaus and peaks to the west and south of Brisbane. Our first trip was a drive up to Mount Tamborine. The view from the mountain is spectacular and there are some very interesting little stores, markets and restaurants in the village. We decided to take a look at the Botanic Gardens. While they aren’t huge they have an impressive array of flowering shrubs such as camellias, magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons. I imagine they would be really beautiful in the spring. There is also a lovely Japanese garden. We really enjoyed our stroll here.

Looking west from the Rotary Lookout at Mt Tamborine.

The Botanic Gardens at Mt Tamborine.

 

Next we drove back to Curtis Falls which are on Cedar Creek, and right in the middle of town. The walk down to the falls is really lovely and full of lovely big trees which are home to lots of birdlife. The falls themselves aren’t huge but very pretty. Further down the creek are Cedar Creek Falls which are much more spectacular. The Mountain is surrounded by National Parks so there are plenty of lovely walks as well as various lookouts.



There are some impressive trees along the walk to Curtis Falls.



 

Scrub turkey nest - Curtis Falls track.

Curtis Falls - Mt Tamborine

Although we didn’t have time to visit there, I would have been interested to visit “Our Lady Help of Christians Shrine” in the Marion Valley. At the shrine there are a number of Chapels which are used by various groups throughout the year for religious ceremonies. The shrine is on Beechmont Road, not far from the campground, and if you drive further on through Beechmont, you can also visit Binna Burra Mountain Lodge or you could go back through Canungra and head out to O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, one of the original holiday lodges built in the area and an iconic place in the Rim.

These are just a few of the many places of interest in the Rim. The countryside is beautiful and green and diverse and provides both economy and up-market attractions. This would also be a great spot to use as a base if you wanted to visit the Gold Coast, as it is only a short drive away. We will certainly revisit the area.