Springbrook National Park
Gondwana rainforest an hour from the beaches, with a glow-worm cave.
Duration
4 hrs – 6 hrs
Difficulty
●●○○○
Best time
After dark, for the glow-worms
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Springbrook sits on the rim of the Tweed volcano caldera, of which Mount Warning is the old central plug. The plateau reaches a thousand metres and it catches the cloud, which sustains a rainforest.
It is part of the UNESCO-listed Gondwana Rainforests: forests descended directly from those of the Gondwana supercontinent, with species that have not changed since. The Natural Bridge is a basalt arch hollowed out by a waterfall, and its cave holds a glow-worm colony watched after dark.
Getting there
An hour's drive west of Surfers Paradise. No public transport: car or an organised trip.
What to bring
- Walking shoes
- Headlamp
- Board
Rules on site
Glow-worms are switched off by light: no torch and no flash in the cave — that is the rule and it is enforced. The plateau is ten degrees cooler than the coast, and the roads are winding after dark.
