If you are like me, then you will love nature ๐. Originally form the UK, I have been living in Brisbane for around a year now, after moving to live with my partner. One of our favourite things to do on weekends is to go bush walking. Below I have listed a few of my favourite spots for walking in Brisbane.
Mt Coo-tha Trail
Mt Coot-tha Reserve (or forest) has many walking trails over the mountain, which is around a 15-minute drive to the west of Brisbane CBD. There is a main path that leads up to the top and to the Mt Cootha lookout from JC Slaughter Falls car park. The lookout has incredible views over the city, and there is also a restaurant and cafรฉ up there too. I personally love rewarding myself with a cheeky ice cream after walking to the top!
The path is steepish in places but is a fairly easy walk and you will see many families with young kids doing it, so it is great for all ages. It starts of wide and concreted and then gets narrower and more of a โnaturalโ path later on. The great thing about this walk is that it has drinking water taps dotted along the path, so there is no need to bring a heavy water bottle. The walk to the top takes me around 30 minutes roughly.
Simpson falls walking tracks
One of my favourite places to park for a bush walk is the Simpson Falls car park. From here, there are many tracks you can take, leading to lots of variety and different options. If you start walking straight from the end of the care park, you will first reach a beautiful grass lawn area, which has BBQโs and benches and really is a pretty picnic spot.
Carry on the path and it will lead you up some reasonably steep steps before it flattens out. You will soon reach a bridge where you have two options. Straight on or over across over the bridge. Both are nice walking trails, and if you choose to go straight, you can still end up the other side of the stream anyways. The other side has a wide path that is a little more out in the open, which is nice when the suns out. There are more trails that branch off to various picnic spots too.
Chapel Hill
The Chapel Hill trail is 2.1 km and is considerate a moderate track, taking around 30 mins each way at a reasonable pace (the Honeyeater track). This will also lead up to the Mt Cootha lookout. The trail is very pretty and winds it is way up the hill, through the tall trees. It is especially pretty when the sun is out (as are all of the trials really!). You will return the same way, with the easy walk back down as your reward (oh- and perhaps an ice cream or coffee at the lookout point!). There is also an environmental centre at the car park on Fleming Rd.
Sherwood Arboretum
This is a really pretty, family friendly park, in the suburb of Sherwood. There is a kidโs playground, toilets, BBQs, and numerous benches to enjoy the views. It also backs on to the river, where there is a short boardwalk. My favourite path here is the main one going down the middle, through the lines of huge Kauri pine trees planted in parallel lines. There is also a huge and gorgeous fig tree, as well as over a 1000 specimen trees. This is a great place to go for a short walk or to have a picnic- year-round!
Botanical Gardens (Mt Cootha)
The botanical gardens at Mt Cootha are a lovely place for a relaxing stroll or a nice picnic. They also have a recently renovated restaurant. The gardens are split into various sections, such as the tropical house, Japanese garden, rainforest trail, rose garden and much more. There are plenty of spaces to lie down on the grass, sit and watch the world go by. My favourite time to visit is spring when all the flowers are out in bloom and the colourful flowers smell so pretty. There is a section where you can even pick your own kitchen herbs. Try walking up (or driving in the weekday) to the Australian section. This is usually much quieter than the other parts and there is a pretty path, running parallel to a small stream.
The botanical gardens in the city are also nice but are much smaller. If you are in the CBD though, do check them out as they can make a nice break from shopping or whatever else you may be doing. They back onto the river, which is a pretty path to walk along. There is also a cafรฉ at the top, where you can sit and enjoy the view.
Wander around the streets
As well as walking out in nature, sometimes it can make a change to wander around the streets. There are some really pretty spots around, and you can admire the nice houses, blue skies, pretty front courtyards and get to explore a new suburb. You might come across a park you did not know about, providing a nice rest and chance to unwind, or maybe do a bit of people watching haha.
Mt Nebo
Mt Nebo is in the Moreton Bay region and is around a 40-minute drive from Brisbane. Even the drive through the mountains is incredibly pretty, where the Australian dry bush scenery eventually gives way to a lusher and more tropical green rainforest. There are lots of little lookouts throughout the tourist drive here. The main one is โJollyโs Lookoutโ. Here you will see expansive views out over the rainforest and beyond the DโAguilar National Park.
You can also take the Thylogale walking track, which is an 8km return (taking around 2 hours), to the Boombana Picnic Area. This is a pretty track and quite different from the other trails I have mentioned as it is more โrainforestyโ. The track is mostly sheltered, so if going in winter, do remember to bring some warmer clothing as it can get surprising cool.
Cedar Creek Falls
Cedar Creek Falls in Samford (not the one in Mt Tambourine), is around a 40-minute drive from Brisbane. There is a pretty stream running through the creek, and you can wander up and down its banks. This makes for a lovely little picnic spot, as there are not really any walking tracks in this area. You can go for a dip in the creek in summer- or winter if you are extremely brave!
Mt Tambourine (further afield)
If you are looking for a long day trip or even better, a weekend break, then Mt Tambourine is a beautiful spot. Just over an hourโs drive from Brisbane is Tambourine Mountain. This also has rainforest vibes and is much lusher and greener than the bush walking trails. Here you will find a different variety of plants and many streams and waterfalls along the way. There are plenty of different walking trails you can take here.
The town is also worth a visit and has lots of interesting and quirky shops, such as clothing, craft shops, handmade scented items and ice cream and fudge shops. Be sure to check out the German Cuckoo Clock Nest shop. It has a great display of old clocks, as well as handmade items, such as beautiful wooden Christmas tree decorations. There are also some pretty impressive botanical gardens a short drive from the town.
One of my favourite moments was grabbing a takeaway pizza for the town and sitting on the nearby lookout, watching the sun go down. We also saw an incredible sunrise from our Airbnb, which came up over the ocean of the Gold Cost in the distance.
Hope you enjoyed my post on the best walking tracks in Brisbane. If you know any more that I might not have mentioned, please let me know in the comments section below– Iโm always looking for new places to explore!
