Lamington National Park

Gondwana rainforest covering the rim of an ancient volcano, with walking tracks among ancient Antarctic beeches

The basalt walls of Lamington National Park rise immediately south-east of Beaudesert and form the northern half of the McPherson Range, the rim of the long-extinct Tweed shield volcano. The park's 200 km of walking tracks pass through subtropical rainforest, palm groves, and the higher-altitude Antarctic beech forests of the plateau, with dozens of waterfalls dropping into the rainforest below. It is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage area.

There are two main access points, both reached via Beaudesert. Binna Burra to the east has the higher tracks and the famous Daves Creek and Coomera Falls walks; O'Reilly's to the west is built around a long-established guesthouse and has the popular Border Track and the Tree Top Walk suspension bridges. Both sections have campsites, eating houses, and ranger-led birdwatching — the park is famous for satin bowerbirds, Albert's lyrebirds and pademelons.

The mountain roads up to both ends are narrow, winding, and well worth the effort. Allow at least a full day; an overnight stay lets you reach the back of the plateau.

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A story
Lamington's tall, gnarled Antarctic beech trees (*Nothofagus moorei*) survive at the very northern edge of their range — relics of the cool, wet forests that covered the southern supercontinent of Gondwana more than 60 million years ago. Some individual trees in the park are estimated to be over 3,000 years old.