Springbrook National Park sits in the Gold Coast hinterland, about 45 minutes' drive from Surfers Paradise but feeling like another world entirely. The park protects ancient Antarctic beech forest, subtropical rainforest, waterfalls, and a network of well-maintained walking tracks. Pademelons graze at the forest edges and parrots flash through the canopy overhead.
The main attractions are Purling Brook Falls (a 109-metre drop you can walk behind), the Natural Bridge (a rock arch with a waterfall and glow-worms at night), and the Best of All Lookout, which on a clear day gives views all the way to the coast and beyond. The glow-worm cave at Natural Bridge is best visited after dark.