Review: Springbrook and Tamborine Rainforest Tour from Brisbane
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Visitors to Brisbane are spoilt for choice for spectacular landscapes to admire and explore.
I’m about to join Queensland Day Tours on their popular day trip to two of South East Queensland’s most beautiful national parks — Springbrook and Mount Tamborine in the lush Gold Coast Hinterland. Our mini bus departs the Brisbane CBD promptly at 7.45am, and as we head south along the busy M1, Harrison — our friendly guide and driver — explains the itinerary for the day. He also asks us to introduce ourselves. We’re a mixed bag — five American musicians from Nashville, single travellers from Germany, Canada, Switzerland, and Japan, an Aussie couple from Victoria, and myself — a Brissy local.
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In less than an hour, Harrison heads off the highway and takes us on a picturesque drive through the Numinbah Valley. We soon arrive at our first stop — the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Springbrook National Park. At the park’s entrance we’re greeted by the calls of kookaburras — carried on a gentle breeze that meanders through the canopy of towering trees. At this point, Brisbane’s CBD is already a distant memory.
The Springbrook plateau is a remnant of a volcano dating back 23 million years. With that mind-boggling number to ponder, we enter the rainforest for a guided stroll. Harrison leads the way, and shares interesting facts as we go. We learn that Springbrook has five types of forests (classified by the dominant tree species, soil and rainfall), and that this subtropical forest is characterised by a closed canopy and a proliferation of large trees such as the strangler fig. After a 30-minute walk, we hear the sound of thundering water. We’ve reached Natural Bridge — a rock arch formed by thousands of years of rushing water.
The bridge is a piece of hard basalt rock that was once the lip of a waterfall. The continual flow of water created a pothole over time, which eventually broke through into the cave below. The creek now flows through the cave. Thanks to heavy rain over the previous fortnight, the waterfall is deafening — and it’s impossible to be heard above the din without shouting.
The rocky overhang of Natural Bridge is home to tiny glow-worms (the larval stage of a species of small fly), which emit a small blue-green light at nighttime. As it’s the middle of the day, we’ll need to head to a different location to see these incredible critters in action. Once we’re back on the bus, Harrison hands around a menu so we can pre-order our hot lunch.
A short drive delivers us to the Cedar Creek Estate Vineyard and Winery in Mount Tamborine, where we’re taken on a guided tour of the estate’s purpose-built glow-worm cave. The controlled environment provides perfect conditions for the glow worms to thrive. As we enter the pitch-black cave, our eyes slowly adjust to the dark and we see a constellation of tiny twinkling stars hugging the cave’s surface. Each glow-worm emits a chemical glow from its rear end! As we exit the cave, we’re still laughing at the glow-worm tour’s catchphrase: ‘I wish I was a glow-worm. A glow-worm’s never glum. How can you be grumpy when the sun shines out your bum!’
Our glow-worm cave tour is followed by lunch at the estate’s restaurant. While I’m more than happy with my choice of chicken in filo pastry, I do eye off the vegetable stack chosen by Miriam from Switzerland.
Fortified by our hearty meal, we take a short drive to the heart of Tamborine National Park. Situated on a plateau 550 metres above sea level, Mount Tamborine offers breathtaking 360-degree views. To the east is the skyline of Surfers Paradise, while to the west is the stunning Scenic Rim mountain range. The walk through the magnificent rainforest to Curtis Falls yields more photo opportunities.
Our last stop of the day is Mount Tamborine’s fabulous Gallery Walk. Here we have time to browse the arts and craft stores, and enjoy an ice cream or a sweet sample of homemade fudge from a local store. A coffee at The Treehouse on Long Road helps sharpen the senses for the journey home.
This Springbrook and Tamborine Rainforest Tour from Brisbane is a relaxing and educational experience that showcases a unique piece of Southeast Queensland. It’s a wonderful taste of two very special natural environments.
The writer travelled as a guest of Queensland Day Tours. You can book this tour here.
Browse our full range of Brisbane tours and experiences here. We offer a Best Price Guarantee.
Additional images: Bigstock
About the writer
Jennifer Johnston is a Brisbane-based freelance writer and blogger inspired by travel, health, and wellbeing. She juggles pursuing her passion for writing with raising three rowdy young men, a dog, and a couple of goldfish. Jennifer has explored much of the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States (including Hawaii), Canada, New Zealand, Egypt, Israel, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Japan, and Fiji. When she’s not writing, you may find Jennifer hiking in some distant part of the world.
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