Tamborine Mountain Day Trip From Brisbane

Tamborine Mountain is one of those locations that brings back memories for me. As a child, it was the destination for weekend drives on many occasions. I can recall the walks along Gallery Walk or be sitting and watching the Hang Gliders numerous times. Even stopping for a pastie or pie at the Tamborine Mountain Bakery

Now as an adult I continue to take visit the area of Tamborine Mountain. While the stop at the bakery is often still included my focus in other areas has changed a little. I find myself now visiting the coffee shops, bush trails and waterfalls more so.

About Tamborine Mountain

Tamborine Mountain is located in South East Queensland and is part of the Scenic Rim area. Located around 72km south of Brisbane and 40km west of Surfers Paradise.

The area has numerous different attractions including wineries, national parks, shopping, cafes, glow worms, Skywalk and Thunderbird Park. There is almost something for everyone and whether you are a tourist or a local it is worth taking a day to visit.

Getting To Tamborine Mountain

Getting to Tamborine Mountain from Brisbane or the Gold Coast is relatively easy. However, it is essential that you have your own transport or book on a tour. After reviewing some potential public transport options, there are none that are practical.

From Brisbane

Depending on your starting location you want to head south along the Pacific Motorway or Gateway Motorway following the signs for the Gold Coast. Take Exit 57 – Oxenford and follow the signs for Tamborine Mountain (Route 95). Roughly 20km from the exit you will arrive at the beginning of Gallery Walk (Long Road).

From Gold Coast

It is difficult to give specific directions from the Gold Coast as there as so many varied departure options. My suggestion is to use a GPS or phone to navigate to Doughty Park at 2 Main Western Road, Tamborine Mountain. In this park, you will find the tourist information centre where you can get local maps and information.

The Tamborine Mountain Shuttle is another option if you are on the Gold Coast. Operating Friday, Saturday and Sunday they pick up at select locations in Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise. You can find out more about the service on their website at Tamborine Mountain Shuttle.

While visiting Tamborine Mountain you will find signs like the one on the right above at different locations. They are a great way know where you are and to find some of the locations around the mountain.

What To See at Tamborine Mountain

There is a lot to see in and around Tamborine Mountain and it is rather difficult to fit it into a single day. So you may find that you need to be a little selective about what you choose to see. Below I will focus on the free options for attractions. However, there are a number of places you can visit that do cost a little but can be worth the visit.

Gallery Walk

The 500m or so stretch of Long Road at Tamborine Mountain that forms Gallery Walk is an eclectic collection of stores. Offering everything from a place to stop for coffee through to arts & craft, souvenirs, jewellery and fudge & candy.

Depending upon your interests a visit to Gallery Walk could be anywhere from five minutes to all day. I personally quite enjoy spending time enjoying a coffee and just watching the world go by. But there is something there for many different interests. Many of the stores

Many of the stores do not seem to open until around 10 am. However, a number of cafes do open earlier than this.

Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens

In comparison to some botanic gardens, I have visited the Tamborine Mountain Botanic Garden is not large. However, the smaller size is what makes it a great place to visit as part of a day out at Tamborine Mountain.

As you enter the gardens from the carpark you are greeted by a lake with the gardens spread out behind. The gardens are split up into a number of different areas including a Japanese Garden, Perennial Garden, Rainforest Walk and a number of other walking trails.

If you enjoy getting out into nature, taking a walk or photography I would highly recommend a visit. The gardens are open 7 days a week, during daylight hours, with more information available on their website. Tamborine Mountain Botanical Gardens.

Waterfalls

Tamborine Mountain is a great spot to find some rather accessible waterfalls. While a couple of the waterfalls require a short hike some are very accessible. If you want to get the best perspective I would recommend Curtis Falls or Cedar Creek Falls. However, there is also Witches Falls and Cameron Falls that are a little more work to access and not such a straightforward view.

Below you will find my experience with each waterfall. However, you can find more information including how to best access each waterfall on the Discover Tamborine website.

Curtis Falls

Of the four waterfalls at Tamborine, I think that Curtis Falls would have to be my favourite. While it is not the easiest to get to with a 1.5km return walk on a dirt track plus a few stairs. You are rewarded with the best view of the waterfalls, looks directly across a pool beneath the waterfall to see the waterfall.

Cedar Creek Falls

Cedar Creek Falls or at least part of them is the most accessible of the waterfalls at Tamborine. The first section of the track which leads to the top of the waterfall is a paved track. I feel that it would be easily accessible with a stroller and maybe even assisted access for those in a wheelchair.

You can continue on down the paved track to the rockpools and a lower cascade. However, beyond the view of the top of the waterfall, you will find numerous stairs and a steeper slope. Definitely a spot to visit a nice warm summers day as you can swim in the rock pools.

Witches Falls

To reach Witches Falls you have two options on a loop track. To be honest, while I enjoyed the walk and would likely return again, Witches Falls was somewhat disappointing. From the lookout, you have a rather limited view of the waterfall, in fact not much more than some spray.

If you follow the clockwise approach you will descend gradually down to the lookout for the waterfall. With the return journey taking you up a number of switchbacks and is somewhat strenuous.

Alternatively, you can take an anti-clockwise approach. You will descend much quick via the switchbacks and find a much more gradual walk back to the car.

Both approaches start from the same parking area on Main Western Road and cover the same 3.1km distance. There is a third option which you can follow the Witches Chase Track a slightly shorter 2.7km return. There is parking at the end of Beacon’s road for this, but I have not personally taken this route.

Cameron Falls

Cameron Falls is the last waterfall that I have discovered at Tamborine Mountain. The walk is around 2.6km round trip on the loop track and does include some stairs. The area is quite beautiful and does include some creek crossings as the track crosses Sandy Creek.

The Views

One of the main reasons to visit Tamborine Mountain is the views. While the locations for a coastal view are somewhat limited, there are numerous spots you can find inland views. Many of the lookouts are right beside the road, while there are a couple that you need to know how to get to them.

Coastal Views

If you are arriving at Tamborine from Brisbane following the above directions you will pass Eagle Heights Mountain Resort. This is one of the best places to get a view of the Gold Coast Skyline. There is plenty of parking here, and depending on the time of your visit you may be able to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner while enjoying the view. More information is available on the Eagle Heights Mountain Resort website.

Clear Coastal views are not the easiest to find beyond the above option. Many are either partially obstructed by the trees or not safe to pull over. If you are up for a bushwalk some views are possible from the Palm Grove Section of the Tamborine National Park. However, the track which provides the best views was closed on my last visit and had been for some time.

Inland Views

Getting some great views looking inland is much easier. There are numerous lookouts along the Main Western Road with easy parking and space to walk around. On the weekends some of these spots can get rather busy, especially if the conditions are good for hang gliding. So you might want to be prepared for a little walk. If you have the chance a weekday visit is often better for access to parking.

Tours

As mentioned earlier getting to Tamborine Mountain without a car is rather impractical. There are some options to overcome this by booking a tour to visit the mountain. Below you will find some tours for Tamborine Mountain available on the Viator Website. While I have used and recommend the Viator website these links are links where I will receive a commission when you book a tour. By using these links you are helping to support me operating this website and providing posts like this for free. If you would like to visit the Viator website directly you can type www.viator.com into your web browser.

If you found these tours helpful, the Viator website has thousands of other tour options all over the world.

Get Out And Go

For those who live locally that have not visited Mount Tamborine or have not been for a long time, I would encourage you to go and take a look. All you need is a day, and you will get to experience a great piece of South East Queensland. There are also plenty of options for accommodation on Mount Tamborine so an overnight stay could be a great way to experience a little more of the area.

I would love to hear about your visit to Mount Tamborine or even any questions that you might have about visiting the area.