My goal over this summer holiday season has been to do something different; try different restaurants and cafes and see different places. My friends Claudia and Laura felt similar, decided to have a picnic somewhere spectacular, only question, where in driving distance from our homes could we possibly go?
Hidden away only 45 minutes out of the Gold Coast is one of South East Queensland’s greatest treasures, Springbrook National Park. From rainforests, to beautiful waterfalls, Springbrook has it all. It was perfect, so we decided to go! While my friends had both been to Springbrook before, I hadn’t, which was a little embarrassing considering I have lived in South East Queensland my whole life. This was a whole new experience for me.
After a spectacular drive through the Gold Coast Hinterlands, we began our day in the Tallabana picnic area. Despite it being a hot summer’s day, we could not feel the heat as we were covered by dense trees that kept in the cool air. We ate a delicious picnic lunch, made by Claudia, surrounded by wallabies, lizards and all sorts of wildlife. It felt secluded and private, it was such a great spot to have lunch.
There were a number of trails we could chose to do, though due to time constraints and the possibility of a late afternoon storm (as well as Claudia having done this trail before and saying it was incredible), we chose to do the shorter 4km Twin Falls circuit.
What stood out to me most about the Twin Falls track was the constantly changing nature of it. One moment you were in rainforests, the next walking under stunning waterfalls, then scrubland, all the while getting these incredible glimpses across to park all the way to the Surfers Paradise. If for one moment you got bored of the setting, you suddenly found yourself in a completely different environment.
The first waterfall you come to on the tracks (Twin Falls, as there are two streams of water right next to each other), has a nice rock pool at the bottom you can take a dip in. Be careful of sharp rocks on the bottom though and don’t go jumping off any of the bigger rocks as the water is quite shallow. If you can, make your way to the bottom of the waterfall, as the feeling of standing under it is like an extremely high-pressured shower! It is a lot of fun!
Exploring the little section of Springbrook with friends was an incredibly fun adventure and I can not wait to do something similar again soon.