More than fifty kilometres of marked track through dry eucalypt forest, eight kilometres from the Brisbane CBD — genuine bushwalking rather than parkland paths, with waterfalls that only run after rain.
Mt Coot-tha Reserve carries more than fifty kilometres of marked walking track through dry eucalypt forest, and it is genuinely good bushwalking eight kilometres from a capital city CBD. The tracks are unsealed, undulating and vary considerably in difficulty — this is bush, not parkland.
Slaughter Falls is the gentlest starting point, reached from a picnic area with barbecues, tables and shade. The walk to the falls is short and the ground is manageable for most fitness levels.
The Aboriginal Art Trail begins from the same picnic area — a short interpretive circuit with artworks by local Aboriginal artists set along it. It is the best short walk on the mountain for anyone wanting cultural context rather than distance, and it takes under half an hour.
Simpson Falls is the most popular walk in the reserve, running to a small cascade through forest. It involves steps and uneven surfaces, and the return leg climbs. Allow an hour or so at a comfortable pace.
The Eugenia Circuit and the connecting tracks between the picnic areas give you longer loops without committing to the summit, and they are well marked.
Several routes connect the lower picnic areas to the summit for anyone who would rather earn the view than drive to it. The JC Slaughter Falls to summit route is the standard, and it is a solid hour's climb with sustained gradient.
It is a real walk rather than a stroll. Doing it in the middle of a summer day is genuinely unpleasant, and the shade is patchy because this is dry eucalypt forest rather than rainforest.
This is the thing most visitors get wrong. Simpson and Slaughter Falls are seasonal — they flow properly after decent rain and are frequently dry through winter.
If a waterfall is the point of your walk, go within a few days of a good downpour. The trade-off is that the tracks get slippery in exactly those conditions, so it is a genuine choice rather than a free win.
Winter gives the best walking weather and the driest falls. Summer gives water and heat together.
Carry water — there is none on the tracks, and Queensland sun on an exposed ridge is more taxing than the gradient. Closed shoes rather than sandals.
Snakes are present and active in warmer months. They will move away given the chance, and staying on marked tracks is most of the answer. Ticks are worth checking for afterwards.
The tracks are unlit. Start early enough to be out before dusk, and do not rely on phone reception on the lower tracks.
The walking tracks sit below the lookout and the Botanic Gardens, which means a morning walk and an afternoon at the summit works well as a single day.
The picnic areas have free electric barbecues, which locals use far more than visitors do. A walk, a barbecue at Slaughter Falls and the lookout at sunset is one of the better free days available in Brisbane.
Cooee Tours acknowledges the Turrbal and Yuggera (Jagera) peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Brisbane stands. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
Mt Coot-tha is a standard stop on our Brisbane city days, lookout and all. Family owned and operating in South-East Queensland since 1974.
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