World Heritage rainforest, ancient Antarctic Beech, and the famous Natural Bridge cave — 45 minutes from Surfers Paradise.
High above the Gold Coast on the remnant rim of a 23-million-year-old shield volcano, Springbrook is a misty world of cascading waterfalls, cool temperate forest, and bioluminescent caves. Forty-five minutes from the beach, light-years from the city.
Springbrook National Park sits on the remnant rim of an ancient shield volcano, 600 to 1,000 metres above the Gold Coast coastline. The plateau is so distinct from the lowland heat that locals call it the “Switzerland of Queensland” — a misted, cool, dripping-green sky-island where over a hundred bird species call from the canopy and waterfalls thunder over sheer rhyolite cliffs that have been forming for 23 million years.
The park sits within the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, declared in December 1994 alongside its sister park Lamington National Park. Both share the same volcanic origins and many of the same ancient species — including Antarctic Beech, brush box, and the elusive Albert’s lyrebird — but Springbrook is famous for one thing in particular: the night-time spectacle of glow worms lighting the Natural Bridge cave.
For families looking to add Springbrook to a longer hinterland weekend, our Best of Tamborine Mountain guide and our 9 best waterfalls near the Gold Coast round-up pair perfectly with this day.
Forty-five minutes from the beach, the mountain makes its own weather, its own time, and its own light. — Cooee Travel Journal
McPherson Range, Gold Coast hinterland, SE Queensland. Four sections: Springbrook Plateau, Natural Bridge, Numinbah, and Mount Cougal.
Full day tour. Pickup ~8:00am, return ~5:30–6:00pm. Add an evening for the Natural Bridge glow-worm experience.
Natural Bridge · Purling Brook Falls · Twin Falls Circuit · Best of All Lookout · Canyon Lookout · Glow worms after dark
Via Mudgeeraba or Nerang through the Numinbah Valley. Approx 45 mins from Surfers Paradise, 1.5hrs from Brisbane.
The Springbrook plateau is the remnant northern rim of an enormous shield volcano that erupted 23 million years ago. At its peak the volcano stood approximately 2,000 metres tall and spread lava across 6,000 square kilometres — reaching as far as Tamborine Mountain in the north, Lismore in the south, and Kyogle in the west. Some lava flows were 270 metres deep.
Over the following 10 million years the volcano died, weathering and erosion sculpted what now forms the Mount Warning caldera — the crescent of perpendicular cliffs running from Springbrook to Lamington plateau, and the Tweed Range above the Mount Warning vent valley. It is the largest and best-preserved erosion caldera of its age in the world. Best of All Lookout is the spot to take in the grand scale of this magnificent landform.
One of Queensland’s most photographed natural features — a basalt arch hollowed by Cave Creek where centuries of swirling water have drilled a pothole through to a cave beneath. A small waterfall pours through the opening into a green-lit pool. By night, the cave glows with glow worms.
At Best of All Lookout, a small stand of cool temperate rainforest holds Antarctic Beech (Nothofagus moorei) up to 3,000 years old — ancient relics from when the Gondwana supercontinent split. They were already old trees when the Roman Empire began.
The park’s tallest waterfall plunges 109 metres into a rainforest gorge. The 4km circuit walk takes you to the top of the falls, down the escarpment via switchbacks, and back along the creek — one of southeast Queensland’s most rewarding day walks.
Walking these trails is walking through living deep time. The forests of Springbrook contain over 1,700 plant species and 500 vertebrate animals — many of them little changed from fossils of the Gondwana supercontinent. Five forest types co-exist on the plateau, from subtropical to cool temperate.
Listen for the elusive Albert’s lyrebird calling from the gullies. Watch yellow-tailed black cockatoos work the casuarinas. The satin, regent and green catbird bowerbirds all live here, along with the rare paradise riflebird, red-necked pademelons, koalas, and the leaf-tailed gecko found only in this World Heritage area.
Best of All Lookout takes in the entire Mount Warning caldera. Canyon Lookout watches Twin Falls and Rainbow Falls plummet into the gorge below. On a clear day from the plateau’s edge you can see the Gold Coast skyline gleaming 30km away, the Pacific glittering beyond it.
Springbrook is one of the few accessible places in Queensland to see glow worms (Arachnocampa flava) in their natural habitat. After sunset, the Natural Bridge cave fills with thousands of blue-green pinpoints — the bioluminescent larvae of fungus flies. Best in summer; guided tours recommended.
Even in summer the Springbrook plateau is five to eight degrees cooler than the coast. The plateau makes its own weather — morning mist, afternoon showers, drifting cloud through the canopy. After a Gold Coast heatwave, walking under tree ferns at 900 metres feels like a different country.
The mountain roads are spectacular but tight and slow. Cooee Tours picks you up, handles every winding kilometre and parking turn, and shares the stories of the volcanic origins, the rainforest, and the families who lived here. You just walk, breathe, photograph, and listen.
Springbrook has 16 named waterfalls developed where streams flow over the escarpment of the ancient caldera. These are the five you should know.
The park’s tallest and most famous waterfall, plunging 109 metres into a rainforest gorge. The 4km circuit walk from Gwongorella picnic area takes you across the top of the falls, down the escarpment, and back along the creek — allow 2 hours.
The Twin Falls Circuit (4km) is widely loved as the park’s best single walk — passing behind both falls, through eucalypt forest and subtropical rainforest, with sweeping views from Canyon Lookout midway. The track surface is excellent.
Cave Creek pours through a hole drilled in the basalt roof of a rainforest cave — one of Australia’s most distinctive waterfalls. By day a lush cascade; by night the cave glows with thousands of glow worms. 1km easy circuit from the picnic area.
An elegant cascade beside the Goomoolahra picnic area, visible directly from the road and the starting point for the multi-waterfall plateau circuit walk that passes nine named falls including Kadjagooma, Ngarri-dhum, and Blackfellow Falls.
In the eastern Mount Cougal section of the park — a series of gentle granite cascades through ferny rainforest. Wheelchair-accessible boardwalk, swimming pools (when conditions allow), and remnants of the historic Cougal sawmill make this a relaxed family stop.
For waterfalls beyond Springbrook, see our 9 best waterfalls near the Gold Coast guide which covers Tamborine, Lamington, and Currumbin Valley as well.
Three lookouts on the plateau each show a different facet of the volcanic landscape and the World Heritage forests below.
The plateau’s highest accessible point, just over the NSW border. Sweeping views back into the entire Mount Warning caldera, with Wollumbin (Mount Warning) at its centre. The 600m walk passes ancient Antarctic Beech up to 3,000 years old.
The most photographed lookout in the park, with a head-on view of Twin Falls and Rainbow Falls plummeting into the canyon below. Reachable as a short walk from the carpark or as the midpoint of the Twin Falls Circuit.
A roadside lookout on the way up to the plateau with one of the most underrated views — back across the Numinbah Valley towards the Gold Coast skyline. Worth pulling over for, particularly in afternoon light.
Pickup from Gold Coast or Brisbane hotel. Guided commentary begins en route — volcanic origins of the Springbrook plateau, the 1994 World Heritage listing, and the ecology of Gondwana rainforest.
Arrive Springbrook plateau via the Numinbah Valley road. Best of All Lookout — sweeping views into the entire Mount Warning caldera, plus the 600m walk through ancient Antarctic Beech.
Canyon Lookout — head-on view of Twin Falls and Rainbow Falls plunging into the canyon. Photo stop, then begin the Twin Falls Circuit — 4km loop, allow 2 hours, passing behind both waterfalls.
Lunch at the Springbrook Mountain Cafe or a packed picnic at Goomoolahra picnic area, watching Goomoolahra Falls cascade beside you. Allow 1 hour.
Purling Brook Falls — the park’s 109-metre signature waterfall. Top viewpoint walk (10 min) or full 4km circuit for the energetic (allow 2 hours).
Descend to the Natural Bridge section. 1km circuit walk to the famous basalt arch and cave. Daytime visit shows the cascade and rainforest setting.
Optional: extend the day with the Natural Bridge glow-worm experience after dusk (summer evenings best). Return drive otherwise begins for Gold Coast or Brisbane.
Arrive back at your accommodation. (Add 1.5 hours if including the glow-worm extension — return time approximately 8:30pm.)
World Heritage rainforest, the Natural Bridge cave, 3,000-year-old Antarctic Beech, and the Gold Coast skyline glittering from the plateau’s edge. We do the driving, you do the wondering.
See Nature Tours Talk to Our Team →Springbrook National Park is approximately 1.5 hours from Brisbane (100km south) and 45 minutes from Surfers Paradise. Access is via sealed road from Nerang through the Numinbah Valley, or from Mudgeeraba. The plateau sits 600–1,000 metres above sea level, so expect cooler temperatures than the coast even in summer.
The Natural Bridge is one of Springbrook’s most famous features — a rock arch carved by Cave Creek where centuries of swirling water have eroded a pothole through basalt to create a cave beneath a small waterfall. By day it is a stunning rainforest walk. By night, the cave glows blue-green with glow worms, the larvae of fungus flies (Arachnocampa flava) found only in damp Gondwanan ecosystems. Guided night tours are the recommended way to see them.
Springbrook has 16 waterfalls where streams flow over the escarpment. The major ones include Purling Brook Falls (109m, the park’s tallest, with a 4km circuit), Twin Falls and Rainbow Falls (both on the Twin Falls Circuit Track, 4km), Goomoolahra Falls (viewable from the Goomoolahra picnic area), and the Natural Bridge waterfall. The plateau circuit walk passes nine waterfalls including Kadjagooma, Ngarri-dhum, Gooroolba and Blackfellow Falls.
Best of All Lookout sits at Springbrook’s highest point, just over the NSW border, with sweeping views back into the Tweed Volcano caldera — the largest erosion caldera of its age in the world, with Mount Warning (Wollumbin) at its centre. The lookout is also home to a small stand of cool temperate rainforest dominated by ancient Antarctic Beech (Nothofagus moorei), some over 3,000 years old. The 600-metre walk to the lookout passes through this living relic of Gondwanan flora.
Springbrook is home to over 100 bird species including the elusive Albert’s lyrebird (more often heard than seen), yellow-tailed black cockatoo, satin and regent bowerbirds, paradise riflebird and green catbird. Look for red-necked pademelons grazing in clearings at dusk, koalas in eucalypt areas, mountain brushtail and ringtail possums at night, and the rare leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius swaini) which is found only in this World Heritage area. Glow worms light up the Natural Bridge cave after dark.