The Gold Coast hinterland’s most-loved plateau — the Rainforest Skywalk, the galleries and fudge shops of Gallery Walk, a string of waterfall trails in Queensland’s oldest national park, plus wineries, a distillery and the Glow Worm Caves, all about 45 minutes above the coast.
Tamborine Mountain is a forested plateau in the Gold Coast hinterland, rising about 600 metres above the coast and reached by a winding range road roughly 45 minutes from the beaches and about an hour from Brisbane. The mountain spans three village centres — North Tamborine, Eagle Heights and Mount Tamborine — strung along the plateau with the rainforest and waterfalls tucked in between.
It carries real natural heritage. The Witches Falls section of Tamborine National Park was gazetted in 1908 as Queensland’s first national park. Today the mountain is a patchwork of rainforest reserves and waterfall trails — Curtis Falls, Cedar Creek Falls, Cameron Falls and Witches Falls among them — crowned by the cantilevered Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk that carries you out through the canopy above a rainforest creek.
It is also the hinterland’s foodie heart. Gallery Walk at Eagle Heights packs art galleries, fudge and lolly shops, the German Cuckoo Clock Nest and the Mount Tamborine Distillery into one strollable strip, while a cluster of mountain wineries and the Glow Worm Caves at Cedar Creek Estate round out the day. The plateau runs noticeably cooler than the coast and is busiest on weekends. Cooee Tours runs hinterland day tours that take in the lot.
From a canopy-level skywalk to cellar doors, waterfall trails and a glow-worm cave — here’s what the plateau does best.
The mountain’s signature experience — an eco-walk that leads you out onto a steel cantilever bridge through the rainforest canopy, around 30 metres above a creek, before descending to the forest floor. Easy, family-friendly and accessible, it’s the best single introduction to the plateau’s World-Heritage-calibre rainforest.
The plateau’s main strip and its beating heart. Gallery Walk lines up art galleries, fudge and lolly makers, cafes and devonshire teas, the German Cuckoo Clock Nest and the Mount Tamborine Distillery cellar door. Browse, graze and sip your way along it — a half-day in itself, and the social centre of any mountain visit.
The mountain’s waterfall trails. The Witches Falls circuit threads through Queensland’s first national park (1908), while the short Curtis Falls walk drops to a waterfall and rock pool — with a resident glow-worm colony near the falls after dark. Cedar Creek and Cameron Falls round out a plateau full of short, rewarding walks.
At Cedar Creek Estate, a purpose-built cave shelters a colony of glow worms you can visit on a guided daytime tour — a rare chance to see the display without a night walk. It pairs perfectly with a tasting at the winery above it, making it one of the easiest glow-worm experiences in the hinterland for families.
Tamborine Mountain is a genuine little wine region. Cellar doors including Witches Falls Winery, Cedar Creek Estate, Mason Wines and Heritage Wines pour across the plateau, joined by the Mount Tamborine Distillery and Fortitude Brewing for gin and craft beer. Long lunches with a view are the order of the day — arrange a driver or a tour.
For active families, Thunderbird Park packs in a treetop high-ropes and zipline challenge course, thunder-egg fossicking and horse riding. Nearby, the Cedar Creek Falls rock pools are a favourite warm-weather swim. It’s the adventurous counterpoint to the mountain’s gentler galleries and cellar doors.
The plateau doesn’t lean on one big festival — it runs on open cellar doors, weekend long lunches and waterfalls that are at their best after the summer rains.
Gallery Walk trades every day, with galleries, fudge shops and cafes open through the week and the strip at its liveliest on weekends. The mountain’s cellar doors and the distillery keep similar rhythms — busiest Saturday and Sunday, calmer and more personal mid-week. Book long lunches ahead on weekends.
Open dailyThe plateau’s waterfalls — Curtis, Cedar Creek, Cameron and Witches — are at their most spectacular after the summer and early-autumn rains, when the creeks run hard and the rainforest is at its greenest. The same rain brings leeches on the trails, so wear gaiters or long socks on wet-weather walks.
Best Jan-AprCooler, drier winter and spring bring crisp, clear days that are perfect for walking and for the long-lunch-and-fireplace cellar-door experience. The plateau can be genuinely cold at night — part of its charm — so pack a layer even when the coast below is warm.
Cool & clear
What makes Tamborine Mountain special is the range packed into one small plateau — ancient rainforest and waterfalls on one side, art, wine and a distillery on the other, all within a few minutes’ drive. It’s the rare hinterland day that suits walkers, foodies and families equally.
Canopy walks, waterfalls, Gallery Walk and cellar doors — the hinterland’s favourite plateau in five frames.
The plateau runs noticeably cooler than the coast year-round. Waterfalls peak after summer rain; winter and spring deliver the crispest walking and cellar-door weather.
Warm, green and humid, with afternoon storms and the waterfalls running hard. Cooler than the coast but still warm. Leeches appear on wet trails — wear long socks or gaiters. The rainforest is at its lushest.
A lovely window — mild days, waterfalls still flowing from the summer rains, and comfortable walking. Cellar-door lunches come into their own as the air cools. Among the best times to visit.
Crisp, clear and genuinely cold at night — pack a layer. Superb for walking and for fireside long lunches at the wineries and distillery. Clear winter days give the best plateau and hinterland views of the year.
Mild, blossoming and quieter than the holiday peaks — ideal for the Skywalk, the falls and a leisurely Gallery Walk. Weekends remain the busiest time on the mountain whatever the season, so arrive early.
Tamborine Mountain is a forested plateau in the Gold Coast hinterland, about 600 metres above sea level and roughly a 45-minute drive up the range from the Gold Coast beaches (via the Oxenford or Nerang exits) or about an hour from Brisbane. It spans three village centres - North Tamborine, Eagle Heights and Mount Tamborine.
The headline experiences are the Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk, Gallery Walk at Eagle Heights (galleries, fudge, cafes and a distillery), the waterfall trails of Tamborine National Park including Witches Falls and Curtis Falls, the Glow Worm Caves at Cedar Creek Estate, a cluster of mountain wineries, and Thunderbird Park for treetop adventures and fossicking.
The Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk is an eco-walk of around 1.5 km that includes a steel cantilever bridge carrying you out through the rainforest canopy, roughly 30 metres above a rainforest creek, before descending to the forest floor. It is easy, family-friendly and largely accessible, and is the best single introduction to the plateau's rainforest.
Yes. The Glow Worm Caves at Cedar Creek Estate house a glow-worm colony you can visit on a guided daytime tour - a rare chance to see them without a night walk - and you can pair it with a tasting at the winery above. Glow worms are also found near Curtis Falls after dark for those who prefer a self-guided evening visit.
Yes - Tamborine Mountain is a small but genuine wine region. Cellar doors including Witches Falls Winery, Cedar Creek Estate, Mason Wines and Heritage Wines pour across the plateau, joined by the Mount Tamborine Distillery and Fortitude Brewing for gin and craft beer. Long lunches with a view are a highlight; arrange a driver or a tour, as the plateau roads are winding.
A car is essential, as there is no regular public transport to the plateau. From the Gold Coast, head up the range via the Oxenford or Nerang exits off the M1; from Brisbane, the drive is about an hour. The range roads are sealed but winding. Cooee Tours also runs hinterland day tours that take in the Skywalk, Gallery Walk, waterfalls and a winery without the driving.
Very much so. Tamborine Mountain is the easiest hinterland day from either the Gold Coast or Brisbane, and packs rainforest, waterfalls, galleries, wineries and a glow-worm cave into one compact plateau. A classic day combines the Rainforest Skywalk, a stroll along Gallery Walk and a winery or waterfall - cooler, greener and a complete change of pace from the coast.
Tamborine Mountain anchors the northern Gold Coast hinterland, with Springbrook’s waterfalls to the south and the beaches of Surfers Paradise and the resort waterways of Hope Island down on the coast.
The plateau is a short, scenic drive up the range — or an easy day tour if you’d rather leave the winding roads to us.
From the Gold Coast beaches, head up the range via the Oxenford or Nerang exits off the M1 — about 45 minutes. From Brisbane it is roughly an hour via the Mount Lindesay Highway or the M1. The range roads are sealed but winding; allow extra time and take care in wet or misty conditions.
The easiest way to enjoy the cellar doors. Cooee Tours runs Gold Coast hinterland day tours that take in the Rainforest Skywalk, Gallery Walk, a waterfall and a winery — with the driving, parking and designated-driver duties handled for you.
There is no regular public transport to the plateau, so a car or an organised tour is essential. The nearest train and G:Link connections are down on the coast and in the northern corridor — from there it is a hire car, a rideshare or a tour up the mountain.