Queensland · Sub-region
The Scenic Rim is Queensland’s most accessible wilderness — ancient Gondwana rainforest preserved since before the continents separated, a basalt arch with a waterfall falling through it into a glow worm cave, 180 metres of suspension bridges through the subtropical canopy at O’Reilly’s, and a 1937 rescue story that made this corner of the McPherson Range famous across Australia.
The Scenic Rim is the arc of volcanic plateau country that forms Queensland’s southeastern escarpment — 60 to 120 kilometres southwest of Brisbane, and one of the most ecologically significant landscapes within driving range of any Australian capital city. The region was shaped by the Focal Peak volcano, active approximately 24 million years ago: the extinct caldera now forms the McPherson Range and the Border Ranges, and the Queensland–New South Wales boundary is the volcano’s outer rim.
The subtropical rainforest that colonised this elevated basalt country is now part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia UNESCO World Heritage Property — listed 1986, extended 1994 — a network of 41 protected areas across Queensland and New South Wales containing the most extensive subtropical rainforest in the world, and plant families whose ancestors coexisted with dinosaurs. The Antarctic beech trees (Nothofagus moorei) at the Green Mountains section of Lamington are individual organisms that have been living at this specific location for three thousand years. They are older than the Roman Empire. They are older than written history.
This guide is what we give our own guests: the six areas that define the region (Lamington, Springbrook, Tamborine Mountain, Mount Barney, Binna Burra, Lake Moogerah), the best single-day circuit from Brisbane (O’Reilly’s morning, Springbrook glow worms at dusk — two UNESCO sites in one day), the detail on the 1937 Stinson Rescue that every Scenic Rim visitor should know, and the dawn experience at O’Reilly’s that justifies the overnight stay entirely. Yugambeh and Ugarapul/Yuggera country, 1.5 hours from Brisbane.
Scenic Rim at a glance
A UNESCO rainforest 1.5 hours from a capital city, a waterfall with a glow worm cave behind it, and the deepest rainforest in Queensland on the doorstep of Brisbane.
The Scenic Rim’s subtropical rainforest is not merely old in the way a heritage building is old. It is old in the way the concept of Australia is old. The plant families in Lamington and Springbrook — Araucaria pines, Nothofagus beeches, tree ferns — descend from species that existed when Australia was still attached to Antarctica and South America in the supercontinent Gondwana. What UNESCO recognises is not only the ecological significance, but the fact of survival: these ranges became a refuge for plant families that disappeared from every other location on Earth as the global climate dried and cooled over 65 million years. The Scenic Rim is the last address of species that were globally distributed before the dinosaurs died. That is what you are walking through at O’Reilly’s.
At Springbrook, a creek has worn a basalt arch through which a waterfall falls directly into a circular cave chamber. The cave is colonised by a colony of Arachnocampa flava — the bioluminescent larval stage of a native fungus gnat. The larvae hang from the cave ceiling on silk threads and produce blue-green light to attract insects into their sticky trap, a predation strategy requiring the precise combination of a dark enclosed space, high humidity, and reliable insect prey that the Natural Bridge cave provides perfectly. On a completely dark night, the cave ceiling looks like a star field. The walk to the cave is a flat 1km loop — one of the most remarkable 20 minutes on the Gold Coast hinterland.
Overnight guests at O’Reilly’s frequently get a phenomenon unavailable to day-trippers: the cloud base settles at approximately the O’Reilly’s altitude (900 metres) overnight, and at dawn the plateau is in sunshine while the valleys below are invisible under white cloud. The effect is visible from the O’Reilly’s viewing deck for 30–90 minutes after sunrise before the cloud burns off — it happens most reliably on clear mornings between April and September. Combined with the dawn chorus of Albert’s lyrebird at the forest edge, it is the finest morning weather phenomenon in Southeast Queensland.
The rainforest birds at O’Reilly’s have been fed daily for a century. The crimson rosellas, king parrots and Regent bowerbirds now land on hands to take fruit. The Regent bowerbird is among the most visually spectacular birds in Australia: the male entirely glossy black with an orange-yellow cape; the female olive-green. Arrive with banana pieces (provided at O’Reilly’s reception or bring your own ripe fruit). The feeding begins at 8am. Rainbow lorikeets arrive in volume — hold your banana firmly.
We acknowledge the Yugambeh people and the Ugarapul/Yuggera peoples as Traditional Custodians of the Scenic Rim. The Yugambeh Nation comprises several clans including the Kombumerri (coastal), Mununjali (Beaudesert and the western Scenic Rim), and Wangerriburra (Tamborine Mountain) — their country extends through Lamington, Springbrook and Tamborine. The Ugarapul and Yuggera peoples are Traditional Custodians of the western Scenic Rim including Boonah and Mount Barney. Yugambeh cultural heritage is visible at sites throughout the region, and the Yugambeh Museum at Beenleigh offers deep insight into the continuing culture of South East Queensland’s Traditional Custodians.
The Gondwana story at a glance
The Antarctic beech grove at the Green Mountains section of Lamington National Park contains individual trees that have been living at this specific location for approximately 3,000 years. They predate the Roman Empire. They predate written history. The species itself descends from plant families that existed when Australia was still attached to Antarctica and South America in the supercontinent Gondwana. Surviving Australian populations in Lamington and the Border Ranges are some of the last places on Earth where this 65-million-year-old lineage continues. UNESCO listed the rainforest in 1986 because nowhere else on Earth has preserved this much of the ancient world.
The region’s elevation (500–1,100m) keeps temperatures moderate through summer, and the rainforest is most atmospheric in the cool mist months. Different seasons reward different visitors.
Mountain temperatures: 8–22°C at O’Reilly’s and Springbrook Plateau; 10–26°C in the foothills. Conditions: Drier, clearer and more consistently walkable. Tracks are less muddy, leeches less active. Best for: All longer walks — the Border Track, Coomera Circuit, Lower Portals. The Antarctic beech colour at O’Reilly’s is most striking in June–July when mist sits in the McPherson Range for days on end. Wildflowers emerge September–November on the plateau grasslands above the rainforest line.
Mountain temperatures: 18–28°C, warm and humid, afternoon storms common. Waterfalls: Purling Brook Falls is at its most dramatic in the 2–4 hours after rain — the 109m drop becomes genuinely thunderous. Twin Falls’ flow doubles. Glow worms: Brightest in this window — the higher humidity increases their light output significantly. Caveat: Tracks become slippery, leeches plentiful after rain. Bring gaiters for the longer walks.
Mountain temperatures: 2–18°C, genuinely cool, requires warm layers. Ambience: The most atmospheric rainforest season. Mist sits in the McPherson Range for days at a time, the Antarctic beech grove at Green Mountains looks precisely as it did 40 million years ago, and cloud inversion mornings are at their most reliable. O’Reilly’s fireplaces, morning mist, afternoon birdwatching, and the Border Track in perfect walking conditions. Best for: Serious photographers and those who want the rainforest at its quietest and most dramatic.
Mountain temperatures: 12–24°C, warming, generally dry. Best for: Best of All Lookout visibility — clearest morning views of the Gold Coast coastal strip and Surfers Paradise high-rises 20km east. Wildflower colour on the plateau grasslands. The driest walking conditions of the year for the Border Track. Shoulder-season accommodation prices at O’Reilly’s and Binna Burra.
Glow worms are brightest after rain. The Arachnocampa flava produce stronger bioluminescence in high-humidity conditions. If rain falls during the day, the cave at Natural Bridge will be spectacular that evening. If it’s been dry for a fortnight, the display is more modest but still worthwhile. Either way, use red-filtered torch light only inside the cave — white light disturbs the glow worms and causes them to stop producing light. This is a conservation rule enforced by park rangers and guided tour operators, not a preference.
Each area has a distinct character. Most single-day visitors do O’Reilly’s or Springbrook. Two-day visits justify the overnight at O’Reilly’s. Three days opens up Tamborine, Mount Barney, and the inner villages.
Green Mountains · 110km from Brisbane
20,644 hectares, gazetted 1915. The Green Mountains section centred on O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat (established 1926 — same family, five generations later). Tree Top Walk (180m, 9 platforms, 15m above the forest floor). Border Track (21km ridge walk to Binna Burra). Bird feeding at the veranda from 8am daily. 3,000-year-old Antarctic beech trees at the highest points.
Explore Lamington →Gold Coast hinterland · 90km from Brisbane
3,070 hectares across two sections. The Natural Bridge section — a basalt rock arch with a waterfall falling through it into a cave colonised by glow worms. The Plateau section — Purling Brook Falls (109m, tallest on the Gold Coast hinterland), Twin Falls circuit, and Best of All Lookout (the Scenic Rim’s finest viewpoint, 270° views to Surfers Paradise 20km east).
Explore Springbrook →55km from Brisbane · 550m elevation
The most accessible Scenic Rim destination and the food-and-wine introduction to the region. Gallery Walk (2km of producers — Tamborine Mountain Distillery, Witches Falls Winery, Fortitude Wines, cheese makers, art galleries). Curtis Falls (800m walk, 15m falls, cool pool). Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk. Glow Worm Caves. Elevation keeps summer temperatures 4–6°C cooler than Brisbane.
Explore Tamborine Mountain →130km from Brisbane · 1,359m peak
Southeast Queensland’s highest point. The Lower Portals walk (7km return, Grade 3) is the finest Grade 3 walk in the Scenic Rim — a granite gorge where Mount Barney Creek carves through a rhyolite narrows into clear swimming pools. The Southeast Ridge summit is Grade 5 and experienced-hikers only — fatalities have occurred on the descent. Main Range extends west to Cunninghams Gap and Queen Mary Falls.
Explore Mount Barney →Eastern Lamington · 105km from Brisbane
The eastern section of Lamington — quieter and less commercial than O’Reilly’s. Binna Burra Mountain Lodge (established 1933, rebuilt 2022 after the 2019 bushfires destroyed the original historic buildings). The Border Track’s eastern trailhead — 21km ridge walk to O’Reilly’s. The Coomera Circuit (17.5km, Grade 4) including Coomera Falls (64m).
Explore Binna Burra →Inner Scenic Rim · 100km from Brisbane
The pastoral plateau the tourist circuit misses. Lake Moogerah (created 1960 by Moogerah Dam) reflects the volcanic peaks of the Ramsay Range at dawn — the most photogenic non-rainforest landscape in the Scenic Rim. The inner villages — Boonah (the region’s service hub, Saturday market, galleries), Canungra (the O’Reilly’s gateway), Rathdowney, Beaudesert. Kooroomba Lavender & Winery near Mount Alford.
Explore Lake Moogerah →Beyond the brochure. The walks that earn the drive, the timing that makes the glow worms work, and the story that defines O’Reilly’s.
The classic Scenic Rim day from Brisbane: depart 7:30am, arrive O’Reilly’s by 9am for the 8am-9am bird feeding window (still in progress), Tree Top Walk before the 10am tour-bus peak, a Box Forest Circuit or Python Rock walk through to noon, lunch at O’Reilly’s Restaurant. Depart 2pm, drive to Natural Bridge via Canungra and Nerang (70 minutes), arrive Springbrook Plateau by 3:30pm. Purling Brook Falls lookout, Best of All Lookout for the afternoon ocean view, then the Natural Bridge 1km loop at dusk — into the cave 30–45 minutes after full dark for the glow worm display. Back in Brisbane by 10pm. The timing is the difference between a good day and a great one.
Natural Bridge Circuit (Springbrook, 1km loop, Grade 2, 30–45 min) — the glow worm cave at dusk, family-friendly. Curtis Falls (Tamborine Mountain, 800m return, Grade 2, 30 min) — 15m drop into a plunge pool. Tree Top Walk & Booyong Circuit (O’Reilly’s, 180m canopy + 3km loop, Grade 2, 1–2hr) — the signature O’Reilly’s experience. Purling Brook Falls Circuit (Springbrook, 4km loop, Grade 3, 1.5–2hr) — descent to base of the 109m waterfall, suspension bridge. Twin Falls Circuit (Springbrook, 4km loop, Grade 3, 1.5–2hr) — behind two cascading waterfalls. Lower Portals (Mount Barney, 7km return, Grade 3, 3–4hr) — granite gorge with swimming holes. Coomera Circuit (Binna Burra, 17.5km, Grade 4, 6–7hr) — the deepest Binna Burra walk including Coomera Falls (64m). Border Track (Lamington, 21km one-way, Grade 4, 7–8hr) — the ridge walk connecting O’Reilly’s to Binna Burra, the finest single long-distance walk in the Scenic Rim.
The summit route is Grade 5: 10.5km return, 900m of elevation gain over the final 4km, exposed scrambling on loose rhyolite scree requiring hands and feet. Fatalities have occurred on the descent. This is not for casual hikers. If you want the Mount Barney experience without the risk, the Lower Portals walk (7km return, Grade 3) delivers the mountain, the gorge, and the swimming holes without any technical requirement. The summit route should be attempted only by experienced bushwalkers with good navigation skills, appropriate footwear, 3L+ water per person, and ideally a guide familiar with the descent line. We don’t run summit tours.
Gallery Walk runs 2km along Long Road and accommodates 80+ shops, distilleries, wineries, cheesemakers, art galleries and cafes. The Tamborine Mountain Distillery Rainforest Walk gin tasting is the most-booked single experience on the mountain. Witches Falls Winery and Fortitude Wines have cellar doors. Curtis Falls (800m return) is the walkable waterfall. The Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk includes a 40-metre cantilever jutting out over Cedar Creek. Best as a half-day add-on to an O’Reilly’s overnight, or as a relaxed full-day from Brisbane with one of our guided wine-and-rainforest tours.
The 1937 Stinson Rescue. On 19 February 1937, a Stinson airliner flying Brisbane to Sydney crashed in the McPherson Range during a storm. Search teams combed the wrong locations for nine days. Then Bernard O’Reilly — nephew of the family who had established O’Reilly’s at Green Mountains in 1926 — studied the storm’s track, calculated where the aircraft must have gone down, and walked alone into the most remote rainforest in the range on a hunch. He found two survivors after nine days in the wilderness. The third had attempted to walk out and didn’t make it. The account is told in Bernard O’Reilly’s book Green Mountains (1940), still the foundational text of Scenic Rim literature and available at the O’Reilly’s gift shop. The O’Reilly’s museum displays artefacts from the rescue. The 1937 rescue is the reason a small family guest house became a national landmark, and the O’Reilly family continues to operate the retreat a century after founding. When you walk the rainforest trails at Lamington, you are walking in a landscape that Bernard O’Reilly knew well enough to find two people alive in it after nine days.
Scenic Rim departures & itineraries
All Cooee-operated, all hard-capped at 24 (most run 14–20), all with hotel pickup from Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Scenic Rim tours · All 2026 departures
The complete 2026 Scenic Rim tour index. O’Reilly’s day tours, Springbrook glow worm evenings, the O’Reilly’s + glow worm combo, Tamborine wine and rainforest, Border Track guided ridge walks, Mount Barney Lower Portals, and O’Reilly’s overnight packages. Use this as the catch-all starting point.
View full catalogue →Springbrook · Full-day adventure
The Springbrook circuit done right. Best of All Lookout at morning light. Purling Brook Falls Circuit. Twin Falls. Natural Bridge at dusk for the glow worms. The day most guests return saying they would have missed without us — because the Natural Bridge dusk window needs specific timing.
View Springbrook adventures →Tamborine Mountain · Wine & rainforest
Curtis Falls walk through subtropical rainforest, the Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk (1.5km elevated boardwalk with 40-metre cantilever over Cedar Creek), and Gallery Walk for cellar-door tastings at boutique wineries, cheese rooms and craft breweries. Lunch included. The most-booked Scenic Rim day tour we run.
View Tamborine wine tour →Hinterland walks · Guided bushwalking
For walkers who want naturalist commentary on the Gondwana ecology, the Antarctic beech story, and the glow worm life cycle. Mix-and-match itineraries covering O’Reilly’s Tree Top Walk + Box Forest Circuit, Springbrook’s Purling Brook + Twin Falls, or Mount Barney Lower Portals depending on your group’s fitness.
View guided walks →Mt Tamborine · Half & full day
Multiple Tamborine Mountain options — the half-day Gallery Walk + Curtis Falls package, the full-day Tamborine wine and rainforest combo, the Tamborine + Springbrook combo for two days of contrasting hinterland. Pickup from Brisbane or Gold Coast.
View Tamborine tours →O’Reilly’s · 2-day overnight
The reason guests return to the Scenic Rim. Day 1: Tree Top Walk, Python Rock or Box Forest Circuit, evening glow worm cave on-site. Day 2: dawn cloud inversion from the viewing deck, Albert’s lyrebird at the forest edge, Border Track first 4km to the 3,000-year-old Antarctic beech grove. The dawn experience justifies the overnight entirely.
View O’Reilly’s overnight →Latest from the Cooee Journal
Three reads from our specialists on planning your Scenic Rim trip.
The five Springbrook waterfalls worth the drive, in the order they work as a single-day circuit. Purling Brook’s suspension bridge, Twin Falls’ behind-the-cascade rock cleft, Natural Bridge at dusk for the glow worms, and the lesser-known Twin Falls upper plateau. With grades, distances and the morning-light sequencing trick.
Read in the Journal →
Tamborine Mountain is closer (55 min from Brisbane), more accessible, and food-and-wine focused. Springbrook is deeper rainforest, the headline waterfalls, and the glow worm cave. Side-by-side comparison: best for couples vs families, half-day vs full-day, summer vs winter, and the case for doing both on a two-day trip.
Read in the Journal →
The full O’Reilly’s day: 8am bird feeding (Regent bowerbird, crimson rosella, king parrot), Tree Top Walk before 10am, Box Forest Circuit through to noon, O’Reilly’s Vineyard for lunch. Plus the case for staying overnight: the cloud inversion at dawn, Albert’s lyrebird, and the empty trails before the day-tripper arrival.
Read in the Journal →Continue Queensland
The natural pairings — Brisbane and the Gold Coast (the cities at the ends of the rim), the Sunshine Coast north, or the wider Queensland circuit.
The northern gateway. Brisbane sits 60-130km from the Scenic Rim depending on which area you’re visiting. Most Scenic Rim itineraries start with two or three nights in Brisbane — subtropical river city, the South Bank cultural precinct, the CityCat ferry network, a thriving food scene.
Read the Brisbane guide →
The eastern gateway — Springbrook and Tamborine sit directly above the Gold Coast hinterland. Many Scenic Rim trips combine 2 days inland with 3 days on the beach strip. 60km of coast, five theme parks, surf breaks at Snapper Rocks and Kirra, the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.
Read the Gold Coast guide →
Two hours north of Brisbane through Brisbane. 100km of unspoiled coast, building-height limits since the 1970s, Noosa Heads, the Glass House Mountains, the Eumundi Markets. The counter-balance to a Scenic Rim trip — ocean to the Brisbane River’s rainforest.
Read the Sunshine Coast guide →
Reef, rainforest, outback, beach — the complete Queensland state guide. All regions, planning advice and itineraries from our Brisbane specialists.
Read the Queensland guide →Recent guests who’ve travelled O’Reilly’s, Springbrook and the wider Scenic Rim with us.
“Natural Bridge at exactly 40 minutes after full dark. The ceiling was a field of blue-green points — genuinely breathtaking. Our guide explained the larvae’s fishing strategy in a whisper while we stood there. Best twenty minutes of our Queensland trip.”
Helen & Mark T.
Natural Bridge glow worm tour · June 2026
Auckland, NZ
“The guide had our Tree Top Walk scheduled for 9:15am — empty. By the time we came back down at 10:30, there were tour buses parked everywhere. The timing is absolutely everything at O’Reilly’s, and Cooee knew it.”
Jamie K.
O’Reilly’s day tour · April 2026
Sydney, Australia
“Three thousand years old. Our guide said it quietly, in front of a single Antarctic beech tree off the Border Track. I had to sit down. Then she talked about Gondwana, the continents separating, and the southern supercontinent. That tree has been alive for longer than anyone’s recorded history.”
Sarah R.
Border Track guided walk · September 2026
Melbourne, Australia
“Booked the O’Reilly’s overnight specifically for the dawn. At 6:15am the valley was completely white under cloud and we were in full sunshine at the viewing deck. Then an Albert’s lyrebird started up from somewhere in the forest doing perfect impressions of whip birds and a kookaburra. Worth the accommodation cost ten times over.”
Peter & Julia D.
O’Reilly’s 2-day overnight · July 2026
London, UK
“The 21km Border Track took us 7.5 hours at a comfortable pace with stops. The Antarctic beech section is genuinely unlike anything else in Queensland — it feels like another country entirely. Our guide had the car shuttle sorted, lunch packed perfectly, and kept us on pace without pushing.”
Arjun K.
Border Track ridge walk · May 2026
Singapore
“Tamborine Mountain Distillery gin tour followed by the Curtis Falls walk followed by a wine tasting at Witches Falls. Three experiences in 4 hours, all walkable from the tour van parking. Best value day tour we did in our Queensland week.”
Rachel E.
Tamborine wine & rainforest · March 2026
Perth, Australia
Questions our Scenic Rim specialists answer most often.
Take the Pacific Motorway south to Oxenford, then the Oxenford-Tamborine Road through to Canungra (1 hour from Brisbane). From Canungra, the Lamington National Park Road is 36km of sealed but winding mountain road — allow 45 minutes and don’t rush, as sections are single-lane. Total Brisbane to O’Reilly’s: 1 hour 30 minutes. No public transport; hire car or guided tour is essential. Sat-nav sometimes routes through the Gold Coast hinterland — the Canungra approach is correct and more scenic.
No — the glow worms are only visible in darkness. During daylight the cave is a scenic rock arch with a waterfall. The bioluminescence becomes visible approximately 30 minutes after full dark, and is brightest 35–45 minutes after sunset. The 1km loop walk is freely accessible year-round with no booking, but guided evening tours provide ecological context. Use red-filtered torch light only inside the cave — white light disturbs the glow worms and causes them to stop producing light. This is a conservation rule.
The Lower Portals walk (7km return, Grade 3, no significant elevation) is excellent for families with older children and casual walkers — it follows Mount Barney Creek to a granite gorge with swimming holes, 3–4 hours. The Southeast Ridge summit route (Grade 5, 900m elevation gain, exposed scrambling on loose rock) is strictly for experienced bushwalkers with navigation skills and appropriate equipment. Fatalities have occurred on the descent. Do not attempt the summit without prior experience on technical Grade 4–5 terrain. We don’t run summit tours.
On 19 February 1937, a Stinson airliner flying Brisbane to Sydney crashed in the McPherson Range during a storm. Search teams combed the wrong locations for nine days. Bernard O’Reilly — whose family had established O’Reilly’s in 1926 — studied the storm’s track, calculated where the aircraft must have gone down, and walked alone into the most remote rainforest in the range on a hunch. He found two survivors after nine days. His book Green Mountains (1940) tells the story and remains the foundational text of Scenic Rim literature. The O’Reilly’s museum displays artefacts from the rescue. See the Stinson Rescue callout above for the full account.
A single long day from Brisbane covers O’Reilly’s morning and Springbrook glow worms at night — the definitive one-day circuit. Two days with an overnight at O’Reilly’s adds the dawn cloud inversion, Albert’s lyrebird dawn chorus, and trail access before day-tripper arrival. Three days adds Tamborine Mountain, Mount Barney’s Lower Portals, and time for the 21km Border Track. Serious hikers and photographers should plan 3–5 days.
Genuinely year-round. Waterfalls are most dramatic January–April (wet season flow). Walking and hiking are most comfortable April–October (cooler and drier). The Antarctic beech trees at O’Reilly’s look most striking June–July when mist sits in the McPherson Range for days. Glow worms are brightest after rain. Spring wildflower colour runs September–November. December–February is hot and humid but waterfalls at maximum flow.
Yes — the Natural Bridge 1km loop walk is accessible free of charge year-round, and the cave can be visited day or night with no booking. However, walking an unfamiliar rainforest track in the dark has real safety considerations (slippery boardwalks, uneven surfaces), and the glow worms’ ecology and conservation issues are significant enough that guided tours provide real value. Use red-filtered torch light only in the cave — white light disturbs the glow worms and causes them to stop producing light. This is a conservation rule.
The Antarctic beech (Nothofagus moorei) trees at the highest points of Lamington National Park are individual organisms that have been living at these locations for approximately 3,000 years. They predate written history, the Roman Empire, and the Norman Conquest. The species itself descends from plant families that existed when Australia was attached to Antarctica and South America in the supercontinent Gondwana — the surviving Australian populations in Lamington and the Border Ranges are some of the last places on Earth where this 65-million-year-old lineage continues.
Closed-toe walking shoes are mandatory — rainforest tracks are rooted, wet and uneven regardless of recent rain. Long pants recommended for leech protection on longer Lamington walks (the Australian land leech is harmless but leaves bloody socks if undetected). Lightweight waterproof layer — the Springbrook Plateau and O’Reilly’s receive 2,000mm+ of rain annually and afternoon showers can occur year-round. For photography, a tripod is essential for Natural Bridge glow worms (minimum 15–30 second exposures, ISO 1600–3200, f/2.8+). Winter visits need warm layers for mountain sections (temperatures can drop to 2°C).
Yes — group bookings are a specialty. We coordinate private coach charters from Brisbane and the Gold Coast, negotiate group rates at O’Reilly’s and Binna Burra, arrange private glow worm cave tours at Natural Bridge, organise private Border Track guided walks with car-shuttle logistics, handle Tamborine Mountain cellar-door tastings, and provide a single point of contact throughout. Suitable for clubs, seniors groups, schools, milestone birthdays and corporate retreats. Call 0409 661 342 or email contact@cooeetours.com.au for a tailored quote.
How Cooee plans your Scenic Rim trip
We’re one to two hours from every part of the Scenic Rim and have been booking O’Reilly’s and Springbrook for 35 years. Our specialists know the 36km winding drive to O’Reilly’s (we drive, you enjoy), the Natural Bridge dusk window for glow worms, the 8am bird-feeding timing at O’Reilly’s, the Antarctic beech grove story, and the 1937 Stinson Rescue context that makes the whole place make sense. We coordinate the transfers, the O’Reilly’s booking, the Tamborine cellar doors, the Border Track car shuttle — one team, one contact, one invoice.
Hard cap of 24 travellers per departure (most run with 14–20). More about how we work →
More from the Cooee group
More from the Cooee group — and the local transport detail for getting to and around the Scenic Rim’s winding mountain roads.
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Register interest →Getting to the Scenic Rim
Hire car or guided tour — the 36km Lamington National Park Road, Springbrook Plateau and Mount Barney are not served by public transport. Plus the Canungra route detail, the Tamborine Mountain bus options, and the car-shuttle logistics for the 21km Border Track.
Plan your Scenic Rim trip
When you’d like to travel, how many people, and what matters most — the glow worms, the O’Reilly’s overnight, the Tamborine wineries, or the serious bushwalking. One day or three, family-paced or fitness-tested. A Brisbane-based Cooee specialist replies within one business day with options, dates and an indicative quote.