A step away form the bustle of Brisbane are the many attractions of the Brisbane Hinterland. The heavily forested hills of the DAguilar Range create a subtropical haven just twenty minutes west of the city: the main access point is the hamlet of Mount Glorious, in Brisbane forest Park. Travel to the Valley of the Lakes near Esk and even further north-west to the South Burnett, with its diverse crops and heritage villages. Here the landscape, including stands of rare pine rainforest, is preserved in Bunya Mountains National Park. Children will love this area too, as there are, many opportunities for encounters with native animals.
Bunya Mountains: this isolated spur of the Great Dividing Range is a cool, moist region of waterfalls, green and scarlet king parrots and the remaining stands of bunya pine, a species much depleted by early timber-getters. Walk the easy 4 kilometre Scenic Circuit from the Dandabah camping area, which winds through rainforest to Pine Gorge lookout.
South Burnett: At South Burnett yo can visit historic timber towns in Blackbutt or Yarraman or visit the wineries along the Barambah wine trails.
Booubyjan Homestead: Two Irish brothers, the Clements took up this run near Goomeri in 1847 beginning with sheep and then moving to cattle in the 1880s .Many generations later, the property is still in the family. The homestead, open daily, provides a glimpse of pioneering life in Queenslands early years and well worth a visit.
Brisbane Forest Park: Offers pristine waterfalls, rainforest, deep swimming pools, mountain streams, forests and trees. Mt. Glorious offers a wide range of walking trails, and if you travel 10km further you will arrive at Wivenhoe lookout, which offers views of Lake Wivenhoe.
Also located in Brisbane Forest Park is the Walkabout Creek Wildlife Center. This is a freshwater creek, populated with frogs, water dragon, platypus, python and fish. Just past Samford, in the The Woolshed, you can get a realistic demonstration of life on a sheep station. Enjoy everything from shearing demonstrations to watching the native animals roam.
The Daisy Hill State Forest: A eucalypt forest and acacia scrub, just 25 kilometers south of Brisbane. Visitors get an opportunity to search the tree canopy for koalas, or visit the picnic area which offers information about koalas and their native habitat.
