Recently Greg Roberts (no relation) put up an impassioned and ultimately successful campaign to prevent these wetlands being drained and returned to farming; it’s not over yet, but the main floodgates have been re-opened.
Willow Vale Recreational Trails
Here is a trail I investigated for our Family Bushwalks book but chose not to include.
It was a signed, sort of maintained trail which goes nowhere, rough in places, steep in places, primarily intended for and used by horse riders.
NEWS: It’s still steep and rough in places, but it has been extended NE by Council and lots of mountain bikers use it, so I’ve extended the map SW to Mt Wongawallan.
Numinbah Forest
Numinbah Forest lies between the Numinbah and Little Nerang Valleys in the Gold Coast Hinterland; it is the venue of many organised walks each year. There is limited scope for mountain biking because it is generally steep and cycling is not permitted on many trails. Waterfall Creek is a relatively gentle ride.
Bowra Sanctuary
Bowra Sanctuary is a 140km2 ex cattle station next to Cunnamulla, 800km west of Brisbane; it is an amazing place with extraordinary bird life. I was there for a couple of weeks over Christmas 2014. Click through for the PDF:
Western Treatment Plant
Here is a map I drew a few years ago of an amazing place. It’s an immense sewage works and it’s also a mecca for birdwatchers.
Curlew Island
I recently visited Curlew Island with a group of birders and we saw Beach Stone-Curlews in between showers. Shifting sand in the Broadwater is quickly making the island larger and moving it west little by little.
Clagiraba Reserves
Here’s a map I at first created for Where to Mountain Bike in South East Queensland but the area is rather steep for riding. The walk along the creek from Belliss Rd is gentle and very pleasant.
Click through for the PDF:
Bally Mountain
Bonogin Valley lies between the Tallebudgera and Mudgeeraba valleys half way down the Gold Coast. At the very end of Bonogin Road is the most accessible section of Springbrook National Park, part of the Bally (“Ball-ee”) Mountain Conservation Reserves. However this isn’t the Springbrook we know of rainforests and bubbling brooks, because it’s much lower in altitude.
Two entertaining geocaches near the summits of Little Bally and Bally Mountains and great views from the razorback make up for the horrible climb up Bally Mountain from the northeast – 200m ascent over a distance of 200m!
Click through for the PDF:
Bimblebox Nature Refuge
Here is my new map of Bimblebox Nature Refuge, 80km2 of outback Queensland in pristine condition but threatened with complete destruction by the proposed China First coal mine.
