Overview
- Features: Subtropical rainforests with walking tracks, abundant birds, wildlife, waterfalls and gorges
- Opening Times: 24 hours
- Cost: Free
- Duration: 1 to 2 days
- Transport Options: Car
- Walking tracks: 22
- Grade: 2 to 5
- Facilities: Disabled access, car park, picnic area, public toilet, shaded area, viewing platform, visitor information centre, walking tracks
- Activities: Bird watching, wildlife viewing, bushwalking
- Best Time to Visit: Spring (between September and November)
- Address: Binna Burra, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia
- Contact: 13 7468 (Tollfree)
- Type: National Park
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Summary
Are you planning to visit Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast hinterland? Unsure about whether you should visit Binna Burra or Green Mountains? If you are, read this post to find out whether a trip to Binna Burra or the Green Mountains will make a better holiday for you and your family. In addition, you can find plenty of interesting and helpful information on Lamington National Park so you can plan your trip before you leave.
Which Area of Lamington National Park Should You Visit?
While both Green Mountains and the Binna Burra sections of Lamington National Park are very similar in terms of walking trails, they are different in terms of the experience you will have. Below are the pros and cons for staying at either the Green Mountains or Binna Burra sections of the national park.
Pros and Cons of staying at Green Mountains
- Green Mountains is more modern and sophisticated than Binna Burra
- Green Mountains is home to the popular O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse
- This section attracts more visitors due to its modern developments making it busy and tourist-oriented
- There are more waterfalls in the Green Mountains section of the park
- The only national-park camping ground is located at Green Mountains
Read more about Green Mountains.
Pros and Cons of Staying at Binna Burra
- Binna Burra is less developed and has a more rustic atmosphere to it
- Binna Burra is not as tourist-oriented as Green Mountains
- There are less crowds at Binna Burra ensuring you have most of the walking tracks to yourself
- Binna Burra has a larger share of the walking tracks
Read more about Binna Burra.
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10 Interesting Facts about Lamington National Park
- Covering 20,200 hectares (49,895 acres) of thick subtropical rainforest, Lamington National Park is the largest national park in the Gold Coast hinterland
- Lamington became a part of Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area in 1994
- The park is covered with subtropical rainforests, 2,000-year-old moss-covered Antarctic beech trees and giant strangler figs
- Sitting at around 1,000m (3,328 ft.) above sea level, the park has beautiful gorges, caves and waterfalls
- The two most popular and accessible sections of Lamington National Park are Binna Burra and Green Mountains
- Green Mountains is located on the western side of the Lamington Plateau in an area called O’Reilly; Binna Burra is located on the eastern side of the park
- The park has 22 walking tracks covering more than 160 km (100 miles)
- Seven of the 22 walking tracks can be found in the Green Mountains while the rest are situated in the Binna Burra section of the park; two can be accessed from both sections of the park and link them together
- The park is home to some 150 species of birds, including the Albert’s lyrebird, rosellas, and bowerbirds making bird-watching a popular pastime here
- Commonly spotted animals include satin and regent bowerbirds, Lamington blue spiny crayfish, and pademelons (a type of small wallaby)
Highlights of Lamington National Park
1. Lamington National Park Walks
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There are 22 walking tracks that cover more than 160 km (100 miles) within Lamington National Park. These walking tracks allow visitors to explore the subtropical rainforest with its 2,000-year-old moss-covered Antarctic beech trees and giant strangler figs that cover Lamington’s high, narrow ridges and plunging valleys. The walking trails track through thick forest, past ferny waterfalls, and along mountain ridges with soaring views across green valleys.
Of the 22 walking tracks, most are located in the Binna Burra area although the two longest tracks, Border Track and Mount Merino Track can be accessed from both sections of the park. The trails vary in difficulty and length, from 1km (.5-mile) strolls to 23km (14-mile) treks. Half-day walks and full-day hikes are both available making Lamington National Park a mecca for hikers, bird-lovers and adventure seekers.
For more information on the walking trails for each section of the park, see Binna Burra and Green Mountains.
2. Lamington National Park Waterfalls
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Lamington National Park contains more than 500 waterfalls, most of which are located in the Green Mountains section of the park.
Binna Burra has two waterfalls – Coomera Falls and Ballunjui Falls, while Green Mountains is home to several waterfalls, including Elabana Falls and Running Creek Falls which flows into a box canyon. Yarrbilgong Falls and Coomera Falls both flow into Coomera Gorge. Morans Falls is another cascade that can be viewed along the 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) long Morans Falls Track. Stairway Falls and Nagarigoon Falls are also located in the Green Mountains section of the park.
3. Lamington National Park Tree Top Walk
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One of the highlights of Lamington National Park is a tree top walk which is located in the Green Mountains section. This excellent tree-top canopy walk provides the opportunity to safely walk through the canopy of the forest along a series of rope-and-plank suspension bridges 15 metres (49 ft) above the ground. Climbing a ladder up a strangler fig takes visitors to an observation deck 30 metres (98 ft) above the ground.
The Lamington National Park tree top walk is an attraction not to be missed.
4. Lamington National Park Animals
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Lamington National Park is a haven for bird and animal lovers as the park is filled with several species of wildlife. The park is full of colourful birds including rosellas, bowerbirds, rare lyrebirds, and other species that live here. In addition, groups of small wallabies, called pademelons, can be seen grazing outside your room. In summer, you may see giant carpet pythons curled up in a tree or large goannas sunning themselves on rock ledges. You may be stopped near streams by a hissing Lamington spiny crayfish, an aggressive little monster 6 inches long, patterned in royal blue and white. The park comes alive with owls, possums, and sugargliders at night.
Lamington National Park Accommodation
The accommodation options in Lamington National Park are very sparse. Only two accommodation options exist – O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse located in the Green Mountains and Binna Burra Mountain Lodge in Bunna Burra.
For more information on O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse, see Green Mountains; for Binna Burra Mountain Lodge, see Binna Burra.
Lamington National Park Camping
There is a national-park camping ground located near O’Reilly’s Rainforest Guesthouse in the Green Mountains. While there is no national-park camp ground in Binna Burra, the Binna Burra Mountain Lodge has camp sites and safari tents.
For more information on camping, see Green Mountains and Binna Burra.
How to get to Lamington National Park?
The nearest town to Lamington National Park is Broadbeach in the Gold Coast or Nerang in the hinterland. From here, the route differs depending on whether you’re heading to Binna Burra or Green Mountains.
Getting to Binna Burra
From Broadbeach, it takes about 70 mins to Binna Burra. Drive 38 km to Beechmont via Nerang. From the north, take Pacific Motorway exit 69 and follow the signs west to Binna Burra in Lamington National Park. The final section of the 10 km drive is very narrow so take care.
There are many commercial tour operators that conduct tours to Lamington National Park. There is no public transport to the park.
Read more about Binna Burra.
Getting to Green Mountains
From Broadbeach, drive 40 km to Canungra via Nerang. From the north, take Pacific Motorway exit 34 to Beenleigh, route 92 to Tamborine, and route 90 to Canungra. The 36 km winding and often narrow bitumen road from Canungra requires care and takes at least 50 min. This road is unsuitable for recreational vehicles (RVs) longer than 4m and vehicles towing caravans and camper trailers.
Read more about Green Mountains.
Lamington National Park Address
Lamington National Park
Binna Burra
Queensland
Australia
Tell us what you think. Do you prefer Green Mountains or Binna Burra? If you’ve been to Lamington National Park before, which section of the park did you visit and what was your favourite part of the trip?
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