Discover the Scenic Rim’s national parks and wilderness areas 

With its six national parks and World Heritage-listed rainforest, there’s no shortage of stunning scenery in the Scenic Rim. Formed over millions of years, the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area encompasses Lamington, Tamborine Mountain, Mount Barney and Main Range National Park. Each park has beautiful and unique features amongst the dense forests, craggy mountains, vast lakes and cooling waterfalls.  

Whether you hit the trails regularly or are more of a fairweather forest visitor, you’ll be blown away by the beauty of Lamington National Park – known as Woonoongoora to its earliest inhabitants, the Yugambeh kinship group. Choose from short hikes from the day area at Binna Burra (the Rainforest circuit and Caves track are popular) or longer walks (such as the four-hour Daves Creek circuit or eight-hour Mount Hobwee circuit) that travel deep into the heart of the bush. Make sure you keep an ear out for resident songbirds while discovering the many plants and animals – including a plethora of threatened species – that call this special place home. 

Let the mountain air keep you cool as you trek through Tamborine National Park, where a network of walking tracks offering glimpses of the Pacific Ocean. Mosey through wet eucalypt forest and lush rainforest to the impressive Curtis Falls, before checking the rock pool for turtles, eels, or even an elusive local platypus. For a birds-eye view, you can’t beat the Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk – which offers a thrilling 1.5-kilometre adventure combining forest flooring, high-tech steel bridges.  

Want to experience the magic of the ancient Gondwana rainforest in style? Spicer’s Scenic Rim Trail guided walking tours are the trip of a lifetime, traversing the forest over the course of two to six days with knowledgeable guides, luxury eco accommodation and superb food and wine. Take the opportunity to soak your weary bones in the tub of your glamping tent with a drink in hand, before the sun rises on another day of discovery.  

If you’re happier in the water than on land, pay a visit to the peaceful blue expanse that is Lake Moogerah to paddle, swim, kayak, boat or fish the day away, before enjoying a picnic on its serene shores. Slightly smaller, the mountain-fringed Lake Maroon is a popular spot for camping and boating, although swimming isn’t permitted, so best leave your togs at home.

Explore the Scenic Rim’s finest farm and foodie experiences

Open to the public on the first Saturday of each month, Towri Sheep Cheeses is an artisan boutique sheep dairy near Beaudesert – go for the milking demonstration and stay for the opportunity to eat your bodyweight in their delicious hand-crafted cheddar, pecorini, blue cheese and fetta.  

Out near Harrisville, the farming fun continues with Summer Land Camels, where you can meet the camel's before heading to their pretty-as-a-picture Homestead Café for a range of dromedary-dairy treats – think camel milk cheeses, camel milk gelato, and even camel milk vodka. We’ll drink to that! 

Keen to meet a cuddly creature, and maybe even snap a selfie or two? The 70 alpacas at Mountview Alpaca Farm within O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards are fluffy and friendly as can be, each with their own distinctive personality. Wander through the vineyard with the fluffy alpaca or even enjoy a pizza picnic with them by your side – a vineyard visit has never been so cute.  

A new concept from award-winning edible flower and garnish producers Pretty Produce, Wild Flower Forest is an opportunity to wander amongst stunning rows of sunflowers, zinnias and cosmos flowers for the sheer joy of it – slow down and soak up the riot of colour surrounding you in an experience that’s sure to delight the senses and soothe the soul.

Another one for the flower fans; don’t miss the spectacular Kalbar Sunflower Festival each autumn, when 400,000 sunflowers simultaneously burst into bloom. Stroll the endless fields of yellow (snapping plenty of photos as you go, of course), or get lost in the maze, join a yoga class or take part in a special long-table dinner as the sun goes down. Golden hour, indeed.  

The annual Destination Scenic Rim Farm Gate Trail – a delightful day visiting various local farmers, makers and providores, filling your empty esky (and your belly) as you go – is one for the foodie calendar. Scenic Rim Eat Local Month is a vibrant festival with over 125 events celebrating the best food and wine the region has to offer. Its signature event, the Scenic Rim Winter Harvest Festival, is a relaxed day out for the whole family, rug up and enjoy talks from top chefs, cooking demonstrations, culinary fun for kids, and even a tractor-pulling competition. 

Discover the Scenic Rim’s hidden cultural gems

A modern cultural centre with soaring atriums, The Centre at Beaudesert showcases events, exhibitions, and performances from companies and artists in the community and beyond, helping to make sense of our world through art.  

Local authors, Indigenous elders, young people, and the Queensland Museum have all contributed stories to the Scenic Rim Story Marker Trails – an innovative project showcasing local stories and landmark locations across the Scenic Rim in an effort to strengthen the community’s connection to the past. Explore themes of environmental, Indigenous, settler, migrant, and contemporary stories through the signage and public artworks scattered throughout the region.  

Transport yourself to days gone by at the Harrisville Historical Society Museum to see heritage artefacts from the town and hear the stories of its inhabitants. The museum is housed in a 100-year-old weatherboard home, and you can find the rain gun that was used during the 1902 drought as one of the prized exhibits.  

Located in the Scenic Rim Regional Council’s Cultural Centre complex, Boonah Cultural Centre is run by a passionate group of local artists and artisans, creating a vibrant community space for creatives to create, teach, come together and exhibit their work.

The Scenic Rim’s best adventure experiences

An adventure park and resort in the heart of the rainforest, Mount Tamborine’s ThunderBird Park truly has something for everyone, from the thrill-seekers to the nature-appreciators. 4WD in a buggy, fossick for ‘thundereggs’ in the crystal mine, swim in the rock pools, play laser skirmish in the dense scrub, or take the famous TreeTop Challenge – a super-fun series of ziplines, flying foxes, high ropes and tree-top bridges that’ll take your Scenic Rim trip to new heights. 

The sky’s the limit with Oz Paragliding and Hang Gliding, where you can experience the magic of free flight thanks to their team of passionate instructors. Choose from discovery tandems and introductory flights or fully certified pilot courses; get ready to feel on top of the world.  

Want to get out and about in this stunning region? Start planning your Scenic Rim adventure today.