Mount Glorious: Scenic Drive, Walks, Lookouts and Cafes

Mount Glorious is a small rainforest village on the D’Aguilar Range, about 50 minutes by car from Brisbane, and one of the easiest mountain day trips from the city. The road up winds through the forest of D’Aguilar National Park, and at the top you can walk through rainforest at Maiala, look west from Westridge Outlook and stop for coffee with a view.

It sits high enough to be cooler than the city in summer and is sometimes wrapped in mist. Plan on a half day, longer if you want to walk to the falls.

The Mount Glorious drive

Most people drive up from The Gap on Mount Nebo Road, then turn onto Mount Glorious Road at the junction near the top of the range. Mount Glorious Road continues on through D’Aguilar National Park and down the other side towards Samford. The roads are sealed and a normal car is fine, but they are narrow and twisty, so allow extra time and take the bends slowly.

Along the way there are lookouts, picnic spots and places to pull over, so the drive is half the day out. Mount Nebo is the next village along the same range if you want a second stop.

Walks at Maiala

Maiala is the day-use area on Mount Glorious Road and the starting point for the best walks on the mountain. It has a picnic area with toilets and roadside car parks on Mount Glorious Road, and the grassy picnic area is wheelchair accessible. The picnic area has tables (some under shelter), flush toilets and a free barbecue, and Queensland Parks lists Maiala as open 24 hours a day. The tracks start here and lead into the subtropical rainforest of D’Aguilar National Park.

Rainforest Circuit

This is the easy one for families: a 2 km circuit through rainforest on a well-formed track, with some steps in the steeper parts and boardwalks over the wet sections. Educational plaques along the way explain the plants and wildlife.

Cypress Grove and Greenes Falls

You can extend the Rainforest Circuit to Cypress Grove (about 2.5 km return) or to Greenes Falls (about 4.3 km return), which is the walk if you want to reach a waterfall.

Western Window Track

The Western Window Track starts opposite the picnic area, on the south side of Mount Glorious Road, and follows the escarpment to a wide view to the west. The listed distance is 1.2 km return, and the Westside Track makes a longer loop with it (6.4 km return).

Westridge Outlook

Westridge Outlook is a short elevated boardwalk to a lookout with views west over the forested ridges of the range. It is off Mount Nebo Road, about 39 km from the Brisbane CBD, and is open 24 hours a day. The access road is sealed, and you walk to the lookout from the car park.

It is a good stop on the way up or down because it asks for almost no time. There is more about the park around it on our D’Aguilar National Park page.

Cafe and sculpture garden

The View on Mount Glorious, at 1814 Mount Glorious Road, is a cafe, restaurant and frozen yoghurt bar with views over the coast and Moreton Bay. It serves breakfast until 11 am, lunch from 11 am, pizza, housemade pastries and cakes, coffee, frozen yoghurt, wine and beer, and has indoor tables, a covered deck and garden seating. It is open Wednesday to Friday 8.30 am to 2.30 pm and Saturday and Sunday 7.30 am to 3 pm, and closed Monday and Tuesday. It is walk-ins only (groups of 10 or more can book a weekday table), and you can order at the table by QR code. Check its website.

Visit Moreton Bay also lists a sculpture garden in the rainforest with works in marble, stone, bronze and onyx, and a handful of rainforest cottages and bed and breakfasts if you want to stay the night.

Is Mount Glorious dog friendly?

Not in the national park. Queensland Parks does not allow pets in national parks, so dogs cannot go on the Maiala tracks or Westridge Outlook, and on-the-spot fines apply. You can drive through the park on public roads with the dog inside the vehicle. The View lists itself as pet friendly on enquiry, so ring before you bring a dog.

Planning your visit

• How long: half a day for the drive, a short walk and a coffee; a full day if you add Greenes Falls.
• Best time: mornings for the cooler air and the views; summer afternoons are milder than in the city.
• Cost: the cafe is extra. See the Queensland Parks page for any day-use fees.
• What to bring: water, a jacket, sturdy shoes and insect repellent.
• Accessibility: the picnic area at Maiala is wheelchair accessible; the tracks have steps in places.

Getting there and parking

Mount Glorious is about 40 km from the Brisbane CBD, about 50 minutes by car. Go via The Gap and Mount Nebo Road, then take Mount Glorious Road at the junction near the top. Maiala has roadside car parks on Mount Glorious Road, and Westridge Outlook has a car park for the boardwalk.

There is no Translink bus to Mount Glorious. The nearest service is route 399, a Hail and Ride bus between Samford and Ferny Grove station, so you need a car. Check the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30 if you want to confirm.

For track maps and park alerts see the Queensland Parks D’Aguilar National Park page and the Visit Moreton Bay Mount Glorious page. Details can change, so check before you go.

Nearby

• D’Aguilar National Park – the national park around the village, with more walks and lookouts.
• Mount Nebo – the neighbouring mountain village on the same road.
• Enoggera Reservoir – a bush walk and swim spot at The Gap, at the bottom of the climb.
• J C Slaughter Falls – an easy bush walk to a waterfall at Mount Coot-tha.
• Mount Mee – another forest day out on the northern side of the range.

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