Mount Nebo: Lookouts, Walks and the Mountain Drive

Mount Nebo is a small village high on the D’Aguilar Range, about 45 minutes by car from Brisbane, and the best-known stop on the mountain drive for views, bushwalks and picnics. The road up from The Gap passes lookouts over Samford Valley and Moreton Bay, then runs through rainforest and eucalypt forest in D’Aguilar National Park.

The village itself is tiny, a rural community of about 430 people, so a Mount Nebo day out is really about what is around it: Jollys Lookout, the Boombana rainforest and a handful of walks from short strolls to a half-day hike. Mount Glorious is the next village along the same road.

The Mount Nebo drive

Mount Nebo Road starts at The Gap, near the park ‘n’ ride, and climbs the range as Tourist Drive 8. It meets Mount Glorious Road at the top, where Tourist Drive 9 carries on through Mount Glorious. The roads are sealed, narrow and winding, so allow extra time and take the bends slowly.

There are plenty of reasons to stop on the way up:

• Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre at the bottom, the gateway to the southern end of the park, with a wildlife centre and the Green Tree Frog Cafe.
• Bellbird Grove, a big picnic area with gas barbecues and toilets, and the 1.7 km Turrbal Circuit.
• McAfees Lookout, a basic viewing platform over the Moreton Bay islands.
• Camp Mountain Lookout and Bathersby Lookout, off a short sealed side road, with views of the Glass House Mountains, Moreton Bay and the Brisbane skyline.
• Jollys Lookout, the main stop on the mountain (below).

The D’Aguilar National Park guide covers the park these stops sit in.

Jollys Lookout

Jollys Lookout is the Mount Nebo view most people mean. It is a viewing platform in D’Aguilar National Park, about 28 km from the Brisbane CBD, looking out over the ridges and across Samford Valley. It is open 24 hours a day and named after William Jolly, Brisbane’s first Lord Mayor. From the city it is about 40 minutes by car.

There are picnic tables, wood barbecues and flush toilets, and the lookout and car park are wheelchair accessible, though the area is sloped and some help may be needed. It is often the busiest stop on the road, so go early on a fine weekend.

Two tracks start here. The Egernia Circuit is an easy 1.5 km loop of about 45 minutes and is popular with bird watchers. The Thylogale track is a long bush walk of 8 km return, about 3 hours, between Jollys Lookout and Boombana.

Boombana and the Pitta Circuit

Boombana is a shaded picnic area a few minutes’ drive on from Jollys Lookout, in rainforest rather than open views. It has toilets and picnic facilities.

The 1 km Pitta Circuit starts at the Boombana car park and is rated Grade 3, with a strangler fig estimated at over 300 years old. It is open 24 hours a day and is not wheelchair accessible. A side track of about 600 m links Boombana to the Mount Nebo village.

Mount Nebo Lookout and the Morelia track

For the Mount Nebo Lookout itself you need to walk. The Morelia track starts at Manorina, a small car park on Mount Nebo Road with no facilities, and runs 6 km return to the lookout, with views over Samford Valley. Queensland Parks rates it Grade 4, and it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours.

The shorter Atrax Circuit (750 m, about 25 to 30 minutes) also starts at Manorina and loops through rainforest.

Is Mount Nebo dog friendly?

Not on the walks and lookouts. Queensland Parks does not allow pets in national parks, so dogs cannot go to Jollys Lookout, Boombana or the tracks, and on-the-spot fines apply. You can drive through on public roads with the dog inside the vehicle. For a bush walk with a dog, the lead-only tracks at Mt Coot-tha are described on our D’Aguilar National Park page.

Planning your visit

• How long: a couple of hours for the drive, Jollys Lookout and a short walk; a full day if you add the Morelia or Thylogale track.
• Best time: mornings, for clearer views and fewer cars. The mountain is often cooler than the city.
• What to bring: food, water, a jacket, sturdy shoes and insect repellent.
• Eating: there is a cafe at Walkabout Creek at the bottom of the road and one in Mount Glorious near the top (see the Mount Glorious guide). The old cafe at Boombana is no longer reliably open, so bring a picnic.
• Accessibility: Jollys Lookout is wheelchair accessible, with help needed in places; the Pitta Circuit is not.

Getting there and parking

Mount Nebo is about 34 km and about 45 minutes by car from the Brisbane CBD. From the city, head to The Gap, join Mount Nebo Road near the park ‘n’ ride and keep climbing.

Jollys Lookout, Boombana and Manorina each have a car park off Mount Nebo Road. The lookout car park can fill on fine weekends, so go early.

There is no Translink bus up the mountain. The closest is route 385 to The Gap park ‘n’ ride, and from there you need a car. Check the Translink Journey Planner or call 13 12 30.

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

Nearby

• Mount Glorious – the next village on the range, with Maiala rainforest walks, Westridge Outlook and a view cafe.
• D’Aguilar National Park – the national park around Mount Nebo.
• Samford Valley – the valley you look over from Jollys Lookout.
• Mount Mee – the northern end of the range.
• Enoggera Reservoir – a swim and bush walk at The Gap, at the foot of the climb.
• Mt Coot-tha Lookout – a free city view on the other side of The Gap.

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