Lamington National Park: Binna Burra, Green Mountains and Walks

Lamington National Park is a World Heritage rainforest park of about 20,000 hectares on the Queensland and New South Wales border, with two main visitor areas: Binna Burra on the eastern side and Green Mountains on the western side. Both sit on a high plateau in the Scenic Rim, about 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours by car from Brisbane, and both have a cafe, walking tracks and rainforest that feels a long way from the coast.

The park is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (listed in 1986). More than 500 waterfalls have been documented in it, and it shelters rare birds such as Albert’s lyrebird and Antarctic beech forest, which grows only above about 1,000 m.

Binna Burra or Green Mountains: which side to visit?

There is no single entrance. Each section has its own road, cafe and set of tracks, so for a day trip pick one. They are linked on foot by the Border Track.

Binna Burra (east)

Binna Burra is at the end of Binna Burra Road, about 800 m above sea level, reached from Beechmont. The Binna Burra Tea House sits at the start of the walking tracks and is open 8 am to 3 pm daily for breakfast, lunch, barista coffee and cakes. The free Phoenix Bushfire Pavilion, the first building completed after the September 2019 fire that destroyed the original lodge, is open all day.

Birdwatching is good around the trailheads, especially early in the morning. Binna Burra Lodge’s campsite and accommodation are here too, but you do not need to stay to walk.

Green Mountains and O’Reilly’s (west)

Green Mountains is reached through Canungra and Lamington National Park Road, and is built around O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, with the Mountain Cafe, a gift shop and the free Tree Top Walk. The O’Reilly’s Rainforest guide covers the Tree Top Walk, bird feeding and the day-use area in detail.

In 1937 Bernard O’Reilly led the rescue of survivors of the Stinson airliner crash in this wilderness, and O’Reilly’s still runs a guided full-day Stinson walk.

Walks in Lamington National Park

The park has a large network of marked tracks. O’Reilly’s suggests allowing 15 to 20 minutes per kilometre when you plan, and the distances below are the ones the two lodges publish. Check the park alerts before you choose, because tracks close after storms.

Short walks

• Rainforest Circuit (Binna Burra): turn off the Border Track 500 m from the Binna Burra trailhead.
• Tullawallal Circuit (Binna Burra): a short walk to a summit with Antarctic beech, the northernmost stand in Australia.
• Gwongoorool Track (Binna Burra): from the Lower Picnic Area, about 200 steep rock steps down to the Coomera River, then along the river to Gwongoorool Pool. You come back the same way.
• Centenary Track (Green Mountains): 1.8 km return.
• Morans Falls (Green Mountains): 4.6 km return, dropping 140 m to the lookout.

Half-day and full-day walks

• Ballunjui Falls (Binna Burra): side tracks off the Ships Stern Circuit, 1.2 km return to the lower falls and 2.6 km return to the upper falls.
• Araucaria Lookout Track (Binna Burra): 2.6 km, off the Border Track 5.4 km from the trailhead.
• Coomera Circuit (Binna Burra): a full-day circuit that leaves the Border Track 1.9 km from the trailhead and crosses the river several times.
• Ships Stern Circuit (Binna Burra): a full day from the Saddle trailhead; adding Dave’s Creek Circuit makes it 23 km.
• Elabana Falls, Pat’s Bluff and Moonlight Crag (Green Mountains): 7.6 km, 5.4 km and 7 km return.
• Box Forest, Mount Bithongabel and Toolona Creek (Green Mountains): 10.9 km, 12.6 km and 18 km return, with climbs of 240 m on Bithongabel and 360 m on Toolona Creek.

The Border Track

The Border Track is 21.4 km one way and joins the Binna Burra and O’Reilly’s sections. It is part of the longer Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk. There is no shortcut from either end, so start early. At O’Reilly’s guideline pace it is roughly 5.5 to 7 hours of walking before breaks.

You need a lift at the end. O’Reilly’s runs a bus from O’Reilly’s to Binna Burra every Saturday and Wednesday morning at 7.45 am for about $35 an adult, so you can walk back to O’Reilly’s; book ahead, as transfers depend on availability. Binna Burra Lodge hosts a private transfer to Green Mountains every Saturday at 7.30 am, and extra transfers can be arranged on request for $70 a seat (minimum three passengers); ring 07 5533 3622. Side tracks to the Beereenbano and Merino lookouts add 600 m return.

Waterfalls in Lamington National Park

Elabana Falls, Morans Falls, Coomera Falls and Box Log Falls are among the best known of the park’s waterfalls. Most are on the longer walks above, so plan the day around the distance and keep an eye on the weather, because rain also raises the rivers.

If you want waterfalls with shorter walks, Springbrook National Park and Natural Bridge are the next section of the hinterland to the east, and Cedar Creek Falls is on Tamborine Mountain.

Wildlife at Lamington National Park

Lyrebirds call in the early morning and late afternoon along the trails, satin bowerbirds build bowers near the Binna Burra gardens, and pademelons, wallabies and bandicoots turn up on the tracks. Crimson rosellas and king parrots are regulars, and regent bowerbirds live in the park’s forests too. The blue Lamington crayfish is found above about 450 m.

Do not feed native wildlife anywhere in the national park. The one exception is O’Reilly’s supervised bird feeding at Green Mountains. The Leave No Trace principles are a good refresher, and the snake bite first aid guide is worth reading before any bush walk.

Camping at Lamington National Park

Both ends have a campground. O’Reilly’s campground has 24 camping sites plus 4 bushwalkers’ sites, campervan sites and safari tents, a toilet and shower block, and a camp kitchen open 7 am to 9 pm; book online or on 07 5502 4911. Binna Burra Lodge’s Rainforest Campsite has bathrooms and BBQ shelters; book on 07 5533 3622. For family tips see camping with kids.

Closures and park conditions

Binna Burra has a single access road, and it has been shut before: after the September 2019 fire destroyed the original lodge, the road was closed to the public for a year and the Binna Burra side reopened in September 2020. Storms, floods and bushfires close tracks and day-use areas from time to time, and a total fire ban closes the fire pit at O’Reilly’s campground.

Is Lamington National Park dog friendly?

No. Domestic animals are not allowed in the park, including on day trips and track walks. Only official guide and assistance dogs are exempt at Binna Burra.

Planning your visit

• How long: half a day for one short walk and a coffee; a full day for a falls walk or a long circuit; two days if you want to walk the Border Track and camp or stay.
• Best time: mornings for birds. The plateau can be up to 7 degrees cooler than the coast, so take a jacket.
• Cost: walks, lookouts and the Tree Top Walk at O’Reilly’s are free. The cafes, guided walks, shows and camping are extra.
• What to bring: sturdy shoes or boots, a hat, sunscreen, plenty of water, a map and a first aid kit.
• Accessibility: the O’Reilly’s Rainforest guide covers the accessible tracks at Green Mountains. Binna Burra publishes no track grades on its website, so ring reception on 07 5533 3622 if you need to be sure.

Getting there and parking

Binna Burra is about 105 km from the Brisbane CBD, roughly 1 hour 40 minutes by car, and about an hour from Surfers Paradise. From the M1 take the Nerang exit and follow the signs up the mountain through Beechmont; from Canungra it is 19 km to Beechmont and then 10 km to the lodge. The road is sealed all the way. Once you are on Binna Burra Road, follow the signs to the end rather than your satnav.

Green Mountains is about 112 km from the Brisbane CBD, roughly 2 hours by car, and about 90 minutes from the Gold Coast. Drive via Canungra and allow around 40 minutes from there on the winding mountain road to O’Reilly’s, at 3582 Lamington National Park Road.

Plan to drive. Binna Burra has no public transport and no taxis or ride-share, though it can suggest a private transfer on request (07 5533 3622). The Canungra Visitor Information Centre at 12-14 Kidston Street (07 5543 5156) is a handy stop on the way up. Both lodges’ pages have directions: Binna Burra: how to get here and O’Reilly’s: the scenic route. Details can change, so check Binna Burra’s walking tracks page and O’Reilly’s walks page before you go.

Nearby

• O’Reilly’s Rainforest – the Tree Top Walk and bird feeding at the Green Mountains end.
• Springbrook National Park – another World Heritage rainforest park, with lookouts and falls.
• Natural Bridge, Springbrook – a short rainforest circuit to a cave and waterfall.
• Tamborine Mountain Rainforest Skywalk – canopy bridges on the Tamborine side of the Scenic Rim.
• Cedar Creek Falls – a waterfall with a short walk on Tamborine Mountain.

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