SHOPPING AND MARKETS TALLEBUDGERA VALLEY

Apple Tree Park at the top of the Springbrook range is the access point for many of the amazing walks in the Springbook area. The park itself is a lovely little park, with a brand new amenities building, barbecues and picnic tables. If the kids are used to the foreshore parks alone, pack the car and head up the Springbrook range for this treat. A quiet, sheltered, green green park awaits! Most days birds such as kookaburras can be found within metres of the visitors, resting on the arms of the trees. Just stop and listen to the wildlife and hear the wind whistling through the leaves. Apple Tree Park is the starting point for the Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk. The walk is a 54 kilometre trek through the beautiful Springbrook rainforest. However, you can do a much smaller distance and still take in the great views and tranquility of the rainforest. Pack your walking shoes, a hat and drink bottle and enjoy! See the birds, hear them chirping, amaze at the beautiful historic trees - this spectacular location is just 29 kilometres from Mudgeeraba.

Springbrook Plateau, Springbrook National Park offers breathtaking lookouts, magnificent waterfalls, dense rainforest and ancient Antarctic beech trees. Your camera will capture outstanding experiences in this Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage area. Visit Purling Brook Falls, which cascades 100 metres into a deep rainforest valley lined with palms, tree ferns and stream lilies. From Goomoolahra picnic area, walk 50 metres to another waterfall and two striking lookouts. Stroll 300 metres from the Tallanbana picnic area, just past Canyon lookout, to the top of Twin Falls; or continue on a longer walk through the canyon, passing behind waterfalls and through the different forest types. Listen for the impressive mimicking calls of the elusive Albert's lyrebird.

Discover beauty, mystery and history along the 54 kilometre Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk linking the species-rich, Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area of Lamington and Springbrook plateaus via the scenic Numinbah Valley. Walk through the ancient volcanic landscape of the Tweed Volcano, which is still being eroded by rushing streams and plummeting waterfalls, through lush rainforest with relicts of Gondwana flora and fauna. Choose to stroll a short section over a few hours, join a guided tour or for the more adventurous you can hike the full trail. The Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk links Green Mountains (Lamington National Park) to the Springbrook Plateau, via Binna Burra and the Numinbah Valley. The walk offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences: where else in Queensland can you walk along the rim of an ancient volcano? As you meander through the ancient rainforests you'll view stunning vistas from numerous lookouts, unique wildlife and splashing waterfalls.

Located in South East Queensland, the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia include the most extensive areas of subtropical rainforest in the world. The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage area includes expansive rainforest reserves in both Queensland and New South Wales. Queensland National Parks that belong to the area include: - Lamington National Park - Springbrook National Park - Mt Barney National Park - Main Range National Park Exploring the World Heritage rainforest in the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia is easy, with many of the parks readily accessible from major towns by sealed or graded gravel roads. The wide range of visitor facilities include kilometres of walking tracks; guided walking and adventure tours and various accommodation options. Rainforest once covered most of the ancient southern super-continent Gondwana and remains the most ancient type of vegetation in Australia. Few places on earth contain so many plants and animals that are almost identical to their ancient ancestors. There is a concentration of primitive plant families, that are directly linked to flowering plants existing over 100 million years ago, as well as some of the oldest elements of the world's ferns and conifers.

Mount Cougal, Springbrook National Park is a mountainous section of Springbrook National Park, which is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area. Mount Cougal's twin peaks have a significant place in stories told by the Yugambeh people, who have inhabited the area's mountains and valleys for thousands of years. The park protects valuable wildlife habitat and a diverse range of animals. It is the most easterly known location of the Lamington spiny cray. Enjoy a picnic at the scenic Cougal Cascades. At the display shelter, read about the parks World Heritage values. Take the walking track past cascades and rock pools to the restored remains of a bush sawmill dating from the 1940s. As you walk, watch for the land mullet, the world's largest skink.

Natural Bridge, Springbrook National Park is a most unusual geological feature created over millions of years by water tumbling through the roof of a basalt cave. Natural Bridge is home to an amazing colony of glow-worms, whose lights can be seen only after sunset. Lookouts and lush rainforest also grace this part of the Gondwna Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, making it one of the most popular parks in Australia. Take the short circuit walk to the natural arch over Cave Creek, and view the unique waterfall and cave. Enjoy a picnic and relax in cool rainforest. Join a nocturnal tour to see delicate glow-worms. (Remember a torch for the walk, but turn it off once in the cave). On summer nights, see luminous fungi and fireflies. During the day, hear the calls of paradise riflebirds, green catbirds and wompoo fruit-doves.