| Where | Cunninghams Gap, on the Great Dividing Range · about 105 km / 1 hr 30 southwest of Brisbane via the Cunningham Highway, near the town of Aratula ⚠ estimate · this is the Queensland Main Range, in the Scenic Rim — a different park from the Main Range walking track in Kosciuszko National Park, NSW |
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| Getting there | Cunninghams Gap itself is reached on the sealed, national Cunningham Highway — a conventional car is fine, though the descent has an 8-degree grade worth taking steadily. The eastern approach to Spicers Gap also suits conventional vehicles as far as the Governors Chair car park, but Spicers Gap Road does not connect across the range. The Goomburra section's last 6 km is unsealed and can flood. |
| Best time | April to September — cooler days suit the longer climbs, and this is also the more reliable window for the multi-day Scenic Rim Trail. |
| Worst time | Summer (Dec–Feb) — heat makes the exposed ridge sections considerably harder going, and storms complicate the unsealed Goomburra access. |
| Time needed | Half a day for the short lookout walks near Cunninghams Gap. A full day for one of the longer ridge walks. 4 days / 3 nights for the Scenic Rim Trail. |
| Cost | Park entry free · drive-in camping (Spicers Gap, Poplar Flat, Manna Gum) at the standard $7.75pp/$31 family rate · Scenic Rim Trail walkers'-camp permits booked separately (fee not separately confirmed) |
| Facilities | Composting toilets and tap water at the three drive-in camping areas; nothing at the remote walk-in zones. Mobile coverage unreliable throughout the park. Fuel at Cunninghams Gap (3 km, at The Crest), Aratula, Allora and Killarney. |
| Best for | Experienced hikers · day-trippers · photographers |
| Difficulty |
3 of 5 — Challenging
For the standard day-walk visit. The Scenic Rim Trail itself is rated for experienced bushwalkers only, effectively Expert tier. |
This is Main Range National Park in Queensland's Scenic Rim — the rugged, rainforest-covered section of the Great Dividing Range that the Cunningham Highway crosses at Cunninghams Gap, about 90 minutes southwest of Brisbane. It is not the "Main Range" walking track in Kosciuszko National Park, several states away in the New South Wales alpine country; the two share a name and nothing else, and this guide covers the Queensland park only.
Part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, the park protects volcanic peaks left behind by an ancient shield volcano — Mount Cordeaux, Mount Mitchell and Mount Mathieson chief among them — laced with a network of day walks that climb from rainforest gully to exposed rock lookouts in a few hours. Albert's lyrebird and the endangered eastern bristlebird both live in its forests, and spring brings a run of wildflowers along the higher, more open tracks.
The park's headline feature for serious walkers is the Scenic Rim Trail, a 47-kilometre, four-day, three-night traverse rated for experienced bushwalkers only — genuinely one of the more demanding multi-day treks within easy reach of Brisbane.
Three drive-in camping areas serve day-walkers and trail-heads: Spicers Gap and Manna Gum (some wheelchair access, composting toilets, tap water), and Poplar Flat (campfires and a barbecue permitted). None are near a town — Aratula, Boonah and Warwick are the nearest bases.
A short walk to a named rock formation overlooking the Fassifern Valley — the easiest genuine payoff in the park.
A short loop to a platform over the Fassifern Valley, Lake Moogerah and the surrounding volcanic peaks.
Climbs to a southern cliff-face lookout; the park's best-known spring wildflower display lines the upper track.
A genuine ridge walk to a knife-edge crest above a sheer cliff at 1,175 m — exposed, demanding, and one of the more dramatic day walks in the whole Scenic Rim.
A shorter, gentler option in the park's southern Goomburra-adjacent section: a platform over a 40-metre waterfall dropping into a rainforest gorge.
The multi-day headline trek — booked walkers' camps, sustained remote ridge walking, and genuinely no shortcut version. Not an extension of the day walks above.
Autumn through spring (April–September) is the more comfortable window for both the day walks and the Scenic Rim Trail — cooler temperatures matter on exposed ridge sections like Mount Cordeaux and Mount Mitchell.
Spring specifically brings the best wildflower displays on the higher tracks, timed with cooler, clearer weather.
Summer (December–February) is the season to be cautious about — heat makes the longer, more exposed climbs considerably harder, and storms complicate the already-limited Goomburra access.
No. This is Main Range National Park in Queensland's Scenic Rim, near Cunninghams Gap, about 90 minutes from Brisbane. The "Main Range" walking track in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales, is a separate alpine walk in a different state.
Via the Cunningham Highway, a sealed national highway, to Cunninghams Gap — about 105 km and 1.5 hours southwest of Brisbane, near the town of Aratula.
No. Queensland Parks rates it for experienced bushwalkers only — a genuine 4-day, 47 km multi-day trek with booked walkers' camps.
No for the main Cunninghams Gap and Spicers Gap approaches. The Goomburra section's final 6 km is unsealed and can flood, so check conditions before heading there specifically.
No — coverage is unreliable throughout Main Range National Park. Carry an offline map or download tracks in advance.
Always check current alerts before you travel.