Visit Australia - Gold Coast Hinterland

<body>  <p>The Gold Coast hinterland is an area of South East Queensland, Australia that comprises the Tweed Range, Nimmel Range, Numinbah Valley, eastern parts of the McPherson Range and western parts of suburban Gold Coast.</p> <p>In the Gold Coast hinterland there are various scenic attractions and guesthouses that have lead to the development of a vibrant tourism industry, providing a major attraction for visitors to the Gold Coast and people living in the region. Visitor surveys to the hinterland's parks and forests indicate the area is one of Queensland's most significant tourist destinations.Wine-tasting, bird-feeding, eco-tourism and bushwalking are some of the pastimes that attract visitors to the hinterland. Other attractions in the area include O'Reilly's Guesthouse, the Natural Bridge and Binna Burra. In March 2008, the Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk connecting the Lamington and Springbrook plateaus was opened. The moderately difficult walking trail provides 54 km of uninterrupted track and takes three days to walk from start to finish.</p> <p>This elevated area is part of the Great Dividing Range and contains the headwaters for a number of rivers and creeks including the Coomera River, Nerang River, Pimpama River, Tallebudgera Creek and Currumbin Creek. Some of the highest mountains in the hinterland are Mount Nimmel (489 m), Mount Tamborine (525 m), Mount Cougal at (739 m), Tallebudgera Mountain (664m) and Springbrook Mountain (900 m). In New South Wales to the south are the Tweed Valley and Border Ranges, while the Scenic Rim overlaps and extends westwards from the hinterland. Suburbs and townships Land use in the hinterland is divided between protected areas and rural residential living. On the eastern foothills of the hinterland lie the Gold Coast suburbs of Mudgeeraba, Tallebudgera and Nerang. There are a number of small villages like Advancetown, Beechmont and Canungra that are considered part of the hinterland. At the foot of Mount Nimmel lies Austinville and beyond, the towering plateau of Springbrook Mountain, on top of which lies a small township by the same name. Some have commented some of these sleepy suburbs are reminiscent of a 19th century village, as these areas are some of the oldest in the relatively young Gold Coast. Protected areas Goomoolahra Falls on the Springbrook Plateau The region has significant natural heritage that is preserved in national parks and has been a major tourist drawcard. Much of the national parks are UNESCO World Heritage listed as well as listed nationally as part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. Springbrook National Park covers 2720 hectares of rainforest, plenty of which is accesible by walking trails. Remnants of early forestry history await you as well as several waterfalls, including the famous Purlingbrook Falls, as well as many gorges and much rainforest. Lamington National Park covers 20,590 hectares of rainforest, comprising mainly of two sections, the Green Mountains and Binna Burra. The longest available walk is 24 kilometres, about 8 hours walking time. Tamborine National Park covers 1160 hectares of the Tamborine Mountain, a remnant of the once giant Tweed Volcano. Closer to the coast, although not technically part of the hinterland, is the Currumbin Valley Reserve.</p><p>The Scenic Rim is a group of mountain ranges of the Great Dividing Range in South East Queensland. These ranges include the Little Liverpool Range, Main Range, Mistake Ranges, McPherson Range, Teviot Range, Tweed Ranges and the Border Ranges. Valleys of the Scenic Rim includes Laidley Creek, Christmas Creek, Lockyer Valley, Fassifern Valley, Numinbah Valley, the Albert River, Logan River, Coomera River and the Bremer River. The mountainous landscape forms a quarter circle ridge positioned roughly from south of Toowoomba around to Springbrook. Tamborine Mountain, Lever's Plateau in New South Wales and the Lamington Plateau are part of the rim formation.Much of the scenic rim is considered part of the Gold Coast hinterland and originates from the Tweed Volcano. Parts of the rim are well developed, crossed by highways with facilities for tourists like Cunningham's Gap, others are privately owned agricultural properties and rural residencies such as Beechmont and Tamborine Mountain. Most areas are isolated and protected in national parks, including Main Range National Park, Moogerah Peaks National Park, Lamington National Park, Border Ranges National Park, Mount Barney National Park and Springbrook National Park. Tourism There are many recreational activities for day-trippers, rockclimbers, hikers and nature lovers on the ranges. The concept of the Scenic Rim was first described by Arthur Groom and Romeo Lahey in the 1920s. They were campaigning for the protection of the forests from Main Range to the Lamington Plateau. At about the same time the Binna Burra lodge and O'Reilly's Guesthouse were established as the popularity of the area grew with tourists. </p> <p>Text is available under the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_3.0_Unported_License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License</a>; additional terms may apply. See <a href="http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use">Terms of Use</a> for details.</p> <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-119091-1"; urchinTracker(); </script> </body>