Mount Barney National Park

Mount Barney National Park is a popular natural attraction for visitors to the Gold Coast. Located just 90km south-west of Brisbane, this park is known as a sanctuary for several endangered bird species.

Geographically, the park lies at an altitude of over 1,300 meters with attractive rugged peaks that protrude out of an extinct volcano. Steep valleys, woodlands and caves form the grand beauty of this park and interestingly, Mount Barney is the second highest peak in South East Queensland.

Mount Barney National Park Camping & Hiking Map, Qld

The varied vegetation in the Mount Barney National Park is one of the major features of the park with forests at the foothills, subtropical rain forests at 600 meters and high altitude vegetation at the summits, the park provides the right conditions for those who enjoy challenging hikes and rock climbing.

Bushwalking is also a popular activity within the park with three walking tracks at the base of the Mountain: Cronan Creek (13kms, 5 hours return), Upper Portals (8kms, 3 hours return) and Lower Portals (7.4kms, 3 hours return). Each track is moderate with some steep gradients.

There are other long, steep climbs on unformed trails to the tops of Mount Maroon (the Cotswold track) and Mount Barney, which should only be attempted by very fit walkers. There are no formed or marked tracks elsewhere in the park, so these areas are accessible only to fit, well-equipped bushwalkers with sound navigational skills.

Camping is allowed at Mount May and Mount Barney, however, Mount Barney’s camping areas can only be reached by foot. Each of these campsites is rugged bush sites with no facilities. Restrictions and permits apply and bookings should be made weeks in advance to avoid disappointment.

Other campsites are located outside the national park include Waterfall Creek Reserve and Mt. Barney Lodge Country Retreat, Bigriggen Reserve and Flanagan’s Reserve.