Tourist Drives
The Lions Road
The Lions Road, linking Rathdowney and Kyogle in NSW over the McPherson Range, is a testement to the will of a community.An 11-kilometre road links Kyogle in NSW to Rathdowney through the rugged but picturesque McPherson Range where the land rises sharply to 366m. It is hard to believe the road was created by volunteer labour as a community project.
The 1971 the Kyogle Lions Club and later the Beaudesert Lions Club started the massive community project extend an existing road between Kyogle and Beaudesert.
Thousands of hours of volunteer time were given to building this road. Men gave up their weekends to wield a pick, drive a tractor, build a bridge or blast a path through an embarkment. Despite setback such as floods and landslides, and the need to use donated equipment, fuel, materials and time, the volunteers built an unsealed road by 1973.
It became a public road in 1978 - with a voluntary toll introduced to help finance the project. The final bitumen leg was completed in 2002.
In 1971 only 280 travellers crossed at the border gate. This increased to more than 95 000 vehicles in 2001.
The turnoff to Lions Road, 24km south of Beaudesert on the Mount Lindesay Highway at Innesplain (around 5km south of Tamrookum)
Spiral Loop - The Sydney to Brisbane interstate rail line runs through a 1.16km tunnel through the McPherson Range. To give the extra 20m elevation needed to enter the tunnel, the trains come up one valley and pass through the mountain twice to cross the original track - a feature known as a Spiral Loop. A lookout just off the Lions Road offers views of the loop and the ranges, a perfect place to have a picnic.
For more information on the Lions Road call the Rathdowney Visitor Information Centre on 07 5544 1222
The Gold Coast Hinterland Food and Wine Trail
The Rainforest Way
Explore South East Queensland's natural wonders... Click Here
Rainforests cover less than 1% of Australia's land mass yet contain half of all Australian plant families and about a third of our mammal and bird species. Rainforests are the oldest type of vegetation in earth, dating back to when Australia was part of the super-continent Gondwana.
The forests of the Rainforest Way are home to more than 200 rare or threatened plant and animal species. Each forest is like a different world - each has its own micro-climate and there can be dramatic temperature variations between peaks and valleys. On a hot summer day, the rainforest provides a cool, shady retreat.
These rainforests survive on the remnants of volcanic landscapes such as Mt Lindesay and Mt Warning, a huge volcanic basin created by 20 million years of erosion. Mt Warning is the largest and best preserved erosion caldera in the world.
The Way of Seeing
The Rainforest Way is a way of seeing world-heritage listed National Parks that are part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia such as Lamington National Park, Border Ranges National Park and Tooloom National Park.
It is a collection of touring routes which have been designed to provide easy access to the forests and to help visitors make the most of their experience.
Main Range Rainforest Route
The town of Boonah, in the foothills west of Beaudesert is an easy town to explore on foot, featuring distinctive heritage architecture. The Visitor Information Centre can direct you to Mount French National Park. The views are spectacular and there is excellent rock climbing at Frog Buttress. Teviot and Queen Mary Falls are well worth a visit. The route passes through rich farmland punctuated by pockets of rainforest. Carrs Lookout offers views of the headwaters of the Condamine River, origin of Australia's longest river, the mighty Murray. Map
Mt Warning View Circuit
In Murwillumbah, visit the World Heritage Rainforest Information Centre. The diorama and the audio-visual presentations give insights into the great caldera, the creation of Mt Warning and the battle to preserve the rainforests.
The route itself follows the base of Mt Warning, giving picteresque views of the valley and rim of the caldera. This circuit also offers views of The Pinnacle Nightcap National Park, Whian Whian State Forest, and Minyon, Protesters and Tuntable Falls. Map
Tamborine Circuit
This drive includes parts of a scenic loop into the Hinterland of Queenslands Gold Coast. From the east, the route begins in Nerang and follows part of the local tourist drive towards Tamborine Mountain and Canungra. Map
Lions Road
Built as a Lion's Club project to allow travellers to visit it criss-crosses Running Creek and Gladys Creek on the Queensland and New South Wales border and the famous tick gate. Along with the amazing rainforests, the highlight is the spectacular railway engineering feat of the Border Loop.
The New South Wales routes cover the Minyon Falls, travels through the township of Nimbin which is known for the 70s Aquarius Festival and for its alternative lifestyle. East of Nimbin, is the Protester Falls and the beautiful village of The Channon. Sign posts point to the rural villages of Dunoon, Dorroughby, to Minyon Falls and on to the regional city of Lismore.
Other New South Wales routes continue the Rainforest Way through Malanganee - Richmond Range and the Tweed Range Scenic Drive. Map
For more information on the Rainforest way see www.rainforestway.com.au
* All Maps have been provided by The Rainforest Way
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