Back Roads to Bunya Mountains Drive Itinerary
From Brisbane to Brisbane

Trip Length: 3 days  Total Distance: 617 km  Road Conditions: All sealed roads
Brisbane			Toowoomba			Bunya Mountains			Brisbane

Description

Take the road less travelled to the Bunya Mountains into the South Burnett, through the Brisbane Valley and the Garden City of Toowoomba. This 3-day drive will bring you face to face with the largest Bunya Pine rainforest in the world.

Day to Day Outline

Day by Day Outline

• Day 1: Brisbane to Toowoomba
• Day 2: Toowoomba to Bunya Mountains
• Day 3: Bunya Mountains to Brisbane

Day 1: Brisbane to Toowoomba

Take the scenic route to Toowoomba by travelling through the Brisbane hinterland. First stop is at Samford village. The Samford Historical Museum is open Sundays for anyone who likes a taste of local history. Duck into the Samford Arts and Craft Collective for handmade treasures.

From Samford, it's only a 20 minute drive to Mount Glorious, a beautiful scenic area with many lookouts and lovely tea houses.

If adventure is what you're after, the Esk region is the place for you. From abseiling, whitewater kayaking, mountain bike riding or tandem sky diving this place has it all. Take a camel safari, enjoy sailing on Lake Wivenhoe.

If you've still got some energy, stop over at Ravensbourne National Park (33 km from Esk) with bushwalks varying from very short to longer hikes.

Nearby Gus Beutels Lookout, provides a panoramic view of the range towards Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley.

Continue on to Toowoomba. Toowoomba is Queensland's Garden City with over 150 public parks and gardens. The local Cobb & Co Museum, housing Australia's largest collection of horse-drawn vehicles, is also well worth a visit.

Overnight at Toowoomba.

About the Drive

Day 2: Toowoomba to Bunya Mountains

First stop on today's drive is Oakey home to Australia's largest Army Aviation Base. The Museum of Australian Army Flying houses an impressive display of every type of aircraft flown by the Australian Army since World War Two.

Further west is the Jondaryan Woolshed (3 km south of the Warrego Highway at Jondaryan). Built in 1859, the Jondaryan Woolshed is the oldest operating woolshed in Queensland.

The rural centre of Dalby is a short drive of 40 km, where the local heritage trail will take you past historic late 19th Century churches, houses and pubs.

On the way to the Bunya Mountains, take a short detour in the township of Maclagan to visit Rimfire Winery and Rangemore Estate Winery. Rimfire has a great cellar door, cafe and country gardens and at Rangemore Estate you can camp amongst the vineyard.

Driving north, the distinctive, dome-shaped crowns of the Bunya Pine Trees emerge above the tall, moist rainforest along the crest of the range. A clear sign that you're almost at Bunya Mountains National Park.

Overnight at Bunya Mountains.

About the Drive

Day 3: Bunya Mountains to Brisbane

After a morning walk in the national park, drive to Kingaroy and taste why the town has earned the title of the 'Peanut Capital'.

Stop for lunch at Nanango, one of Queensland's oldest towns, keep an eye out for the murals and chainsaw sculptures in the town centre.

The drive to Brisbane will follow the D'Aguilar Highway, passing through Yarraman a Hoop Pine timber town surrounded by rolling hills and rich farmlands, as well as the town of Blackbutt. An enjoyable picnic spot can also be found at the Benarkin State Forest.

Elvis Parsley's Grapeland is a great stop off at Woodford, where fresh food, fun, and Elvis Presley combined have made this place a must see.

The D'Aguilar meets the Bruce Highway at Caboolture (40 minutes to Brisbane). If you travel about 4 km past the Bruce Highway overpass you can step back a few thousand years at the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology, which houses a priceless collection of antiques and fine art from around the world.

About the Drive