Springbrook's Natural Bridge from Brisbane: route, walk and glow-worms

How do you get to the Natural Bridge from Brisbane?

Queensland Parks gives three ways in; from Brisbane, the first is the direct one.^[2]

From 238 Nudgee Road, OpenStreetMap's routing follows the Gateway Motorway and the Pacific Motorway to Nerang, then Nerang–Murwillumbah Road: about 113 km and 96 minutes before traffic.^[5] The Gateway has a toll point at Murarrie, A$6.02 for a car on Linkt's current price list,^[6] and our Brisbane to the Gold Coast guide covers the motorway leg in more detail.

Queensland Parks describes the access roads as winding and to be travelled with care.^[2] The plateau route adds bends but lets you combine the bridge with the Springbrook plateau lookouts in one loop; do it in that direction and you come down to the Natural Bridge last, ready for dusk.

How long is the Natural Bridge walk?

The Natural Bridge circuit is Grade 2, 1 km return, and Queensland Parks suggests allowing about an hour. It's a sealed track through the forest that crosses Cave Creek and enters the arched cave, where the waterfall plunges through from above. Because of long sets of stairs, it's easier walked clockwise.^[3]

The small picnic area is next to the car park, beside the track entrance, with tables and toilets but no barbecues. The water there is for washing only, not drinking.^[4] Bring what you'll drink, and lunch if you're not stopping at a café on the way.

• Stay on the track and behind the fences. Cave Creek in this section is a restricted access area: swimming in the creek, including inside the cave, and going onto the creek bank are prohibited at all times, with penalties.^[2]
• After heavy rain part of the walking track may close for safety, though the glow-worm cave is usually still open; check the park alerts first.^[3]
• No dogs. Domestic animals aren't permitted in Springbrook National Park, and on-the-spot fines apply.^[2]

Can you see the glow-worms without a tour?

Yes. Commercial operators run night tours, but Queensland Parks says you can see the glow-worms at night on your own as long as you follow the cave rules.^[4] The park is open 24 hours; it asks visitors to walk in daylight only except when viewing the glow-worms at Natural Bridge.^[2] The glow-worms are visible all year, but the display is much smaller in winter.^[3]

1. Bring a torch for the track, but never shine it straight at the glow-worms: they stop glowing for up to an hour.^[3]
2. Don't use insect repellent near them, and keep smoke and bright lights away; these can kill them.^[3]
3. Arrive before dark, so you walk in while you can still see the stairs and the car park, then wait for the cave to darken.

The drive back to the motorway is then on a winding road in the dark. Keep your speed down, use high beam where there's no oncoming traffic, and watch the verges for wildlife. If that sounds like too much after a long day, a tour that does the driving is a reasonable alternative.

Fuel, food and weather

Fill the tank in Nerang or before: Queensland Parks says no fuel is available near the national park. There's a café on Nerang–Murwillumbah Road about 1 km north of the Natural Bridge section, and cafés at Crystal Creek and Chillingham, south of the park in New South Wales.^[2][4]

The Natural Bridge section is warmer and drier than the plateau above it. Its 2,500 mm of annual rain falls mostly in a hot, humid summer, with maximums up to 38°C, while winters are clear and crisp, down to about 4°C.^[2] In extreme weather such as heavy rain and high winds, parts of the park may be closed, so look at the park alerts before you leave.^[2]

Isn't this right on the NSW border?

Close to it. The road carries on south from the park into New South Wales: Queensland Parks gives Murwillumbah as 28 km away along Numinbah Road, and the cafés at Crystal Creek and Chillingham are on that side.^[2][4] The Natural Bridge itself is in Queensland, so the day trip there and back via Nerang stays within the state.

What else can you combine it with?

Springbrook has four sections: the Springbrook plateau, Mount Cougal to the south-east, and Natural Bridge and Numinbah to the west.^[2] The plateau's own roads are steep, winding and narrow, and there's no through road to New South Wales from it.^[2] A day that starts on the plateau and ends at the Natural Bridge at dusk uses both.

For a different rainforest day on the next range west, the drive to O'Reilly's climbs from Canungra into Lamington National Park. Both are long, winding drives, so pick one per day.