Gold Coast hinterland drive
Tamborine Mountain is about 80 km south of Brisbane and 36 km from Southport, so it is an easy day trip by hire car. Springbrook and Lamington are further in: steep, winding bitumen roads with no fuel near or inside the parks. Lamington and Springbrook each need their own long climb, so do not plan them as one short loop.
Updated
Key facts
- Brisbane to Tamborine Mountain
- About 80 km south of Brisbane, via Beenleigh (exit 35) and state route 92
- Gold Coast to Tamborine Mountain
- 36 km from Southport via the Pacific Motorway (exit 57), or 28 km from Nerang via Nerang-Beaudesert Road
- Roads onto Tamborine Mountain
- Four main roads: Tamborine Oxenford Road, Henri Robert Drive and Tamborine Mountain Road from the Canungra and Tamborine Village ends
- Springbrook plateau access
- Steep, winding, narrow bitumen roads, 24 km from Mudgeeraba or 36 km from Nerang
- Fuel near Springbrook
- No fuel is available near the national park; mobile reception is unreliable
- Lamington: Green Mountains
- 36 km winding and often narrow bitumen road from Canungra, at least 50 minutes; unsuitable for RVs longer than 6 metres and for vehicles towing caravans and camper trailers
- Lamington: Binna Burra
- About 70 minutes from Broadbeach, with a very narrow and winding last 1.8 km
- Fuel at Lamington
- Fuel and supplies at Canungra and Nerang; none on the Lamington Plateau
Nerang to Green Mountains, Lamington National Park
Tamborine Mountain
28 km
Reached from Nerang by Nerang-Beaudesert Road. Four main roads lead up; check conditions after rain.
Canungra
Tamborine Mountain is 8 km from Canungra via Tamborine Mountain Road. Fuel and supplies are available here before the Lamington climb.
Green Mountains (Lamington)
A further 36 km winding mountain road from Canungra, at least 50 minutes. No fuel on the plateau.
- Green Mountains, Lamington National Park
How far is Brisbane or the Gold Coast to Tamborine Mountain?
Visit Tamborine Mountain puts the mountain about 80 km south of Brisbane, reached from the Pacific Motorway at Beenleigh (exit 35) and then state route 92 along the Beaudesert Beenleigh Road. From the Gold Coast it is 36 km from Southport via Oxenford (exit 57) or 28 km from Nerang on Nerang-Beaudesert Road.
The alternative from Brisbane is to keep going south to Oxenford and climb by the Tamborine Oxenford Road. That is one of four main roads up the mountain, along with Henri Robert Drive and Tamborine Mountain Road from its Canungra and Tamborine Village ends.
Is the Tamborine Mountain road closed today?
For closures, check the Queensland Government road conditions site, RACQ, or the hotlines 13 19 40 and 1300 130 595 before you leave, and make sure the roads you plan to use are clear and safe.
State-controlled roads are covered by QLDTraffic. Check it after heavy rain, when some Springbrook roads can flood.
Springbrook National Park drive
The two Springbrook bitumen roads are steep, winding and narrow: 24 km from Mudgeeraba or 36 km from Nerang. Natural Bridge is 38 km from Nerang by the Nerang-Murwillumbah Road, or 42 km via the plateau. Mount Cougal is reached by Currumbin Creek Road. Some roads can flood in heavy rain, and creeks can flash flood, so do not cross them during floods.
There is no through-road from the plateau to New South Wales and no fuel near the park, so fill up on the coast. Mobile reception is unreliable except where you can see the Gold Coast.
Lamington National Park roads: Green Mountains and Binna Burra
The two Lamington entrances are separate climbs. The Green Mountains road (where O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat is) leaves from Canungra and is a 36 km winding and often narrow bitumen road that takes at least 50 minutes. Binna Burra is about 70 minutes from Broadbeach, with a very narrow and winding last 1.8 km.
The Green Mountains road is unsuitable for RVs longer than 6 metres and for vehicles towing caravans and camper trailers. There is no fuel on the Lamington Plateau, only at Canungra and Nerang. The roads are sealed, narrow and full of bends, and wildlife can appear on the road early in the morning and at dusk.
Which hire car and pickup suits the hinterland?
The Springbrook plateau roads and the Green Mountains road are bitumen. The Hertz Australia terms, for example, list driving on unsealed roads (except roads under repair and access roads to recognised camping or accommodation grounds) among the situations they single out, so check your own agreement if you plan to detour onto forestry or trail roads.
Gold Coast Airport and Gold Coast city depots put you closest, while Brisbane Airport is the pickup for a Tamborine day trip from Brisbane. Tamborine Mountain also has day tours and a hop-on hop-off service if you prefer not to drive.
How to plan the day
Treat Tamborine Mountain with Canungra as one trip and Springbrook or Lamington as another. Lamington's two entrances are separate climbs from different towns, and Springbrook's roads also climb from the coast, so combining them in one day is a lot of winding driving.
- Fill up at Nerang or Canungra before climbing.
- Start early: the Green Mountains road from Canungra takes at least 50 minutes.
- Download offline maps because reception is unreliable in Springbrook and Lamington.
Compare cars at Gold Coast Airport
Prices are shown in Australian dollars. Check the pickup point and what the agreement allows on the roads in this guide before you book.
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Questions people ask
How far is Brisbane to Tamborine Mountain?
About 80 km south of Brisbane, via the Pacific Motorway to Beenleigh (exit 35) and then state route 92.
How far is the Gold Coast to Tamborine Mountain?
36 km from Southport via the Pacific Motorway exit 57 (Oxenford), or 28 km from Nerang via Nerang-Beaudesert Road.
Is the Tamborine Mountain road closed?
Check QLDTraffic, RACQ or the hotlines 13 19 40 and 1300 130 595 before you leave. Four main roads lead up the mountain.
Is there fuel in Springbrook or Lamington National Park?
No. There is no fuel near Springbrook National Park and none on the Lamington Plateau, only in Canungra and Nerang.
Can a caravan or large vehicle go to O'Reilly's or Green Mountains?
The Green Mountains road is unsuitable for RVs longer than 6 metres and for vehicles towing caravans and camper trailers.
Can you drive to Springbrook from the Gold Coast in a normal car?
Yes, both bitumen roads are steep, winding and narrow: 24 km from Mudgeeraba or 36 km from Nerang. Some roads can flood in heavy rain.