Enjoy the tranquillity and beauty of natural rainforest without leaving Brisbane. These rainforests are all located within the Brisbane City Council limits.
Toohey Forest is a 260 hectare eucalypt forest located in Tarragingi, about ten kilometres outside of the CBD. The forest is home to more than 400 different species of flora and fauna, including sugar gliders, possums and frogs. There is a range of walking tracks for visitors to try and the Mt Gravatt Lookout provides a panoramic view of Brisbane. For more information on the forest environment, visit the
Toohey Forest Environmental Education Centre.
Karawatha Forest (
Acacia Road, Karawatha) is a protected area of forest that is administered to by the
Karawatha Forest Protection Society and local Council. The 770 hectare tract of bushland and coastal lowlands is home to rare plants and some endangered animal species, and some of the rocks and outcrops date back to Triassic-Jurassic age. The Protection Society hosts bush care sessions, guided tours and regular activities, as well as a children's program.
The
Botanical Gardens in both
Mt Cootha and
Brisbane City offer rainforest walks.
At the City Botanical Gardens, nature lovers can explore different types of ecosystems. The Bamboo Grove contains 23 different bamboo species while the 380 metre Mangrove Boardwalk meanders through the mangroves. You can take a free guided or self-guided tour of the gardens to learn more.
At Mt Cootha, visitors can explore Gondwana rainforest at the Exotic Rainforest section, which contains tropical tree and vine species, and the Australian Rainforest, home to common and rare native plants. You might like to check out the
Hide N Seek Children's Trail, which helps visitors to see the hidden wildlife in the Exotic Rainforest. The Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Cootha are open from 8.00am until 5.30pm, seven days a week.
And while you're in Mt Cootha, why not stop to check out the
Mt Cootha Forest? The 1500 hectare bushland forms the south-eastern corner of
D'Aguilar National Park, a massive forest that spans across south-east Queensland. Mt Cootha Forest contains walking tracks of varying difficulty and hundreds of different animal species. The site provides picnic tables, barbeques and toilets as well as a cafe, restaurant and gift store.
You don't need to drive hours out of the city to enjoy rainforest walks, with many forest contained in and around Brisbane's CBD.
