The easiest way to explore the park is to base yourself at O'Reilly's Rainforest Guesthouse in the Green Mountains section of the park, or at Binna Burra Mountain Lodge in the Binna Burra section. Most of the trails lead from one or the other of these resorts, and a 23km (14-mile) Border Trail connects them; it follows the New South Wales-Queensland border for much of the way, and most reasonably fit folk can walk it in a day. Guided walks and activities at both resorts are for guests only; however, both properties welcome day visitors who want to walk the trails (which is free). Both have inexpensive cafes for day-trippers.
It is a good idea to bring a flashlight and maybe binoculars for wildlife spotting. The temperature is often 18°-36°F (10° to 20°C) cooler than on the Gold Coast, so bring a sweater in summer and bundle up in winter when nights get close to freezing. September through October is orchid season, and the frogs come out in noisy abundance in February and March.
Getting There
By Car -- O'Reilly's is 37km (23 miles) from the town of Canungra. The road is twisty and winding, so take it slow. Allow an hour from Canungra to reach O'Reilly's, and plan to arrive before dark. Binna Burra is 35km (22 miles) from Nerang via Beechmont, or 26km (16 miles) from Canungra, on a winding mountain road. From the Gold Coast go west to Nerang, where you can turn off to Binna Burra via Beechmont, or go on to Canungra, where you will see the O'Reilly's and Binna Burra turnoffs. From Brisbane, follow the Pacific Highway south and take the Beenleigh/Mount Tamborine exit to Mount Tamborine. From there, follow signs to Canungra. Allow a good 2 1/2 hours to get to either resort from Brisbane, and 90 minutes from the Gold Coast. Binna Burra sells unleaded fuel; O'Reilly's has emergency supplies only.
By Coach -- The Mountain Coach Company (tel. 07/5524 4249) does daily transfers to O'Reilly's and Binna Burra from the Gold Coast, leaving the airport at 8am, picking up at hotels along the way, and arriving at O'Reilly's at around noon. The return trip leaves O'Reilly's at 2:30pm, arriving at the airport by 6pm. Australian Day Tours (tel. 07/3489 6444; www.australiandaytours.com.au) makes a daily coach run from outside the Roma Street Transit Centre in Brisbane at 8:30am, arriving at O'Reilly's at 12:30pm. The return trip leaves O'Reilly's at 2pm and gets to Brisbane at 6pm. The cost is A$79 (US$71/£36) adults and A$44 (US$40/£20) children.
The Binna Burra lodge runs limousine transfers from the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Bookings are essential and must be made at least 24 hours in advance. It costs A$77 (US$69/£35) per car (for one to four passengers) from Nerang railway station, A$127 (US$114/£57) from Gold Coast Airport and A$253 (US$228/£114) from Brisbane Airport.
Visitor Information
The best sources of information on hiking are O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat and Binna Burra Mountain Lodge; ask them to send you copies of their walking maps. There is a national parks information office at both properties. For detailed information on hiking and camping in the park, contact the ranger at Lamington National Park, Green Mountains section (at O'Reilly's), Canungra, QLD 4211 (tel. 07/5544 0634). The office is open 9 to 11am and 1 to 3:30pm weekdays.
