Trade the beach for a mountain for one day. From Sandbar Burleigh, a Springbrook waterfalls day trip takes about fifty minutes up the range and packs in the Purling Brook Falls circuit, lunch on the plateau, an ancient-forest lookout and the Natural Bridge glow worms on the drive home. Here is the day, hour by hour.
How do you get to Springbrook from Burleigh?
Head inland from Goodwin Terrace and it is roughly a fifty minute drive to the Springbrook plateau, the last stretch a winding climb up Springbrook Road with a few tight bends and blind crests, so take it steadily. There is no fuel on the mountain, so fill up in Mudgeeraba on the way. Aim to leave Sandbar by around 8am: the morning light is best for the falls, the car parks are emptiest, and you beat the tour buses. Reception can help with a rough timing plan the night before. Pack layers, as the plateau runs several degrees cooler than the coast, plus water and proper walking shoes for the tracks.
Is the Purling Brook Falls circuit worth the walk?
Yes, and it is the centrepiece of the day. The Purling Brook Falls circuit starts at the Tallanbana picnic area, where parking is free but fills on weekends. The graded 4 kilometre loop takes about two hours and drops into the gorge on 265 steps, crossing a suspension bridge with the 100 metre falls pouring down beside you before climbing back through rainforest. Walking it clockwise makes the climb gentler. If you are short on time or have little legs in tow, skip the descent and take in the falls from the lookout a few minutes from the car park, which still delivers the big view. Toilets and picnic tables sit at the trailhead, so it is an easy spot to regroup before lunch. Wear shoes with grip, as the steps stay damp and slick under the rainforest canopy even on dry days, and carry water for the climb back out of the gorge.
Where should you have lunch on Springbrook Mountain?
A few minutes from the falls, Dancing Waters Café at 33 Forestry Road is the easy lunch stop, with fresh, locally sourced meals and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options rather than the usual fried fare. The dish guests keep mentioning is the house Upside Down Cake, worth saving room for with a mountain coffee. Small Springbrook cafes keep limited and sometimes seasonal hours, so it pays to check they are open on the day before you count on them. After lunch, drive a short way to the Best of All Lookout, a 700 metre return walk through 2,000 year old Antarctic beech trees to a platform looking straight at Wollumbin and the vast Tweed caldera. It is the one lookout not to skip.
Can you see the Natural Bridge glow worms on the way home?
Time the day so the drive home runs past the Natural Bridge at dusk. It sits on the Numinbah Valley side of the park, about a forty minute drive around from the plateau, and the 1 kilometre circuit leads down to a rock arch where a waterfall pours through a cave roof. As the light fades, glow worms come out on the cave walls, visible year round and best on warm, still nights. Parking is free but the lot fills before dark, so arrive with light to spare, walk the loop slowly, and use a torch for the path only, never on the glow worms themselves. From there it is the quiet mountain road home to Burleigh, back at the coast in under an hour with the day well spent. If you would rather not drive the range in the dark, do the Natural Bridge loop in the late afternoon and swap the glow worms for the waterfall and rock arch in daylight, which is still one of the best short walks on the coast. Either way, keep an eye out for wallabies and pademelons feeding along the verges at dusk.
Springbrook day trip FAQs
How far is Springbrook from Sandbar Burleigh?
The Springbrook plateau is about a fifty minute drive from Sandbar Burleigh, up a winding mountain road. The Natural Bridge section, on the Numinbah Valley side, is a separate drive of around forty five minutes. Fill the tank before you leave, as there is no fuel on the mountain itself.
Is it free to visit Purling Brook Falls and Natural Bridge?
Yes. Both sit inside Springbrook National Park, and entry and parking are free at each. The car parks are the only real limit: Tallanbana at Purling Brook and the Natural Bridge lot both fill on weekends and around dusk, so arrive early for the falls and before dark for the glow worms.
When can you see the glow worms at Natural Bridge?
The Natural Bridge glow worms are visible year round and show best on warm, still nights after dark, so plan to reach the car park at dusk and walk the one kilometre circuit as the light fades. Bring a torch for the path, but never shine it on the glow worms, as the light stops them glowing.
Is the Purling Brook Falls walk hard?
It is a graded, moderate 4 kilometre circuit of about two hours with 265 steps, descending into the gorge to a suspension bridge below the falls before climbing back. If you are short on time or travelling with young kids, skip the descent and enjoy the falls from the lookout near the car park instead.
Back at the beach by nightfall
A Springbrook day is the perfect counterpoint to a beach stay: cool rainforest, big waterfalls and glow worms, all within an hour of the sand. From Sandbar you can be up the mountain by mid-morning and back on your balcony by night. When you are planning the trip, check availability and book direct for our best rates, then line up more day trips with our Gold Coast experiences guide.
Image credit: Queensland.com