Springbrook National Park

A stream runs through the centre of the image with bushes and trees lining it.

Visited: summer

Recommendation: This beautiful national park is so full of wildlife that you will not know which way to turn. Stay at the campground in the middle to get the best out of your visit.

Springbrook National Park is up in the McPherson Range west of the Gold Coast. It is an incredibly diverse area with lush rainforests, waterfalls and lots of interesting wildlife. There are several campsites in different areas and we chose The Settlement campground which was in a small rainforest clearing. Whipbirds, robins and parrots were all around, calling and dashing about.

Small forest dwelling brown bird with orange/white throat.

My first success was to find a male Australian Logrunner. They have a white breast, while the female's are orange. I found a pair of them squawking noisily as they scratched around in the undergrowth. They are related to the Chowchilla found in Far North Queensland and you can see and hear why!

Australian Logrunner (Orthonyx temminckii)

There were lots of reptiles around the campsite and trails. My favourite sighting was of this Eastern Water Dragon. They are semi-aquatic lizards native to eastern Australia and their range is from Victoria to Queensland. Known for their distinctive appearance, they have rough scales, sharp spines, and a crest of spines running from their head to their tail.

You can find Eastern Water Dragons near healthy waterways, such as creeks and rivers, where they bask on rocks or branches overhanging the water. They are excellent swimmers and often retreat to the water when threatened.

Eastern Water Dragon (Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii )

A very large multi coloured lizard with a throat pouch and spines down the back.

A large kingfisher with dark blue back, white front and white spots in front of the eyes.

One of the most attractive birds in the rainforest is always the Forest Kingfisher. While this bird has a very dark blue back, they can have many shades between this and a pale turquoise colour.

Forest Kingfisher (Todiramphus macleayii)

As well as birds, there were lots of butterflies and moths around and I was particularly taken with this vivid blue butterfly that was sucking something (moisture?) up from between the stones on the tracks.

Common Bluebottle (Graphium sarpedon)

A small brown butterfly with bright turquoise patches on the wings.

A bright red parrot with brilliant blue wing and tail feathers.

Adjacent to the campground was a more open field with lots of grass and shrubs. Fairywren, firetails and parrots were all feeding here and my favourite sighting was the Crimson Rosella. They were comically teetering on grass stalks to get to the seeds.

Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans)

All around the area were groups of pademelon. They were reasonably tame if approached quietly as they fed on the grass in the clearings.

Red-Necked Pademelon (Thylogale thetis)

A small marsupial animal with grey/brown fur and reddish neck.

There are lots of bush birds here with some skulking around the rainforest floor but many moving around the open spaces. Kookaburra, cockatoo and parrots scream from the canopy. Sitting quietly is my strategy for places like this and see what turns up.

The more shy and skittish birds are more easily seen and Springbrook is a great place for them. The lone robin, flocks of firetail and the cryptic cuckoo-dove are some of my sightings in my last visit here.

Eastern Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria australis)

A grey backed robin with a bright yellow breast and belly.

Tiny grey songbird with thick red eye brow and tail.

Red-browed Firetail (Neochmia temporalis)

A large brown dove with a very long tail.

Brown Cuckoo-Dove (Macropygia amboinensis)

An owl like bird with grey mottled patterns that blend in with surround dead trees.

Spotlighting was difficult as it drizzled a lot after dark and it was on a mad dash back to the campervan when I spotted this frogmouth sitting, rather forlornly on a post. Trying to protect my camera, I walked slowly towards it and to my surprise, I got within touching distance of this remarkable creature. I didn't attempt to touch it, fearing the loss of a finger in that huge bill.

Tawny Frogmouth (Podargus strigoides)

A large cliff in a forest with a waterfall in the middle.