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Tamborine



Situated on the edge of the escarpment in the Gold Coast hinterland, the locality is characterised by spectacular mountain and ocean views, tea rooms and gift shops and an arts/crafts oriented community.

Tamborine Mountain is both an actual geological phenomenon (the result of a major flow of lava from Mt. Warning when it erupted) and also a collective term for a number of small villages stretching along the ridge of the mountain range.

Location: 62 km from Brisbane

The rich volcanic soils support a diversity of horticulture. Commercial crops include avocado, kiwifruit, avocado and macadamia nuts.

Places of interest: Tamborine National Park (1160 ha); Cedar Creek; The Knoll; MacDonald Park; Cameron Falls; Curtis Falls; Witches Falls National Park; Lamington Plateau; Tamborine Mountain Botanic Gardens; Joalah National Park; Darlington Range; Canungra Range; Lookout National Park; towns of Mount Tamborine Village, North Tamborine, Eagle Heights and Canungra; Thunderbird Park tourist retreat; wineries; Tamborine Mountain Distillery

Brief history: The first known Europeans in the area were timber getters who established a sawmill at Cedar Creek in the 1860s. Settlement of Mount Tamborine itself commenced in 1878.

Origin of name: the name has no connection to the musical instrument which is spelt differently. It is in fact derived from the Bundjalung language, of the Yugumbir dialect Wangerriburra Clan, It is either from Jambireen, meaning wild lime tree; or Dum (or gom) Bireen, meaning yam in a cliff. The former seems the most likely. Tambourine Provisional School opened on 24 August 1874, becoming Tambourine State School on 1 January 1909. The spelling was changed to Tamborine on 29 April 1926. Tamborine State School closed on 10 July 1970.

During World War II, the 32nd Infantry Division of the American Army established a camp initially called Camp Tamborine (but later called Camp Cable after deceased soldier Gerald O. Cable) at Tamborine in 1942. Formerly in the Shire of Beaudesert, Tamborine was split between Logan City and Scenic Rim Region following the local government amalgamations in March 2008. A station at Tamborine along the Canungra railway line operated from 1915 to 1955.




Tamborine National Park

Within an hour’s drive of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Tamborine National Park offers glimpses of the Pacific Ocean and Gold Coast skyline to the east and national parks of the Scenic Rim to the west. The park protects remnants of Tamborine Mountain’s plant communities and includes areas of rainforest with distinctive piccabeen palm groves, wet eucalypt forest dominated by tall flooded gums, open forest with bracken fern understorey and woodland. These plant communities provide essential wildlife habitat in a landscape almost entirely surrounded by urban and rural development.

Basalt columns, cliffs, rocky outcrops and waterfalls are a lasting legacy of volcanic eruptions 23 million years ago. Tamborine is the most northerly remnant of the flows from a volcano centred on Mount Warning (Wollumbin).

Walking tracks are provided in six sections of Tamborine National Park. Most walking tracks are short and can be walked within a few hours. The walks are relatively easy although some tracks have short, steep sections. If you are walking with young children, or if you are birdwatching or taking photographs, allow extra time. Each walking track is classified according to a system based on Australian Standards, so you can choose a track suitable for your needs.

Start your visit at the Tamborine Mountain Visitor Information Centre at Doughty Park, on the corner of Geissmann Drive and Main Western Road, North Tamborine; open 10.00am to 3.30pm on weekdays and 9.30am to 3.30pm on weekends.


Tamborine Mountain Rainforest Skywalk

Set in 30 acres of privately owned rainforest beside the crystal clear rock-pools of Cedar Creek on Mt Tamborine, Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk allows visitors a unique opportunity to see the area’s rainforests at very close range. The walk departs directly from the Eco Gallery with a comprehensive array of Australian rainforest flora and fauna displays. The walk takes approximately 45 minutes at a leisurely pace, when pausing to view the many points of interest and information along the way. The entire walk totals 1.5 kms and is a combination of forest floor trails, 300 metres of high-tech steel bridges through the highest points of the upper canopy, and a 40 metre cantilever bridge that soars a breathtaking 30 metres above the creek and rainforest below.





Enjoy a walk along one of the many walking tracks, such as the Curtis Falls track in the Joalah section, Tamborine National Park. Photo courtesy of Jodie Bray.


Tamborine Mountain Rainforest Skywalk

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