Queensland does not disappoint when it comes to wild nature, peaceful escapes and rugged bush walks. All of these can be found in the best national parks to visit in Queensland. Because when it comes to this tropical north state, there’s always something new to discover.
I’ve spent months throughout Queensland, both on the coast and in the outback. From the time spent in this huge state, I’m sharing the best national parks to visit in Queensland. I love all of these national parks for different reasons, which I’ll go through in each description. All of these national parks in Queensland are exactly what make the state so beautiful and fun to explore.
Check out the list below for the best national parks to visit in Queensland, they may not all be well-known but they’re some of the best places to get into the wild and enjoy what Queensland has to offer. This list ruffly goes from south to west for the locations of the national parks. And, all of these parks are accessible by 2WD for those travelling in conventional vehicles—except Fraser Island, which has tours for accessing!
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Springbrook National Park
Springbrook National Park is located just over an hour from Brisbane, close to the New South Wales border. It’s the most southerly national park in Queensland on this list.
What’s so great about this national park is its accessibility, views, rainforest and the amount of activities. Starting off with accessibility, the park is close to Brisbane so it’s perfect for a weekend trip. And there are multiple campgrounds and other accommodation nearby for staying at.
Despite its short drive from the city, it’s a complete wilderness in terms of the diversity of the national park. You can definitely expect rain and clouds all times of the year, this is also due to the park’s altitude.
From this altitude, there’s also many viewpoints either to see the forest or the many waterfalls. If you’re up for more than a viewpoint, check out the many walks and hikes around the different areas of the park. And my favourite activity is seeing the glow worms at night in the caves! There’s also picnic areas around the park and longer hikes.
These are just a few reasons why Springbrook National Park is on this list of best national parks in Queensland. For more information, check out my full guide on the park or my review of the Purling Brook Falls and Waring Pool hike!
Pro tip: Another amazing national park to visit nearby is Lamington National Park. The only downside is that it has limited camping and accommodation options—which is why I haven’t visited yet.
Glass House Mountains National Park
Just a tad north of Brisbane in the shire of Beerwah are some of the most oddly shaped, yet incredibly stunning mountains. On a clear day, these are visible off the highway, although I highly recommend driving into the national park to get a closer look.
There’s 11 peaks that make up the Glass House Mountains, some have easily accessible trails to visit and see them, while others are dangerous steep ventures to the top. The name of the mountains originated from a European explorer which described the mountains looking similar to glass kilns.
What’s great about these mountains though is you don’t have to climb them to enjoy the beauty. There’s trails around the mountains and easy hikes with some elevation that doesn’t require special training or equipment. Not matter the weather it’s always a good time to visit these oddly-shaped mountains and the peaceful hinterland alike.
Noosa National Park
Noosa might give off some pretentious attitudes, but its national park is definitely worth a visit. Not only does it have an incredible and easy to access pathway that wraps around the coast, it has dense bushland and beaches too.
No matter what time of day you visit this park, the trees seem to always have a gentle breeze ready to calm you down. Noosa National Park attracts surfers, fishers, locals and tourists all for the same reasons, to enjoy the natural beauty.
The Noosa headland section of the national park is also a top-notch spot to find wild koalas high up in the trees—usually near Tea Tree Bay by the toilets. If you’re looking for these furry friends, keep an eyes out for others pointing up and taking photos as well.
If you’re really into walking and exploring, keep following the coastal walk down to the beach then up again through the forest behind. For those sensitive to naked bodies, watch out for Alexandria Beach, which is a nudest beach on the southern end.
After seeing the headland section of Noosa National Park, check out the other part of Emu Mountain for panoramic sunset views and Peregian Beach.
K’Gari (Fraser Island) – Great Sandy National Park
K’Gari, previously known as Fraser Island is one of my favourite islands off of Queensland’s coast. The entire island is 4WD-only and only accessible by two ferry services. Visiting Lake McKenzie and the walk through Central Station alone are reasons enough to visit the island.
Fraser Island is a huge island and if visiting, plan to stay a few days to see all it has to offer. Going with a tour can be a relaxing way to go about it, because you just have to focus on enjoying the trip rather than stressing over planning. Lake McKenzie was one of my favourite parts to visit, it’s a fresh water lake in the middle of the island surrounded by soft white silica sand. The PH levels in the lake let your skin and hair feel incredibly conditioned and soft, and your mental state is guaranteed to be calmer as there’s no sharks or stingers to worry about in the lake!
Great Sandy National Park also spans to below the island in the area of Rainbow Beach, this area has tons of free camping options, but it’s only 4WD accessible due to the sand. There’s no way to visit Australia without visiting this paradise in Queenland’s national parks.
Carnarvon National Park
Located over 500km off Queenland’s coast, Carnarvon National Park is still one of my favourite national parks I visited in Australia. There’s something about driving hundreds of kilometres one-way in the deserted outback to come across this luscious, green and bright gorge. It’s a surprising turn, which proves the outback is one of the best places to explore—especially when Carnarvon National Park is part of the journey.
In a nutshell, this entire national park surrounds Carnarvon Gorge, which provides waterways, trails and many opportunities to see wildlife. There are multiple camping and accommodation options just outside and around the park, but it still leaves the park itself wild and peaceful. I visited about half a year after the initial COVID pandemic, so most of the accommodation options were still closed, meaning there were even less people around.
What I love most about this park is its wilderness and the diversity the gorge brings. There’s a main access trail that goes all the way through the gorge and stops at different points of interest along the way. It’s also the first place I ever saw Aboriginal wall art. It’s a really intimate and beautiful setting to discover Queensland’s outback, especially when it’s surrounded by chirping exotic birds and other native flora and fauna. Check out my full guide on visiting Carnarvon National Park to learn more about the park, what’s there and how to get the most out of it.
Eungella National Park
Close to the coast, but still far enough away from the city to enjoy the forest, Eungella National Park is a breath of fresh air. It’s easily known as one of the best places in Australia to see the native platypuses. However there’s a lot more reasons than this why Eungella is one this list of best national parks to visit in Queensland.
Eungella National Park is in the highlands, about an hour drive from the regional city Mackay. Located in Queensland’s tropical north so the weather is relatively warm all year around, making it a good place to visit even in winter. It’s a perfect spot to visit in summer for the swimming holes in Finch Hatton Gorge just under the waterfalls (how picturesque indeed!).
And, it’s also a relaxing place to get some good views over the area in the highlands part of the park. There’s many walks that are relatively easy but have a variety of things to see. in addition to viewpoints, there’s also the river, tall trees and of course the platypuses. I also have a full guide on how to see platypuses in Eungella National Park, along with a full guide on what to know for visiting to park and where to go.
Cape Hillsborough National Park
Cape Hillsborough National Park is a great way to spend a day on coastal Queensland. Just north of Mackay, Cape Hillsborough is known as a place to see kangaroos on the beach—although this is more of a tourist attraction now. It’s the best place to spend a day any time of the year, there’s even a secret path to an island which clears as the tide goes out!
Depending on the sky, the ocean here will look either deep blue to light blue from the bright sun. It’s insanely beautiful, and there’s multiple walks to get to viewpoints to see the ocean and surrounding area. The park is in crocodile territory, so it’s not possible to swim, but there’s still plenty of other options and bush walks to see the park.
If you going during the right tide times, walk through the forest on the Beachcomber Cover Track, then during low tide, walk back to the parking lot along the beach! And don’t miss out on seeing the ‘pretty-faced’ wallabies all around the park. They’re especially popular near the parking lots during the early evening!
Whitsundays Islands National Park
The Whitsundays area is one of the best places to decompress and sit back in awe of Queensland, and Australia’s natural wonders.
It’s hard to describe exactly how beautiful the area is. It’s made up of 74 islands (mostly uninhabited), coral reefs and bright turquoise ocean. There’s an abundance of wildlife, such as sea turtles, fish, crocodiles, sharks and more. The islands are covered in dense woodlands and most are not accessible to the public, none have drinking water. The best way to see the Whitsunday Islands National Park is by the sea, on a sailing tour.
There’s so many options to choose from, so I created on guide on choosing a Whitsunday sailing tour to help. This list of best national parks in Queensland wouldn’t be complete without the Whitsunday Islands National Park. Definitely visit Airlie Beach and at least do a day tour to see more of the national park.
Magnetic Island National Park
Just outside of Townsville is the stunning Magnetic Island National Park. Over half of the island is part of the national park and protected as such. The island is known for its WWII memorabilia. Visitors can walk through and view, along with learning about Magnetic Island’s part in the war. This is mostly done on the Fort walk, which is also a great place to see wild koalas hanging in the trees! Literally hanging, because they’re mostly sleeping.
Magnetic Island is my second favourite island on Queensland’s coast. A big reason I love this national park, is because outside of major stinger times (which takes place during the wet season/summer) it’s possible to swim near the reefs in the bays of the island. There’s also a small town on the island with some low-key restaurants and accommodation, making it easier to spend more time on the island.
Paluma Range National Park
Paluma Range National Park is a paradise for swimming holes. Even on cooler days it’s so much fun to go in the natural rock water slides into the water. There’s multiple places to go into the water, at Big Crystal Creek and Little Crystal Creek.
Further up past Little Crystal Creek is another area to visit. This includes relaxing bush walks, dense forests and viewpoints over the area. There’s also an overnight hike (or it can be done in a single day) called Mount Halifax. This is also the beginning point for a multi-day hike throughout the national park.
What’s great about Paluma National Park, is that it’s the perfect destination for a weekend or single-night trip. Or, there’s the option to just stop by and go for a swim while road tripping up the east coast here.
Girringun National Park
This national park is a must-see for those doing a road trip, or just seeing the area. Girringun National Park is located in the highlands and has dense eucalyptus forests that go on forever. It’s also a popular spot to see wild cassowaries!
Most importantly, Girringun National Park is home to Queensland’s longest single-drop waterfall, Wallaman Falls. There’s even a walk that goes to the bottom of the waterfall, and although walking back up is challenging, it’s worth it for the views.
There’s also a low-budget national park campground located in the park which has some facilities. Beware of the rain, heading up north in Queensland means more rain depending on the time of year.
Daintree National Park
What is a list of the best national parks in Queensland without the Daintree? The Daintree Rainforest is one of the most diverse and special ecosystems in the world. All located just north of Cairns in Queensland’s tropical north. There’s multiple parts to the Daintree National Park, the most popular is across the Daintree River by the ferry.
The Daintree is also a good spot to do crocodile tours, it’s incredible to see these huge creatures up close. In the Daintree National Park across the ferry it’s all about the nature. There’s boardwalks, cassowaries, crocodiles and of course the famous Cape Tribulation.
It’s best to stay a few days in the Daintree National Park to discover the area, maybe do a tour, and enjoy the stay. Don’t miss out on stopping at the Daintree Ice Cream Company. They make ice cream from fruit which grows on the farm there, and it’s amazing! I still dream about this ice cream.
To get a look at all of these best national parks in Queensland and more, check out my road trip guide from Brisbane to Cairns!
