Dundas Road circuit walk via Goodes Road

This walk begins at the Mount Nebo Transfer Station and returns via a fire break. It should be noted here that this walk should only be undertaken by experienced bushwalkers, as there are some steep sections to negotiate up until Goodes Road.

Walk twenty minutes or so to the Dundas Road campsite and at the crossroads, do not detour but continue walking straight ahead along Dundas Road. About half an hour or so you will reach a fork in the road and a D'Aguilar Park sign, marking the region of Cabbage Tree Range. Take the right fork in the road and shortly after you will come to a gate. Turn right and begin descent down the fire break. The break has some very loose gravel and is very steep in sections, so extreme care is required until you reach the creek below. Allow at least a good half hour to an hour for descent.

At the creek the track picks up again and climbs steeply up the range. This section requires very good fitness. At the top the track widens to become Goodes Road. There are some great views here of the surrounding Park.

Be sure to turn right not left after you reach the pylons. Follow the remaining track which is an easy walk back to the campsite. Allow at least 3 hours to complete this walk.

Branch Creek via Cabbage Tree Range

This walk begins from behind the Mount Nebo Transfer station off Mount Nebo Road and includes the catchment area around Lake Manchester. This walk overall is not difficult but is rather long and can prove tiresome with some ascent required upon return. There are a number of hiking trails and explorative opportunities along this walk so a topographic map is recommended but not essential, as the routes described are well signposted.

Follow Dundas Road for approx 20 mins until you reach the campsite and crossroads. Take Cabbage Tree Range road and follow this for about 2 hours down to the upper section of Branch Creek. There is a few options to consider here; either take the much shorter "Job 6 Break" road back up to Light Line Road,which is also known as the "Cabbage Tree Range loop." There is also the opportunity to camp at the Light Line Road camping site or simply cross the creek and follow Branch Creek Road to Lake Manchester and stay overnight at the campsite there instead. I returned the same way I walked down to Branch Creek which I found a bit tiresome, being mostly an uphill climb back to Dundas Road, so it may be more ideal to do the Loop walk and leave another car at the gate, at the end of Forestry Road in Mount Nebo.

Another idea is for two walking parties to take two seperate cars, one group drive to Lake Manchester and the other park at the gate at Dundas Road. Both parties walk in towards each other and meet at Branch Creek.

Lake Manchester circuit walk

Lake Manchester is a water catchment facility situated in the south-western corner of Brisbane Forest Park (D'Aguilar National Park) It lies just North of Ipswich on the outskirts of Kholo. To get to Lake Manchester, simply follow Lake Manchester Road which is mostly sealed road.

Lake Manchester Dam was completed in 1916 and named after Mr E.J. Manchester, president of the Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board. Originally the Dam was called "Cabbage Tree Creek Dam." The Dam was reactivated in 2005 when the Brisbane drought was at a critical point and upgraded in 2007 for security and safety purposes.

Lake Manchester provides popular leisure activities such as bushwalking, mountain biking, horse riding and bush camping. There are a number of interesting features such as views of the Lake and surrounding mountains, including the peaks and ranges outside Ipswich. Cabbage Tree Creek and Branch Creek flow into Lake Manchester and are quite pleasant to visit.

The circuit walk is approximately 17km long and was completed in just over 5 hours. It begins at the car park and crosses the creek downstream from the Dam wall. The walk is accessed by a vehicular dirt track that winds it's way through bushland and traverses the surrounding foothills and ranges of Brisbane Forest Park. The route intersects with other Park Management roads, including Branch Creek Road and Light Line Road. There are many routes to consider therefore explorative opportunities in this region are virtually endless.

From the map at the carpark it is easy to assume this walking trail concludes at the car park, however it actually ends up at the T-intersection of Lake Manchester and Kholo Roads, therefore the remaining part of the walk is along bitumen road to get back to the car park. Overall the walk is fairly easy going, however there are some creek crossings to negotiate and steep sections of the track that can be tiresome. It is best completed in a clockwise direction, the route described is as follows:
"North Lake Manchester Road" - "Light Line Road" - "South Lake Manchester Road".

Other walks from BFP that connect Lake Manchester, among others, are via "South Boundary Road" and "Cabbage Tree Creek Road"(please refer to relevant posts on this site). To access the bush campsite, walk anti-clockwise starting at the T-intersection of Lake Manchester and Kholo Road and walk for approximately 6kms until you reach the campsite and Cabbage Tree Creek. For the first 100 metres or so the track is heavily eroded and extremely muddy.

The circuit route described is well signposted, however a map is recommended to assist with orienteering your desired route and calculating rate of travel. For those who want do a shorter walk but do not wish to complete the full circuit, simply follow North Lake Manchester Road for a few kilometres, then take one of 3-4 diversions that turn left from the main track. These meet with Cabbage Tree Range which eventually leads back to the carpark. If completing the full circuit, allow a full day for rest breaks and to explore the surrounding area.

Cabbage Tree Creek via South Boundary Road (circuit walk)

This walk explores the catchment area around Lake Manchester and was completed as a circuit walk, starting at the Mount Nebo end of South Boundary Road. It is approximately 17km in total and requires some basic map reading skills to track progress. It is not 'hard' in the bushwalking 'scheme of things,' however it is quite a long walk and there is some endurance required, therefore I have classified the walk as 'Moderate to Difficult.'

Follow the track from Mount Nebo for about 1.5km then turn right into Augies Road, following this downhill. After about an hour or so you will reach a water tank on the right, then a T-junction. Turn right here and descend to the main branch of Cabbage Creek. There are numerous creek crossings along this stretch of the track which may be difficult to cross if the creek is flowing well, however did not present any problem when I visited earlier this year. Several kilometres south the creek widens and meets with Lake Manchester.

Upon ascent, turn right at the T-junction into Creek Road which leads downhill to the East branch of Cabbage Tree Creek. After the creek crossing it is a relatively steep climb back to South Boundary road. There is also the option to camp at the intersection of Scrub Road and South Boundary Road after completing this walk. For more info on South Boundary Road, please refer to similar posts on this site.

An alternative walk is to start at Mount Nebo, finishing at Lake Manchester,two cars left at either end of the walk. There is also the opportunity to explore surrounding areas such as Mermaid Mountain and Gold Creek.

Wivenhoe Lookout to Cedar Flats via Northbrook Parkway

This walk leaves from a gate on a sharp bend of Northbrook Parkway, adjacent to Wivenhoe Lookout. It winds it's way along several ridges before descending to 'Red Cedar' picnic ground, which can be found further down Northbrook Parkway. The route is popular with cross country runners and mountain bikers, who often utilise this track to run and cycle between Cedar Flats and Mount Glorious.

Although this route does not pose much difficulty, there is some navigation required as there are other tracks which veer off in other directions along the management road. A topographic map of Brisbane Forest Park is recommended to navigate and locate the correct route to 'Red Cedar.'

There are some steep sections to negotiate upon descent which can impact quite heavily on the knees and in some sections it may be required to crouch and slide, or run and slide down on your feet. The walk eventually comes to a creek and then the main road, a short walk further along the road will lead to the picnic ground.

It is possible to diverge from the route described to locate 'White Cedar' another popular picnic ground located further along the Parkway. However this route may cross private land, therefore permission may be required to gain access.

North Kobble Creek via 'Lepidozamia'

This walk leaves from the gate on the'Lepidozamia' track at Mount Glorious. At the carpark walk along the management road which follows the ridge. About an hour into the walk you will come across a fire break to the right. Take no notice of this but instead continue walking along the ridge which later starts to descend. Another track which is quite distinct heads off to the right and eventually meets up with another track. To the right, leads to a waterfall, to the left, North Kobble Creek. Turn left here and walk down the track, which is quite steep in sections and eventually reaches a creek crossing at the bottom. From the crossing either rockhop along the creek or continue walking along the track. There are some small rock pools along the creek and some interesting features. Upon returning to Mount Glorious, this walk is very steep in ascent and requires good fitness to climb it. There are a few options here such as returning the same way or walking straight ahead at the crossroads, returning via the fire break that also leads back to the 'Lepidozamia' track. Allow a full day for this walk.

Enoggera Creek via Black Soil track

This walk takes just over an hour to do in total. From Mount Nebo Road, take the Black Soil Track found on the BFP map between the Fire Tower and Scrub Road. There is some elevation lost in descent so be prepared to walk steeply uphill on the way back. This walk is very nice to do after prior rains and has great explatory opportunities, being one the longest creeks in the Park. It is a very tranquil place with some water usually present in the creek. I went there last time after a flood and it must have been quite impressive, plants were bent over and there was debris at least a metre or two above creek level, hanging from the trees. By continuing further along this track it is possible to walk up to South Boundary Road and onto Gold Creek Dam from here.

Joyners Ridge to Northbrook Parkway

This is a very long but picturesque walk through the centre of Brisbane Forest Park. Mobile reception is quite good for most of this walk, however this is limited once the Parkway is reached.

Take Joyner's Ridge Road and walk along it for approx 2.5 hours until the crossroads. This section is a nice walk through the Park, it is relatively flat and there are breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and England Creek catchment area. Bellbirds can often be heard making their distinct 'tinkling' sound in the surrounding trees.

Once at the crossroads, turn right into England Creek Road which takes you down to the creek. This stretch of track will take about 2 hours but eventually you will reach the England Creek crossing and the 'campsite' beside the creek.

There is the opportunity to swim here, however when I visited here some years ago there was very little water in the creek, even after several days of rain. There are some waterholes along the creek, but once agin there may not be enough water in them or they are simply stagnant from lack of it. From the campsite the track starts to ascend, climbing the ridge up to Northbrook Mountain. This stretch is very long and tedious, but relatively easy to walk up.

Once at the top there is a deeply eroded track that drops steeply down the side of the ridge to Red and White Cedars. Alternatively, turn left at the top and follow Lawnton Road all the way, which will also take you down to the Parkway. This could be done either as a full day walk or ideally as a throughwalk, camping at the crossing of England Creek or at the campsite below Northbrook Mountain.

England Creek (Right Branch) via Mount Nebo Road

This is a circuit walk that begins at the top of Mount Nebo Road, between Westridge Outlook and Mount Nebo Transfer Station and descends to the creek below via a management vehicle access track. From here either walk up or down England Creek or, take a track northwest up to the crossroads to visit the Left Branch of England Creek, via England Creek Road. On the return trip, I took a track up to Goodes Road which connects with Dundas Road. This will then take you to the Mount Nebo Transfer Station and back to Mount Nebo Road. (For further directions see also England Creek via Joyner's Ridge Road)