The 12km Daves Creek Circuit Through Lamington National Park is a Botanical Delight

Daves Creek Circuit in Queensland’s Lamington National Park is a beautiful 12km track with an astonishing variety of plants and vegetation just 90 minutes from Brisbane. You like plants, right?

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Yugambeh people who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Quick Overview

Daves Creek Circuit is a 12km loop, Grade 4 hike located in the Lamington National Park in Queensland. The hike should take around four hours to complete.

Quick Facts

Distance: 12km
Duration: Allow 4 hours
Elevation: approx 350m elevation

Daves Creek Circuit Highlights

• An abundance of botanical wonders
• A cool cave to discover
• Easy hiking so you can pay more attention to the landscape around you

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About Daves Creek Circuit

A Botanist’s Dream

Beginning on the Border Track,  Daves Creek Circuit takes you through a combination of rainforest, amongst flame and fig trees, through sparse mallee woodland, and then to montane heath. The track’s dotted with White coral heath flowers and honey-coloured Hairpin banksia, amongst many other gorgeous natives.

Hairpin Banksia | Photo by Saphira Bloom-Quinn

What the heck is montane heath and mallee woodland?

Most of us recognise a rainforest when we’re in one; the trees are tall, it’s very green, and it’s usually quite wet and cool. There are ferns, fig trees, and moss.

But this hike also traverses through vegetation types called mallee woodland and montane heath – so how do you know when you’re there?

Top of Sunrise Rock | Photo by Saphira Bloom-Quinn

Mallee refers to a type of growth ‘habit’ some types of gum trees have. It means that multiple trunks appear to come out of the same spot. Sparse mallee woodland looks like a bunch of multi-stemmed tree clusters about ten metres in height, dispersed throughout the landscape.

Grasses and shrubs fill the rest of the landscape. 

Mallee woodland | Photo by Peter Woodward

Montane heath, on the other hand, is lower in average vegetation height. It occurs in areas where the soil or wind prevents taller trees from growing.

The plants that grow here are variable, but mainly consist of shrubs and stunted trees such as banksia, lomandra, and grevillea. Basically, the stuff around you is about human height or smaller, and the ground is harsh and rocky.

How to Get to Daves Creek Circuit

Type in ‘Lamington Teahouse’ into your GPS and head 90 minutes south (100km) from Brisbane on the M1. Look for the Border Track to start your hike.

Read more: Remember to leave no trace

Skill Level

Intermediate

Essential Gear

• Walking shoes
• Snacks
• Water
• Camera
• First aid kit
• Optional: Field guide and binoculars

What It’s Like to Hike the Daves Creek Circuit

Trees Older than Human Civilisation

The hike starts on the Border Track, in the rainforest. You might spot the grand Antarctic beech, a Gondwanan giant that used to dominate the landscape. They grow very tall (over 25m) and some have been dated to 12,000 years old.

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To put this in perspective, some Antarctic beeches were around when woolly mammoths roamed the Earth. They were alive when humans wrote their first words, they lived through the rise and the fall of the pyramids of Egypt, and they were alive at the same time Copernicus realised the Earth revolved around the sun.

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A Secret Cave

After some time, the track transforms to heathland vegetation and meanders along the cliffline for awesome views into the Woggunba Valley, down in which snakes the track’s namesake, Daves Creek.

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This is where you can check out the Molongolee Caves, an interesting little side trip off the main track. It’s kind of an odd sight among the drier vegetation around it; a super wet cave with a completely unique range of plants growing, compared to the rest of the immediate area.

Back on the main track, look out for bright orange sundews on the rocks. They’re an insect-eating plant that looks like sea anemones.

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A Track Full of Surprises

Stop for lunch at Numinbah Lookout, a nice sheltered spot which peers into the Woggunba Valley. If you look straight ahead, you’ll actually be looking right at Natural Bridge, a popular spot in Springbrook National Park.

Continue on to Surprise Rock, which has epic views of the Gold Coast skyline and surrounding mountains. You can sit up to enjoy the view, and then either backtrack or continue along and down Surprise Rock; if you opt for the latter, beware that this is a sketchy part of the track, as you’ll be clambering down a tree to get off. 

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Spotting the Albert’s Lyrebird

It’s worth timing the return for mid to late afternoon, to glimpse the birds of Lamington National Park. You’ll certainly hear the Eastern whipbirds and maybe even glimpse the famed Albert’s lyrebird.

Female lyrebirds are brown, and the males are black with an impressive display of curly tail feathers. There are also Eastern yellow robins, Grey wagtails, and Grey shrike thrush to be spotted.

Read more: Bird Nerd Checklist: Are You One of Us?

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Feature photo by Miranda Fittock

Daves Creek Circuit FAQs

What makes Daves Creek Circuit unique?

Daves Creek Circuit is unique because of the vast array of plants and

How long is the Daves Creek Circuit trail?

The Daves Cree Circuit is a 12km loop walking trail in Lamington National Park, Queensland.

Keep Exploring Lamington National Park

• The West Canungra Creek Circuit is a Challenging 14km Day Hike in Lamington National Park
• Rockhopper To Stairway Falls Hike in Lamington National Park
• Spot Tropical Birds in Lamington National Park’s Gondwana Rainforest (QLD)
• Wander Through Ancient Rainforests Along Lamington National Park’s 21km Border Track