Sundown National Park is a 4WD Playground Less Than 4 Hours From Brisbane

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

Quick Overview of Sundown National Park

Australia has no shortage of wilderness, but all the best, genuine ‘middle-of-nowhere’ experiences are literally days and days of driving from a city.

Except for Sundown National Park.

Just under a four-hour drive (to the 4WD entrance) from Brissie, and a little over that from the Gold Coast or Byron, you’ll find a huge, rugged wilderness area ready to be explored.

From red gorges, abundant birdlife, waterholes, rivers, remote hiking, and 4WD tracks, Sundown basically has most of the real outback experience – plus a few drop toilets for some added luxury.

Our crew has been coming here for a bit over ten years now, and it has become an official late winter boys’ trip, plus we try to do separate couple or family trips annually too. So here’s what to do and how I’d recommend doing it.

Read more: 9 Things to Think About Before Your First 4WD Trip

About Sundown National Park

Sundown National Park straddles the NSW/QLD border and is located about 250km southwest of Brisbane.

The park is big, almost 160km², and has multiple entrances so it’s easy to go to the wrong place – I’ll explain a little later how to find the 4WD entrance to the centre of the park.

While there are five main campgrounds in the park, there’s also wilderness remote camping and a multi-day trek that leads through the heart of the park. Through the week, it’s not uncommon to have one of the main campgrounds all to yourself.

Read more: 5 Best 4WD Tracks in Northern NSW

How to Get to Sundown National Park

There are three main entrances to the park, but we’re headed in on the 4WD-only track from the small town of Ballendea.

The start of the 4WD track is about 15 minutes west of town following Sundown Road and then through Ballandean Station. This route doesn’t really have any signage. At the entrance to the national park you’ll get to a gate, which needs to be left how you found it.

Read more: Remember to leave no trace!

Now it’s time to let your tires down. The rugged track is about 16km long and winds through the gums, oaks, banksia, and in late winter, wattle bursts with bright yellow. QLD Parks recommend two hours to drive it, but at a moderate speed the track only takes an hour.

As of very recently, Google maps will now take you right to the campsite, but just make sure you don’t close your map on route as there’s no phone reception to reload it.

There are also some more fun and challenging side tracks if you don’t mind some scratches on your paint, but I only recommend doing so if you have offline maps as there’s no phone reception and not all the tracks lead somewhere. We always take two-way radios.

Towards the end of the main track to the campsites the trees open to a beautiful view over the valley and ranges, and other tracks fork off to various 4WD routes (not signed) and to the campgrounds (which are signed).

Where to Stop on the Way to Sundown National Park

If you’re coming from Brissie, head down the Cunningham Highway before joining the New England Highway south through Stanthorpe, which is a good spot to stock up on supplies, just out of Sundown.

If you’ve got an extra 30 minutes on the way there or back, it’s worth taking the route past Boonah and The Head for a stunning drive that takes you straight past Queen Mary Falls and Koreelah National Park, which are additional hidden gems.

Coming from Byron, we take the Bruxner Highway up to Tenterfield, where we generally stop for a pub lunch on the way in and out. I highly recommend the Tenterfield Tavern.

Where to Stay in Sundown National Park

There are heaps of campgrounds in Sundown, but from this entrance there are three options – Red Rock Gorge, Reedy Waterhole, and Burrows Waterhole.

While I’ve never stayed at Red Rock Gorge, I’ve driven through to see the actual gorge and the campsites look large and peaceful on a spread-out clearing.

Reedy Waterhole is also a great spot, with as you guessed it, a great spot to swim.

We always opt for the Burrows Waterhole, as the long, thin area follows the river, giving plenty of privacy and secluded river views even when there are a bunch of other crews about.

Burrows is our pick time and time again

There are no marked sites or boundaries, and you can set up where suits you best. There are one or two drop toilets in each camping area.

Read more: Roof Top Tent vs Swag – What’s The Best Car Camping Set Up?

Essential Gear for Sundown National Park

• A reliable high clearance 4WD is a must – we had a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon this year and it made all the tough tracks look easy
• Maps or offline maps on your phone
• Sat phone/PLB (as there’s no phone reception)
• Two-way radios in your car or on your person
• Your own drinking water or something to sterilise/filter water with
• An extra sleeping bag or doona in winter as it’ll get below zero degrees

Read more: What Should You Carry In Your 4WD Rescue & Repair Kit?

What to Do in Sundown National Park

Explore in a 4WD

The best thing to do is explore. None of the 4WD tracks are signed, neither are the best swimming holes or viewpoints, so jump in the car and go find your favourite spot.

The tracks range from mild to wild and there are plenty where you’ll need a twin-locked beast, like our Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, to get up without breaking a sweat.

If you have offline maps like HEMA or Maps.me you should be able to see a 4WD loop up and over a point called Rats Castle, which is a mildly challenging loop track that has a good mix of bush, mud, rocky creeks, and steep, slippery climbs. Plus there are plenty of places to camp, swim, and stop for lunch on the way.

From the top of the Rats Castle 4WD track looking down the Severn River

Park up at the highest point of the 4WD loop and walk uphill for a few minutes – you’ll get a great vista over the Severn River and notice how it’s dug its way through the park over eons.

Wild Swimming

The waterholes at the campgrounds aren’t the only places to swim – there are endless access points to the Severn River and Sundown Creek where you’ll find tranquil waterholes and small waterfalls.

There are plenty of 4WD tracks near and around the river, so jumping in and out as you please is a real treat on a hot day.

Read more: How To Stay Safe Around Swimming Holes & Waterfalls

Hiking and Nature

There aren’t any marked hiking trails in this northeastern side of the park, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go exploring on foot and get to plenty of places even a 4WD can’t.

Just be mindful of how you navigate back to camp as the scrub can get thick, steep, and therefore confusing.

If you get up at dawn you’ll be surprised by the abundant birdlife in the park, which boasts more than 150 species of feathered friends.

Sundown National Park is also home to the most northerly population of both the Superb lyrebird and wombats. Plus if you’re lucky, which I’ve never been, you might see a Spotted quoll or platypus.

Read more: What To Wear When Hiking – A Beginner’s Guide

Enjoying Camp

Once you’ve had your fill of exploring, kick back at camp, where it’s not uncommon to have an entire nook to yourself.

Cooking on the campfire is one of my favourite pastimes in the bush, which is usually lamb shanks in the camp oven or burgers fresh from our mate’s cattle farm – who believe it or not used to run his own burger truck. So as you can imagine, they’re just about the best burger you’ll ever have.

Read more: Camping Meals: 19 Recipes to Make Camp Cooking a Breeze

Watch the Sunset From Up High

As the name suggests, there are plenty of good spots to watch the sun go down over the rugged ranges. One of which is just near the end of the main track, before you descend steeply to the campgrounds.

So bring a chair or tailgate to get one of the finest sunsets around.

Tips for Visiting Sundown National Park

• You really do need a high clearance 4WD. I know some places the signage exaggerates, but I wouldn’t risk it here. While ‘soft-roader’ or similar size cars might physically make it, the odds of doing serious damage on your oil sump, suspension, or tyres is high as the sharp rocks are big, sharp, and plentiful
• Shoulder seasons are the best time to visit, not only is it quieter, but it’s not stinking hot or freezing cold. Though late winter is my favourite time
• Be prepared. There’s no potable water or phone reception available. So check over your vehicle, drive to conditions and to your limits

FAQs for Sundown National Park

What other national parks around Sundown can I visit?

About an hour’s drive away is the beloved Girraween National Park! It’s the crown jewel on QLD/NSW’s granite belt, meaning it’s full of reaaally nice boulders.

What’s the elevation of Sundown National Park?

Some of the peaks in the park rise over 1,000m – but generally, the land undulates around the 600-800m mark.

Can I go fishing in Sundown National Park?

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has stated that line fishing is only permitted in the Severn River, so it’s best to stick to that area only!