Nature, culture and history

Natural environment

D'Aguilar National Park has a variety of habitat types including eucalypt open forests and woodlands (dry sclerophyll), tall open eucalypt forests (wet sclerophyll), pockets of subtropical rainforest, rocky outcrops and a variety of freshwater ecosystems. In these habitats, more than 200 species of native animals are protected.

Significant species recorded in the park include:

• Platypus—sighted in the park along permanently watered creeks and waterholes.
• Mount Glorious spiny crayfish Euastacus setosus—found only in creek systems of Mount Glorious.
• Spotted-tail quoll Dasyurus maculatus—a carnivorous marsupial that was once common in the D’Aguilar Range, but it has not been sighted for many years.
• Mount Glorious torrent frog (or southern dayfrog) Taudactylus diurnus—only occurs beside mountain rainforest streams and waterfalls in areas of South East Queensland. It has not been seen since 1979.
• Broad-leaved spotted gum Corymbia henryi—has a very limited distribution in South East Queensland, but it grows plentifully in the park.
• Two  vulnerable macadamia species—the edible Queensland or bopple nut Macadamia integrifolia that grows to the north and the inedible Maroochy or Gympie nut Macadamia ternifolia that grows to the south on the slopes of Mount Nebo.
• The newly discovered Mount Glorious water spider Ornodolomedes benrevelli
  The delicate native shrub Corchorus cunninghamii.
• Giant ironwood Choricarpia subargentea
• Hiller’s snub-nosed katydid Chloracantha hilleri
• D’Aguilar Range assassin spider Austrarchaea raveni

Culture and history

Sacred country

D’Aguilar Range and the surrounding areas hold significant cultural value for Jinibara and Turrbal First Nations people.

The eucalypt forest, rainforest pockets and creeks provide food, medicine and many other resources. Sacred sites include artefact scatters, bora rings, dreaming trails and traditional pathways.

A changing land

The first Europeans to enter the D’Aguilar Range area were farmers and timber-getters in the 1840s. Much of the country around the range was cleared for farming. Giant red cedar and hoop pine trees were felled and used as timber to build houses that still stand in Brisbane today. Many stumps with notches cut into them where the springboard platforms were placed can be seen throughout the park.

Around the 1860s, gold prospectors staked their claims on quartz-bearing rock in the hope of striking it rich. Despite their hard work, the mines produced only small amounts of gold and were abandoned in the 1950s. Remains of gold mine shafts can still be seen in the park today along the Golden Boulder track at Bellbird Grove.

Protecting heritage

The current area of D’Aguilar National Park was formed by the amalgamation of a number of protected areas over a period of decades.

The earliest timber reserves were gazetted in 1918 and extensive logging of hardwoods took place after World War II. Small areas within the reserves were protected as Scenic Reserves or Beauty Spots before the first national park on the D’Aguilar Range was gazetted in 1930 as National Park, Mount D'Aguilar, with an area of 261ha.

A reserve for Park and Scenic Purposes was created at Mount Glorious in 1935 and became Maiala National Park in 1938, gradually expanding to 1140ha. Declaration of other national parks followed, including Jollys Lookout (1938), Manorina (1949) and Boombana (1950). Camp Mountain lookout was constructed in the 1970s.

In 1977, a ‘nature-based recreation area’ was formed along the southern end of the D’Aguilar Range made up of several small national parks, council reserves, some state forests, water catchment areas, and other crown lands. Known then as Brisbane Forest Park, it was a visionary concept of a 25000ha 'park for the people' managed in partnership between the community, Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council . This alliance was established to protect the expansive bushland area and preserve its values for the future.

Our objective is to take advantage of the eminently suitable stretch of country for the benefit (relaxation and enjoyment) of the public…

Brisbane Forest Park Bill 1977

In 1994, the declaration of D’Aguilar National Park marked another important chapter of amalgamation and extension of national park and forest reserve areas along the D’Aguilar Range, with the further addition of Mount Mee State Forest being converted to D’Aguilar National Park in 2000. The Brisbane Forest Park co-ordinating authority ceased to exist in 2009 in the same year that large areas of forest reserves were declared national park and amalgamated into D’Aguilar National Park.

D’Aguilar National Park is now one of the largest national parks in South East Queensland and the closest to Brisbane. It provides secure habitat for large numbers of common species and species of conservation significance, and it remains a place where people can walk, ride and appreciate the natural beauty of the protected bush on Brisbane’s doorstep.