About Earl Hill

Park features

Earl Hill Conservation Park is a 55 hectare forested range surrounded by urban development. Open woodland forest dominates with areas of rainforest throughout. Heathlands and shrublands are located on dunefields and inland areas of the park. Situated in the northern region of Cairns, this large stretch of bushland is a popular place for hikers and locals.

The park offers many opportunities for nature-based activities. Walking tracks to the 218m (in elevation) Earl Hill summit lead energetic visitors through rainforest gullies and woodland slopes to impressive, sweeping views. From the summit, the views take in Double Island and Buchan Point to the north and the Yarrabah Range to the south. The visible islands and Coral Sea are part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

Read more about the nature, culture and history of Earl Hill Conservation Park.

Looking after the park

• Everything in the park (living or dead) is protected; please leave everything as you found it.
• Stay on marked walking trails—this reduces the risk of injury, prevents disturbance to native vegetation and reduces erosion.
• If you are walking with your dog, please respect other visitors and the environment and bag and remove dog faeces from the park or deposit in bin provided at the start of the Woodland walking track on Flagship Drive. Penalties apply for failure to remove your dog’s faeces from the park.
• Please take all your rubbish out of the park. Cairns Regional Council provide a rubbish bin at the start of the Woodland walking track on Flagship Drive.
• Toilets are not provided at Earl Hill Conservation Park. Cairns Regional Council has public toilet facilities located at Half Moon Bay foreshore, at the end of Reed Road (see map (PDF, 192.5KB) for location).

Park management

In 2018, the Queensland Government purchased one of the largest stretches of bushland remaining in the Cairns northern beaches area. This 55 hectare property has now been dedicated as Earl Hill Conservation Park and is under the management of the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS).

Tourism information links

For tourism information links for all regions in Queensland, see Queensland Holidays.