Pioneer picnic area
Enjoy a picnic in this shady picnic area before heading off to explore the nearby walking tracks.
Accessible by
- 4WD
Attraction facilities
- Wood-fired barbecue (BYO wood)
- Picnic tables
- Toilets (non-flush)
- Wheelchair access (may require assistance)
Delight in the antics of the abundant birdlife as you enjoy morning tea or a BBQ picnic lunch. Black-faced monarchs, rufous fantails, cicadabirds, spectacled monarchs and glossy black-cockatoos are all seen here.
Refreshed and rejuvenated, head off on one of the two walks that start in the picnic area. Learn about the park’s pioneering history along the easy Pioneer Graves track, or load up a pack and spend a few hours exploring the rugged landscape on the Mount Mathieson trail.
Just a short drive way are the Moss’s Well and Governors Chair lookout tracks, and the Heritage trail.
This park is part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, famed for its ongoing geological processes, evolutionary history, and diversity (especially of rare, threatened and endemic species).
Getting there and getting around
The Pioneer picnic area is in the Spicers Gap section of Main Range National Park, about 120km south-west of Brisbane.
- Pioneer picnic area is at the end of Spicers Gap Road, 3km from the park entrance.
Getting to the Spicers Gap section
Eastern approach
- The eastern approach to Spicers Gap is suitable for 4WD vehicles.
- From Brisbane, drive about 95km south-west on the Cunningham Highway.
- About 5km west of Aratula turn onto Lake Moogerah Road, drive 6km then turn onto Spicers Gap Road and a further 6km to the park entrance.
For tourism information for all regions in Queensland, see Queensland.com, and for friendly advice on how to get there, where to stay and what to do, find your closest accredited visitor information centre.
Wheelchair access
The toilets and picnic tables are wheelchair accessible.
Before you visit
Opening hours
Pioneer picnic area is open 24 hours a day
Check park alerts for the latest information on access, closures and conditions.
Visiting safely
For more safety information see Visiting Main Range safely.
- Planned burn - Main Range National Park 27 May to 3 June 2024
- Roadworks at Cunninghams Gap - temporary closures and realignment of walking tracks 10 November 2023 to 31 July 2024
- Main Range National Park - Cunninghams Gap section walking track closures 7 February to 5 June 2024