Main Range National Park Brisbane | Southern Queensland Country

Look for giant spear lilies at nearby lookouts. Photo credit: Robert Ashdown © Queensland Government

Impressive mountain peaks, escarpments and ridges offer breathtaking views. Photo credit: © Janette Asche

Cunninghams Gap North remote camping zone

Surrounded by dense subtropical rainforest, this camping zone is popular as a layover on longer walks in the park. This camping zone does not include Scenic Rim Trail walkers’ camps, these should be booked separately.

Accessible by

Walk-in

Camping area facilities

Tent camping
Long walk to tent
Walking

Always check

Park alerts for the latest information on access, closures and conditions.
Bureau of Meteorology weather forecasts.
Current bushfire warnings and incidents and also fire bans and restrictions.
Your camping permit is booked.
Any park-specific camping information for Main Range.
Visiting Main Range safely for important safety information.

If you’re an experienced off-track walker with specialist equipment and well-developed navigational skills, then the walk to this remote camping zone is for you.

This camping zone does not include Scenic Rim Trail walkers’ camps at Banshee or Castle View, these should be booked separately.

After you’ve set up camp, head to nearby Sylvesters lookout for impressive views over the coastal plains below, take in the expansive views of Mount Castle, Little Liverpool Range, Laidley and Fassifern valleys, and Brisbane. Wake early to greet the sun and see the morning light colour the normally pink-hued trachyte cliffs of Mount Castle.

Pitch your tent in open rainforest atop cliffs that form the dramatic face of the north-trending eastern escarpment of the Main Range.

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

Cunninghams Gap North remote camping zone is in Main Range National Park, about 120km south-west of Brisbane.

Before preparing to walk to remote camping areas, walkers should consider their experience and preparedness levels. A high level of physical fitness and navigational skills are essential.

Plan to walk safely and be responsible.
Familiarise yourself with the area before attempting an extended walk.
Check park alerts for the latest information on access, closures and conditions.
Research the route thoroughly and get local advice. Recommended maps for bushwalking are 1:25,000 topographic maps. It is also advisable to carry a recognised guidebook for the area.
Carry good navigation and communication gear.
Complete a bushwalking advice form (PDF, 523.7KB) and leave your plan with a responsible person.
Contact your local walking club or Bushwalking Queensland for further information.

Camping permits are essential.

Before you visit

Opening hours

Cunninghams Gap North remote camping zone is open 24 hours a day. Check-in to your camp after 2pm and check-out by 11am on the day of departure.

Camping area features

Bush camping in a range of landscapes.

Location: Map Sheet: Cunninghams Gap 9341-11; Townson 9342-22; Glen Rock 9342-23;

Access: Hike-in access only with no defined walking tracks. Nearest vehicle access is via Lookout Road from the Goomburra camping area to Sylvesters Lookout walking track. Access is by high clearance 2WD in dry weather. After heavy rains and with increased creek flow, access via Lookout Road is affected and may require high-clearance 4WD vehicles or become impassable.

Number of sites: Open area without separately-defined sites. 3 sites with maximum group size of 4 people per site. Please select a site that will cause minimal environmental impact.

Camp sites are suitable for: self-sufficient, walk-in camping.

Camp site surface: Ferns, grass, dirt.

Facilities: None. Must be self-sufficient. Water collected from creeks should be treated before drinking. All rubbish (including food scraps) must be carried out.

Open fires: Prohibited. Use fuel stoves only.

Generator use: Not allowed.

Essentials to bring: Drinking water, extra food, first-aid kit, topographic map, compass, torch, warm clothing, wet weather gear, rubbish bags, insect repellent, fuel or gas stove and a small trowel for burying human waste. Read more about before you visit.

Mobile phone coverage: Poor.