Perfect Getaway: Camping and Hiking in D'Aguilar National Park

Embarking on a road trip around Brisbane, we made it our mission to visit 49 national parks and park sections along the way. D’Aguilar National Park was the closest to the city, making it a must-see destination. After exploring the park and uncovering its hidden gems, we can confidently say that it exceeded our expectations. Whether planning a visit to D’Aguilar or simply looking for an adventure, read on to discover our firsthand experience and everything you need to know before undertaking your own journey.

Our road trip explained:

If you have been reading our other blogs, you probably already know about the March 2023 road trip! If you are new here, here is a little summary. After spending eight months on Moreton Island working, we decided it was time for adventure. With the fantastic help of our dear friends Kane and Jenna, who lent us their car, we were able to plan and complete a 2000+km road trip around Brisbane. Travelling as far north as the Noosa Everglades and south as Nimbin, we explored over 49 National Parks in a four-week period. We left Moreton with not much more than a few dot points on Google Maps and some rough ideas, and it became one of our most spectacular trips yet!

The road trip and camping set-up:

Kane and Jenna’s generous offer of the car gave us both a mode of transport and a sleeping place! Their Honda CRV has a roomy, easy-to-set-up rooftop tent we made home for about four weeks. Easier to set up and pack down than our hiking tents every day; we came to love our new home and were sad to see it go afterwards.

Our other most important camping staple that got us through the road trip was our classic Aussie Bundaberg Gingerbeers. Having found them on sale in bulk on our first day, it became an afternoon (or after-hike) ritual to share a ginger beer.

Exploring D’Aguilar National Park:

After the success of exploring the Noosa Everglades and the Glass House Mountains, we started our next adventure – D’aguliar National Park. On our first trip to Brisbane in May 2022, we tried to explore this park, but having little information and hard-to-understand maps, we decided it was too hard. However, this time around, we were determined to at least attempt it.

Coming down from the north of our trip, we headed to the park’s northern section – the Mt Mee section. We had two days to explore the park, both the north and south, so we got deep into planning the night before. But, as I have previously mentioned, the information around D’aguliar can be a bit confusing. In the end, we choose to do the Rocky Hole section, which is one of the better swimming holes in the park.

Day 1: Mt Mee – the north of D’Aguilar National Park:

With minimal planning and no place yet to sleep, we headed to The Gantry, the ‘hub’ of the northern section. Arriving early, we spent half an hour looking at the maps and the road before deciding that we could absolutely not risk taking Kane and Jenna’s car to the rock hole. That left us with a 14km round trip hike and insufficient time to see much else in the park. After packing the essentials (snacks, lunch and water), we set out for our long hike down a supposed 4WD-only track.

When reaching the rock hole, we realised the track would have been perfectly fine for our car. In fact, any vehicle with good clearance would have got through the track easily as it was as good as most of the gravel roads you drive on anywhere else! This not only greatly irritated me as we could have explored more of this section of the park, but also because the path was up and down hills the whole way! By the time we got to the rock hole, suitably named “Rocky Hole”, our legs were burning, and we were awfully hot.

The Snake in the Rocky Hole:

After eagerly getting into our bathers and eating lunch, we headed to the water to cool down. Of course, being a hot, dry day, I made sure Yentl and I both had a good look to ensure no snakes were trying to cool off with us. My first eye-catching threat turned out to be a stick, but just as we were about to let the thought go, my “scare the snakes away rock” startled a snake in the water.

To my horror, it was very close to us, and while it did swim away, knowing it was there with us made me less keen for a swim. After some more looking and making Yentl keep watch while I got in, I finally made it into the water. After some careful looks from Yentl, he did the same, but we only managed to stay in the water for five minutes! It was super murky!

The long walk back:

After our refreshing and slightly scary swim, we started the long hot walk back to the car park. Having not done much hiking recently, we were not looking forward to it as our legs were already tired and heavy. However, we did have a lookout we had kept for the way back to look forward, which made it slightly better. The walk back took what felt like forever, and after cursing that we didn’t drive, we finally made it to the lookout track.

Boasting to be only a 1km return, we were less than thrilled to find it primarily overgrown. We battled through the hanging trees and branches to the lookout to be greeted by a lovely view of the valley but not the waterfalls we had hoped for. After a slightly disappointing end to a needlessly long hike, we returned to the car to find somewhere to sleep and start planning the park’s south section for the next day.

Day 2: The southern section of D’Aguilar National Park:

After our first day in D’Aguilar, being mostly walking, we had high hopes for the park’s southern section. Being able to follow one main road and see basically all of the sights meant that we should have an easy day. We got on the road early to fit as much into the day as possible, with the end goal of the day to drive out of Brisbane again towards Boonah and the Scenic Rim. Starting with Mt Glorious was a slow start, having coffee in a unique bikers cafe before moving into the park itself.

If you plan to visit the park, be aware that Google Maps isn’t too reliable for some reason. Sadly, we drove past many of the lookouts as the signs either didn’t give enough warning, or our maps took us past it. It was increasingly frustrating as there were few places to turn around, meaning we basically had no choice but to miss out on them. The lookouts we did get to see were beautiful, though!

Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre:

We finished our time in D’agilar National Park at the Walk About Creek Discovery Centre. In retrospect, we should have started here to get more of an idea for the park, as they do have a useful small information centre here. By this time, though, we were tired and hungry, and while their cafe smelt terrific, it was out of budget. We had a quick look at some of their animals on site, then a stroll down to the lake before calling it a day and hitting the road for the Scenic Rim!

Our final thoughts on D’Aguilar National Park:

If you have the time, D’Aguilar National Park is a great addition, but make sure you plan it out. While we enjoyed our time in the park, it was hard to see everything we wanted as we were not 100% sure how to get to everything. Definitely go to the Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre first, as that will help you plan and see what is open. If you are pressed for time, the park’s north has more of a wild natural aspect than the south, so favour the northern end!

Read all the 2023 Greater Brisbane Road Trip Chapters:

1: Kayaking the Noosa Everglades.

2: The Best doughnuts in the Hinterland?

3: Attempt to Climb the Glass House Mountains.

4: Camping and Hiking in D’Aguilar National Park.

5: Mt Maroon and Its Incredible Views on the Scenic Rim.

7: Is Mullumbimby the new Byron Bay?

8: Springbrook National Park.

9: Lamington National Park.

10: Mount Tamborine National Park.

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