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Do you have a high clearance 4WD and love to go on camping adventures and 4WD trips? Great, so does Camping Plus! We want to encourage everyone to get outdoors and enjoy all the great 4WD tracks and camping areas that the Gold Coast and South East Queensland has to offer. They’re natures playground and if you are equipped to do so, you should make the most of it. Camping plus offer a range of gear to get you sorted on your net adventure too. But before we bore you with our sales pitch, here are a few of our favourite 4WD day trips that we have experienced first hand, and are sure you will love too!
Duck Creek Road – Gold Coast
| Distance from Gold Coast | Approx. 80 kms |
| Length of Track | 15km |
| Time Frame Needed | 5 hours |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Vehicle needed | High Clearance 4wd |
Apparently, this track is currently closed due to rain fall, but in the event that it reopens, at least you’ll know where to go. Don’t do this track if there has been a lot of rainfall.
The Duck Creek Road trail, is a maintained off road track that runs from the top of Lamington National Park down to Kerry Road on the Beaudesert side of the mountains. You can start the track from either end, depending on where you are coming from but most people start at the top in Lamington National Park, head down and then often back up again to enjoy the camp grounds at Lamington national park.
If approaching from within Lamington National Park, Duck Creek Road is a right turn off Lamington National Park Road, which is just before you reach O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. If you’re approaching from the Beaudesert side, Duck Creek Road is just off Kerry Road.
The track is maintained by council, so is fairly easy to navigate, but can be quite steep at times. The road is composed of dirt and clay, with a fair few rocks in places. There are also some deep ruts at times, which need some careful manoeuvring. There are plenty of spots to stop along the road and check out the beautiful Gold Coast hinterland scenery. This is a top 4wd track, very close to the Gold Coast and is really worth the visit. Especially due to its close proximity to Oreily’s Rainforest Retreat and for all its great hikes and the lamington national park camp ground.
Conondale National Park – Sunshine Coast
| Distance from Gold Coast | Approx. 250 kms |
| Length of Track | |
| Time Frame Needed | 30 minutes to hours |
| Difficulty | Easy to Difficult |
| Vehicle needed | Heavy duty 4wd |
15km south of Kenilworth township, and about one hour west of Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast. 130km north of Brisbane. The rugged Conondale Range has some of Queensland’s most popular and picturesque forests. Luxuriant rainforests, tall eucalypt forest, waterfalls, boulder-strewn creeks, and spectacular scenery make this area well worth a visit. There are a few 4WD tracks that shoot off into the forest, but you need local information as some of these tracks zigzag throughout the valley.
There are a number of great campsites that are perfect for the family most of which require a 4wd for access. The Booloumba Creek Road access includes creek crossings that are accessible by high clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles only.
There are three camping areas at Booloumba Creek. Grassy camp sites are located in rainforest and open forest settings close to mountain streams.
Booloumba Creek camping areas 1 and 3 are nestled in luxuriant rainforest. They are high clearance four-wheel-drive accessible and for tents only.
Cooloola Recreation Area – Sunshine Coast
| Distance from Gold Coast | About 255km |
| Length of Track | Approx. 100 km |
| Time Frame Needed | Hours |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Vehicle needed | High clearance 4WD |
Cooloola lies between the coastal towns of Noosa Heads and Rainbow Beach. Noosa Heads is about 155km (about a 3hr drive) and Rainbow Beach is about 240km (about a 3hr drive) north of Brisbane. Access by conventional vehicles (two-wheel drives) to Cooloola is limited to the outer extremities. The best way to see Cooloola is by walking or four-wheel-driving.
Vehicle access permits (VAPs) are required when traversing beaches and some inland tracks within the Cooloola Recreation Area. Cooloola’s sand tracks are rough, and are suitable for high clearance 4WD vehicles only. Beach access is possible from Rainbow Beach or Tewantin (near Noosa). Access from Tewantin is across the Noosa River ferry at the end of Moorindil Street, Tewantin and then via the beach access points at Noosa North Shore. These are called 1st cutting and 3rd cutting.
Glasshouse Mountains – Sunshine Coast
| Distance from Gold Coast | Approx. 150 kms |
| Length of Track | Varies |
| Time Frame Needed | 30 minutes to hours |
| Difficulty | Easy to Difficult |
| Vehicle needed | Heavy duty 4WD |
The Glasshouse Mountains National Park has a great range of 4wd tracks that you can get out and enjoy. And oh so close to Brisbane and the Gold Coast. There are many tracks ranging from deep, steep ruts to inclines and simple little tracks, all just a day trip away. There are heaps of tracks that wind amongst the Glasshouse Mountains so just take your pick.
How do you get there? Head North from Brisbane travelling along the Bruce highway. Take the left onto Steve Irwin Way then left again on Bahrs Rd, travel along Bahrs Rd for about 5 minutes then take any left and you will find yourself in amongst the thick of the some of the best 4wding you will ever do.
Border Ranges NP – Northern NSW/Southern Qld Border
| Distance from Gold Coast | Approx. 140 kms |
| Length of Track | 45km |
| Time Frame Needed | 5 hours |
| Difficulty | Very Easy |
| Vehicle needed | Any 4wd |
The Border Ranges National Park is just south of the Queensland Border and offers an epic scenic drive that winds for 44 kilometres through the pristine rainforest. You won’t need a heavy duty fourbie on this drive though, as it is a fairly well maintained dirt road. Don’t let the lack of 4wd adrenaline turn you away as the scenery is fantastic and definitely worth the drive. Maybe save it for when you’re feeling a more relaxed weekend vibe.
The Border Ranges National Park has some great campsites if you feeling like making a weekend of your driving adventure. We recommend the popular Sheepstation Creek Campground. This is a great campsite that you can just drive up to and they have powered sites for caravans as well as tent sites.
Get your gear at Camping Plus Online and Go Explore!
These are some of Camping Plus’s top 5 4WD tracks not far from the Gold Coast. Camping plus offer a range of gear to get you sorted on your next adventure too. That is enough from us, get out there and enjoy what South East Queensland has to offer.
Visit our 4WD accessories range to get great deals for your next adventure!
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