 Ravensbourne National Park is situated on a spur of the Great Dividing Range between Toowoomba and Esk. The park preserves one of the few examples of rainforest that originally covered much of the local area. This day-use park has short walks through rainforest and open eucalypt forest, which support an amazing array of native birdlife.
History
Local Aboriginal people and those traveling west to the bunya nut feasts in the mountains used the area extensively. You can still see places where they dug for yams. Red cedar Toona australis and other timbers were felled from about the 1860s. Cleared land was used for dairying and beef cattle grazing. The park was declared in 1922 and now covers 440ha. Vegetation
Red soils of the park's west and south-west support rainforest through which eucalypts emerge, including Sydney blue gum Eucalyptus saligna, pink bloodwood Corymbia intermedia and flooded gum E. grandis. Plant life in the rainforest varies from palm groves and vines to an abundance of ferns, including stag horns and elkhorns. The canopy layer is often very dense and creates a cool, dark and moist atmosphere below. These conditions contrast with eucalypt forest found elsewhere in the park.
Sandy soils of the park's eastern section support open eucalypt forest dominated by Blackbutt E. pilularis and Queensland Blue Gum E. tereticornis. Other eucalypts, she-oaks and wattles also occur.
Animals
More than 80 species of birds have been recorded in the park. Many, such as the Scaly-breasted and Rainbow Lorikeets, are found in both rainforest and open forest. Others are restricted to a particular vegetation: the Satin Bowerbird, Catbird and Black-breasted Button-quail are found in the rainforest,
while the Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo and Red-backed Fairy-wren inhabit open forest.
You can often see the Red-necked Wallaby and Swamp Wallaby grazing at the forest edge. You might also catch glimpses of reptiles and hear various insects. Listen for frogs, particularly on wet days.
Facilities
Ravensbourne is a day-use park only; camping is not permitted. Fireplaces, toilets, water and shelter sheds are provided for picnickers. Things to do
Various walking tracks allow you to view features of the rainforest and open forest. While the walks are short - only one is longer than a kilometre - you can spend a full day exploring the park. 
Cedar Block self-guided walk
500m circuit. Allow 15 minutes.
This short track starts at the bottom of the Cedar Block picnic area. Learn about the rainforest and history of the park from signs along the way.
Rainforest circuit
1.7km return. Allow 40 minutes.
Large Sydney blue gums Eucalyptus saligna emerge through the rainforest canopy. In the understorey there are many attractive ferns, tree ferns and vines. Along the higher section of this walking track the remains of an Aboriginal yam-digging site can be seen.
Palm Creek circuit
3.5km return. Allow 1 hour 10 minutes.
This track leaves the rainforest circuit and crosses Palm Creek - named after the piccabeen palms Archontophoenix cunningnamiana covering its steep banks. Look up into the canopy for epiphytes, including staghorns and orchids.
The Caves
3.7km return. Allow 1 hour.
Walk through the rainforest and open forest (of forest red gum Eucalyptus tereticornis and forest sheoaks Allocasuarina torulosa) to small sandstone caves.
Buaraba Creek
6km return. Allow 2 hours.
This pleasant walk starts in the rainforest and then passes through open forest. It ends with a short descent into the cool and shady Buaraba Creek. Return along the same track. Please take drinking water. Access You can reach Ravensbourne from Toowoomba or Brisbane via Esk. From Toowoomba, follow the New England Highway for 32km to Hampton and take the road to Esk for 17km to the park turnoff..rom Esk, follow the Toowoomba road for 33km to the park.
Information from QPWS brochure |
