Start: Bullockys Rest Picnic Area - next to the Police Station on the New England Hwy in Crows Nest. Site name in italics means a brochure is available.
E0 Bullockys Rest Picnic area:. Applegum Walk .
Access: next to the Police Station on the New England Highway on the Toowoomba side of town. Follow Applegum Walk 1.5 km to Hartmann’s Park. (Shortcut return via Dale St.)
[27° 15' 59"S, 152° 03’ 23"E]
Habitat: Recently revegetated as part of the Natural Resource Management Project.
Birds of interest: Pacific Black Duck, Black Bittern, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill.
E1 Crows Nest National Park (Falls Section) : Picnic area, campground. Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies (often seen at the Cascades and the Falls).
Access: Turn east at the police station at the signs. 6 km along bitumen road to Park turnoff.
[27° 15' 22"S, 152° 06' 25"E]
Habitat: Tall open forest, with Qld Blue Gum, Smooth-barked and Rough-barked Apples. Weeping Bottlebrush, River She-oak and Swamp Mahogany along the creek banks.
Birds of interest: Peregrine Falcon (Koonin Lookout), Yellow-throated Scrubwren, Striated Thornbill, White-throated Honeyeater, Scarlet Honeyeater.
E2 Lake Perseverance. Perseverance Dam.
Access: Return to Crows Nest. From Albert St, turn left into Dale St, continue ahead across South and Charles St to Perseverance Dam Rd. Continue to the crossroads. Turn left, travel 6 km to Lake Perseverance. Turn right into the car park between the dam wall and the spillway.
[27° 17' 21"S, 152° 07' 01"E]
Habitat: Large open deep water dam surrounded by open grassy eucalypt woodland. Understorey of predominantly lantana and mix of native and exotic grasses.
Birds of interest: Black Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Eurasian Coot, Grey Butcherbird, Torresian Crow. E3 Lake Cressbrook. Picnic area, camp ground. Walking track begins at campground. Rufous Bettongs seen at night. Fishing (permit required). Coin-operated boom gate ($2).
| Access: Continue east from Lake Perseverance to Lake Cressbrook turnoff. Enter walking track from the camp ground (5 km loop).
[27° 17' 22"S, 152° 07 04"E]
Habitat: Large area of deep water. Open woodland along shore.
Birds of interest: Australian Pelican, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Red-backed Fairywren, White-throated Honeyeater.
E4 Ravensbourne Nature Refuge
Access: From Lake Cressbrook turn left towards Esk. Turn left at the first T-junction, right at the next, then left on to the Esk-Hampton Rd. Travel 1.7 km east to Somerset Shire Boundary. Turn right (opposite Somerset Shire sign) up a dirt track. Go through the fence at the locked gate and walk down the fire trail.
[27° 20' 11"S, 152° 12' 00"E]
Habitat: Tall open eucalypt forest on basalt soil. Blackbutt, Stringybark, Tallowwood with Sheoaks, Wattles; grading downhill into low open woodland with heath understorey (Banksias, Grass Trees), on sandy soil. Drainage lines have Bangalow palms and other rainforest species.
Birds of interest: Wonga Pigeon, Glossy Black-Cockatoo, Variegated Fairywren, White-browed Scrubwren, Red-browed Finch, Silvereye.
E5 Ravensbourne National Park (Cedar Block Walk):
On a clear day you can see the Border Ranges from the Lookout.
Access:Turn left on to highway back into Crows Nest Shire, travel 5 km to the National Park turnoff. Travel up the hill past the first picnic area to Beutel's Lookout. The walk begins at the archway in the second picnic area. [27° 22' 57"S, 152° 10' 39"E]
| Habitat: Vine forest with emergent Sydney Blue Gum. Rosewood, Red Cedar, Blackbean, and stinging trees. The large Moreton Bay Fig in the picnic area is a popular perching and feeding tree.
Birds of interest: Black-breasted Button-quail, White-headed Pigeon, Emerald Dove, Powerful Owl, Noisy Pitta, Crested Shrike-tit, Paradise Riflebird.Note: The walk from the first picnic area is also well worth a visit. It passes through rainforest and palm groves on volcanic red soils to eucalypt forest with Sheoaks and wattles on sandy soils further east.
E6 Palmtree (Munro’s Tramway).
Access: Return to the Esk-Hampton Rd and turn left. Continue for 2.5 km, turn sharp left into Shearer Rd. Follow Shearer Rd and National Park Rd to Palmtree Rd. Follow Palmtree Rd. Continue past the 7 mail boxes. After another 1.7 km, Palmtree Rd turns sharp right. There is space to park around the first curve. The tramway is a dirt track 1 km long to the left of yellow Rural Address 486. [27° 23' 31"S 152° 05' 57"E]
Habitat: Grassy mixed Eucalypt woodland with Forest She-oak, and dense Lantana. Views of Highfields to the south and tree canopies below.
Birds of interest: Glossy Black-Cockatoo, White-throated Treecreeper, Eastern Whipbird, Varied Sitella, Cicadabird, Silvereye.
E7 Margaret Lloyd Environment Park.
Access: Go back to the 7 mailboxes. Turn left (Perseverance Hall Rd). At the T-junction turn left (Esk-Hampton Rd). At Hampton, turn right towards Crows Nest, then next right into Wilkes Rd., 100 metres to the Park sign at Chapman Rd corner. Walk along western boundary to Mogg St.
[27° 21' 24"S 152° 04' 09"E]
(Also check out the 3.88ha Hampton National Park at the end of Mogg St.)
Habitat: Tall open forest infested with lantana and privet.
Birds of interest: Brown Thornbill, Rufous Whistler, Satin Bower Bird.
End: Return to New England Highway Continue north 11 km to Crows Nest.
Total Distance: 85 km.
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