Explore
High Country Hamlets micro region is well endowed with natural attractions for you to explore - three National Parks (tiny Palms National Park) in the north, escarpment edge rainforest jewel Ravensbourne National Park in the south east and rocky, dramatic Crows Nest National Park to the east. Three lakes, Cooby, Perseverance and Cressbrook, are just some of the enticements to explore.
National Parks
Gardens & Parks
Centenary Park
Located in the heart of Crows Nest town. This park features various precincts including a central grassed forum, gallery walk and arbour, memorial precinct, Jimmy Crow precinct, children's play precinct, and performance space. The gardens in the park were designed by local landscape architect Richard & Rosemary Jones, of Cloudlake. Wisteria Walk in Spring is covered in beautiful purple Wisteria and there is the whispering wall, where even the slightest whisper, can be heard from the other end of the garden hedge.
Two Anzac Day memorial commemorations are held in the park each year on April 25th.
The park includes barbecue and picnic facilities and toilet amenities and there is off-street parking available.
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Address: New England Hwy, City Centre Crows Nest QLD
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Chapman Park
This small park contains the Hampton Visitor Information Centre and is a popular spot for visitors to stop with its mature trees providing excellent shade. Free overnight camping is available for campers and travellers. Emeraude cafe, That Shop @Hampton and the Hampton Store, can can be found on the other side of the New England Highway.
The ever popular Hampton Festival is held in the park every year in May, where thousands of people gather to enjoy, live music, food, wine and arts from local producers and artisans from around the region.
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Address: 8623 New England Hwy, Hampton QLD
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Cooyar Swinging Bridge Park
Swinging Bridge Park is well worth a visit if you're venturing out Cooyar way.
Nestled on the bank high above Cooyar Creek, the parkland impresses with its namesake suspension bridge beckoning a walk over.
Whether you're a day tripper or an overnight camper, the park's electric barbecue and several covered seating areas will help make your stay a comfortable one.
Toilet facilities are located at Cooyar's Memorial Park, 30 McDougall Street, just a short stroll away.
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Address: 2 Fergus Street, Cooyar QLD
Davidson Arboretum
Davidson Arboretum (Latin for ‘tree garden’) is a one-hectare park in Highfields - a 15 minute drive north of the Toowoomba CBD.
The Arboretum features walkways and avenues of trees, a formal arbour and a rest shelter making it a tranquil space to enjoy all year round.
From May to June, the gardens transform with deciduous species bursting into a brilliant display of autumn colours. Visitors can enjoy a leisurely stroll through the gardens and take a rest in the shelter donated by the Toowoomba Rotary Club, or picnic on the manicured lawns.
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Address: 11 Cawdor Road, Highfields QLD
Hartman Park - Applegum Walk
Hartmann Park Circuit is a loop of approximately 600m long in the park north of Bald Hills Creek. The trailhead starts at the Hartmann Park picnic area, crosses the creek and goes up the hill following a set of concrete steps. The walk passes over a shelf of sandstone rock, offering some magnificent landscape and geological features. The forest canopy is a collection of eucalyptus species while the undergrowth of plants provides a rich display of wildflowers in spring. This local park has a beautiful bushland setting and is perfect for a picnic along Bald Hills Creek. Linked walking tracks provide access to Applegum Park and Bullocky's Rest.
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Address: New England Hwy, Crows Nest QLD
Attractions
Bullocky's Rest
Bullocky's Rest Park was originally used as a camp for bullock teams hauling timber from Cooyar to Toowoomba due to the availability of a fresh water supply. A steam pump, located at the Pump Hole, provided water to the Butter Factory in Creek Street, which operated from 1905 to 1969. Local mixed farms provided cream to the Butter Factory with the remaining buttermilk piped down Three Mile Road and fed to pigs.
Hartmann Park was donated to Council in the 1970s by Mr Hubert Hartmann. In 1992, the former Crows Nest Shire Council developed the Applegum Walk as a job skills project to connect points of local interest - Bullocky's Rest Park, the Waterbird Habitat and Hartmann Park.
The Waterbird Habitat was developed by the former Crows Nest Shire Council in 1994 with the construction of two low weirs and associated revegetation. Applegum Walk and Hartmann Park Circuit are located in largely undisturbed bushland exhibiting a range of geological, vegetative and historical features within the town area.
Bullocky's Rest Park links Applegum Walk to Hartmann Park and features a range of picnic facilities ideally situated beside Crow's Nest Creek. A replica bullock team is also a feature of the park.
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Address: New England Hwy, Crows Nest QLD
Facilities: Carpark, toilet, picnic shelter, picnic tables, barbecues, water.
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Munro Tramway Locomotive
The Munro Shay Loco is on display on the corner of The Hampton/Esk Road and National Park Road, about 14 kilometres east of Hampton. The loco has been lovingly restored by members of the Munro Tramway Historical Group, and is one of only three restored models in Australia. The loco was one of two imported by A & D Munro in 1904 and 1908 to haul timber from the forest to their mill at Palmtree and the sawn timber to the Hampton station for loading to the main train to Toowoomba.
The tramway bench is still visible in many areas, and makes for some interesting walks, the most notable being an extension of the Great Short walk from Perseverance reserve to the well higher up the range. Perseverance reserve can be reached by taking Perseverance Hall Road off the highway, and then turning right after you reach the junction with Palmtree Road. You will see some signage and a car parking area. A brochure is under development and will soon be available from the Hampton Visitor Information Centre, showing both the various walks and a drive route.
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Address: 486 Palmtree Road, Palmtree QLD
Other information is available on the website: http://munrotramway.wixsite.com/mthg/walks
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Muntapa Tunnel
Muntapa Tunnel is 287m in length making it Queensland's longest straight railway tunnel. Located 640m above sea level, it's the only tunnel that crossed between the inland and coastal sides of the Great Dividing Range, and the only one that crossed the Range summit.
While access through the tunnel is not permitted, to protect an existing colony of bent winged bats, visitors can explore 30m into the space.
Muntapa Tunnel is a unique and secluded tunnel that makes for a great sightseeing experience with interpretive signage revealing its interesting history.
Now closed, the line was originally constructed to support small-scale agriculture in the area and to provide access to timber reserves at Blackbutt and Nanango.
It was situated on the branch line that opened from Oakey to Cooyar in 1913 and closed in 1964. Muntapa Tunnel serves as a reminder of the region's pioneering days and the important role railways played in developing the area.
Muntapa Tunnel was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 3 May 2007 having satisfied the following criteria:
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the place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history;
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the place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland's cultural heritage;
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the place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places; and
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the place is important because of its aesthetic significance.
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Address: Muntapa Park, Narko QLD
How to get there: The tunnel is located about 40km north of Oakey or 16Km south-west of Cooya. The access road (Narko Nutgrove Rd) is unsealed.
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Google maps:
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Due to the isolated location, there is no drinking water supply. Please leave your pets at home.
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Tours & Trails
Motorcycle Ride Routes
Crows Nest is in the high country north of Toowoomba, Queensland, on the crest of the Great Dividing Range. It provides easy access to a wide range of touring experiences. The tight roads of the Bunya Mountains, sweeping corners on the Darling Downs and South Burnett, the loops of Wivenhoe, Somerset and Perseverance Lakes are all available. They provide tours and scenic panoramas which should not be missed.
Soft 4WD Trails
For those that love driving in the countryside there are seven 4WD trails to choose from. The trails are on public roads, mostly gravel or formed earth. Some are in poor condition. A high clearance vehicle or 4WD is recommended.
All the trails start from the Hampton Visitor Information Centre and the brochures give specific directions with distances, and informative notes. Each trail is of about two hours duration. It is advisable to call in at the Centre for current road conditions.
TRC Walk Trails
Our scenic region offers spectacular opportunities for a leisurely stroll, or a challenging hike, with nearby national parks and regional parks and gardens catering for all fitness levels. The Toowoomba Regional Council have put together a beautiful trails book, which you can download.