Best Walks in Brisbane: Mount Coot-tha & River Trails

Brisbane's walking landscape combines the city's subtropical river setting with the D'Aguilar Range National Park on the city's western edge, the Moreton Bay island beaches and national parks to the east, and the extraordinary network of river and creek trails that thread through the city's suburbs. The combination of the subtropical climate (making year-round walking possible but requiring early starts in summer), the diverse national park access on the city's doorstep, and the improving urban walking trail network makes Brisbane an excellent walking city.

Brisbane River Walk — the inner-city riverside walk (South Bank to New Farm Park via Kangaroo Point, 8km, 2 hours, flat) provides the definitive Brisbane urban walking experience, passing the South Bank Parklands, the Story Bridge, the Kangaroo Point Cliffs (where rock climbers train), New Farm Park, and the Powerhouse arts precinct. The walk is outstanding at any time but spectacular at dusk and dawn.

Mount Coot-tha Tracks — the D'Aguilar foothills bush reserve 8km from the Brisbane CBD provides over 50km of walking tracks in the Mount Coot-tha Forest. The JC Slaughter Falls walk (2.6km return, graded easy), the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk (6km circuit, graded moderate), and the Enoggera Reservoir walk (10km circuit, graded moderate to hard) provide a range of difficulty and scenery within 20 minutes of the city. The Mount Coot-tha summit lookout provides the finest panoramic view of Brisbane.

D'Aguilar National Park — 30-45 minutes west of Brisbane, the Mount Glorious and Lake Enoggera sections of D'Aguilar National Park provide outstanding subtropical rainforest and eucalypt forest walking. The Minnippi Parklands and the western Brisbane creek corridors (Enoggera, Kedron) provide quieter suburban walking alternatives.

North Stradbroke Island walks — the North Gorge Walk at Point Lookout (2.6km circuit, graded easy) provides the finest headland scenery of any walk accessible within 90 minutes of Brisbane, with outstanding views of the Pacific Ocean, frequent whale and dolphin sightings (in season), and the spectacular rocky headland geology of Point Lookout. The walk is one of southeast Queensland's finest short walks.

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