Plunkett Conservation Park

Plunkett Conservation Park is a little-known nature reserve located halfway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast at Cedar Creek, offering stunning scenery and several trails suitable for bushwalking, mountain biking and horse riding.

Donated by the late Harold Edward (Ted) Corbould, this 432-hectare block of land was set aside for conservation in 1983 and named Plunkett Reserve. The reserve adjoins Wickham National Park with Wickham Timber Reserve running throughout the national park.

There are several entrances (and trails) to Plunkett; however one of the more interesting bushwalks in the park is Wickham Peak Trail which commences at Quinzeh Creek Road, where you'll find a Wickham Timber Reserve sign posted.

This 3-kilometre track cuts through open eucalypt forest for about a kilometre before starting a steep ascend up rugged rock formations with impressive cliffs and gullies. The scenery is scattered with an abundance of wallum grasstrees and wildflowers (in the spring); while fauna includes rock wallabies,koalas and sugar gliders.

Not suitable for young children, this trek is moderate and is quite steep in parts. It's well worth the effort though; after half an hour of scrambling over outcrops, you'll reach the top of Wickham Peak and be rewarded with views of Brisbane to the north and Mt Barney to the South.

From here, it's all downhill or you can choose to continue on the Calytrix Circuit (6.6 km return from the road).

Nice to know - Dogs are allowed in Plunkett Conservation Park as long as they are on lead.