Springbrook National Park, Gold Coast Hinterland: What Is Closed Until 30 September 2027 and How to Get There (QLD)

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has fully closed the Settlement Day-Use Area at Springbrook National Park and partly closed the Purling Brook Falls circuit, but the main western lookout, the suspension bridge at the base of the waterfall and the Gwongorella Picnic Area and car park remain open. The service’s alert applies from 30 October 2026 to 30 September 2027, and this guide uses it and the park’s visiting safely page, checked on Sunday 8 November 2026.

What is closed at Springbrook National Park?

The service’s park alert says a planned upgrade program will run from 2 November 2026 to 15 February 2028, weather permitting. It lists these changes in the Settlement and Purling Brook areas for the duration of the program:

Area	Status	What the alert says
Settlement Day-Use Area	Full closure	Includes the picnic facilities and public toilets
Purling Brook Falls circuit	Partial closure	Includes the pedestrian causeway above the waterfall and the eastern lookout
Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk	Partial closure	Affects only the Springbrook section between Gwongorella Picnic Area and Settlement Camping Area

The alert says facilities will reopen when construction is completed. The alert itself applies until 30 September 2027, while the program runs until 15 February 2028, so check the park alerts for a firmer date before you plan a trip for late 2027.

What can I still see at Purling Brook Falls?

The alert says the main western lookout remains open, including access to the suspension bridge at the base of the waterfall and the Warringa Pool track. These are reached from the Gwongorella Picnic Area and car park, which also remain open. Visitors must return to Gwongorella Picnic Area by the same track, because the circuit is only partly open.

The Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk from O’Reilly at Lamington National Park to Springbrook National Park remains open, unless a separate park alert says otherwise. Walkers on the closed Springbrook section need to find another route, and the alert asks them to take extreme care if walking beside public roads.

How do I drive to Springbrook?

The visiting safely page says the park is about 100 km south of Brisbane and has four sections: Springbrook on the plateau, Mount Cougal to the south east, and Natural Bridge and Numinbah to the west.

Section	Route from the Pacific Motorway
Springbrook plateau	Exit at Mudgeeraba (exit 79 from the north, exit 80 from the south) and follow Gold Coast–Springbrook Road, 24 km. Or exit at Nerang (exit 69), follow Nerang–Murwillumbah Road for 23 km, then take Pine Creek Road
Natural Bridge	Exit at Nerang (exit 69) and follow Nerang–Murwillumbah Road for 38 km, then turn left into the park entrance
Numinbah	Exit at Nerang (exit 69) and follow Nerang–Murwillumbah Road for 25 km; it is 13 km north of Natural Bridge
Mount Cougal	Follow Currumbin Creek Road (State route 95) to the Cougal Cascades car park at its end, about 18 km from the Stewart Road intersection

The service says both bitumen roads up to the plateau are steep, winding and narrow, and that there is no through-road access to New South Wales from the plateau. Some roads to Mount Cougal can flood in heavy rain.

Can I visit Natural Bridge at night?

The park is open 24 hours a day, and the service says to walk in daylight hours only unless you are viewing the glow-worms at Natural Bridge. For glow-worm night tours it points visitors to the tourist information links. Cave Creek in the Natural Bridge section is a restricted access area: swimming in the creek, including within the cave, and access to the creek bank are prohibited at all times, and penalties apply. Stay on the walking tracks and behind the fences. Our guide to the Nerang–Murwillumbah Road and Caves Creek bridge has road news for the same route.

What should I know before I go?

• Access to the top and base of Purling Brook Falls is prohibited at all times because the areas are unstable and prone to rockfalls, and penalties apply.
• Domestic animals are not permitted, and on-the-spot fines apply.
• Rubbish bins are not provided, so bring bags and take your rubbish with you.
• No fuel is available near the park. A public telephone and cafe are on Nerang–Murwillumbah Road, 1 km north of Natural Bridge.
• Mobile phone coverage may not be reliable, though the service says you will usually receive a signal wherever you can see the Gold Coast.
• Thefts have occurred in the area: remove all valuables, lock your car and remove your keys.
• The plateau sits at 900 metres and can be cool and rainy at any time of year, so carry a raincoat and warm clothing.

After significant rain, walking tracks may be closed for public safety. The nearest public hospitals, the service says, are at Southport and Robina.

Is there anywhere to park, and what does it cost?

The alert confirms that the Gwongorella car park stays open and the visiting safely page names the Cougal Cascades car park at the end of Currumbin Creek Road. Neither page gives a number of spaces or a parking fee, so check the signs on arrival. The only fee the visiting page mentions is for camping. For wheelchair access with assistance, the service lists the Canyon lookout, the 800 metre bitumen Cascades walking track at Mount Cougal, the Buliya-buliya jagun boardwalk at Gauriemabah and the Gwongorella picnic area.

Sources

• Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service — Planned Works and Closures for Purling Brook falls circuit and Settlement Day-Use Area (updated 3 November 2026)
• Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service — Visiting Springbrook safely (checked 8 November 2026)

Featured image: Purling Brook Falls, photographed in 2014 (photo: Andrew Thomas from Shrewsbury, UK / CC BY-SA 2.0) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service or the Queensland Government. Check the park alerts before you go, as closures can change.