Tamborine National Park Closures, Gold Coast Hinterland (QLD): Cedar Creek Rock Pools Shut to 28 October, Walking Tracks Closed to 18 December and Cedar Creek Parking Rules

The Cedar Creek rock pools and the track to them in Tamborine National Park are closed from 22 to 28 October 2026 because of wet weather, but the walking track to the Cedar Creek Falls lookout remains open. Queensland Parks lists separate closures of parts of The Knoll and Palm Grove sections until 18 December 2026, and warns that the Cedar Creek car park is limited and parking along the roads beside it is not permitted.

Everything below comes from the Queensland Parks alerts for Tamborine National Park, read on 25 October 2026, plus the park’s visiting page for the gate hours. The alerts can change when conditions change, so check the links before you leave.

Are the Cedar Creek rock pools open?

No. Queensland Parks alert 27120, published on Thursday 22 October, says the Cedar Creek Falls track to the rock pools and the rock pools themselves are closed from 22 to 28 October 2026. It says the closure follows the Cedar Creek track closure policy, and that rangers are monitoring the situation.

The alert warns that the walking track and rock pools may also stay closed after the rain eases, to give rangers time to assess damage from the rain. The track to the Cedar Creek Falls lookout is open. Commercial tour operators and other permit holders are not allowed into the closed areas, and the alert asks everyone to obey signs, barriers and ranger directions.

The park’s visiting page explains the rule behind this. The track and rock pools are closed when weather events cause, or are likely to cause, high water flow with strong currents and an increased risk of drowning, and they reopen when conditions ease. The same page says swimming in the rock pools is dangerous and that serious injuries and deaths have occurred. It also advises against coming into contact with creek water during or after heavy rain, because high levels of harmful bacteria are flushed into creeks from upstream.

Which walking tracks are closed until December?

Alert 25064, last updated on 20 August 2026, covers damage from Tropical Cyclone Alfred. It applies from 15 March 2025 to 18 December 2026 and lists two closed areas:

Section	What is closed	Reason given
The Knoll	Part of the Sandy Creek circuit, between Cameron Falls and the Cameron Falls lookout. Walkers must return the same way.	Significant landslide
Palm Grove	Jenyns circuit	Washouts

Rangers are repairing the damage, but the alert says this involves establishing diversion tracks, which may take some time. The facilities reopen when conditions are considered safe, so the 18 December date is the alert’s listed end and not a promise of a reopening.

What is open instead?

The same alert lists these facilities as open:

• Cedar Creek Falls section: day use area and the track to the lookout
• Joalah section: Curtis Falls track and Lower Creek circuit
• MacDonald: Rainforest circuit
• Palm Grove section: Palm Grove circuit
• The Knoll section: day use area and lookout
• Witches Falls section: day use area and walking tracks

Queensland Parks points visitors to the Tamborine National Park locality map and walking tracks map for where these are. The park’s own page says the Cedar Creek track to the lookout can be used with assisted wheelchair access.

Where can I park at Cedar Creek?

Alert 27001 applies from 21 September 2026 to 3 May 2027. It says there is limited parking at Cedar Creek and that the car park fills quickly, particularly at weekends and on public holidays. The alert does not give a number of spaces.

Where	What the alert says
Cedar Creek car park	Limited, fills quickly at weekends and on public holidays
Cedar Creek Falls Road	Parking not permitted
Tamborine Mountain Road	Parking not permitted

Police issue infringement notices for illegal parking, according to the alert. If the car park is full, Queensland Parks suggests alternate walks and picnic facilities in other sections of the park, which is where the list above comes in. The park’s visiting page also says thefts can occur in car parks, so do not leave valuables in the car.

What time does the Cedar Creek gate close?

Access to the Cedar Creek section is prohibited at night. The park’s visiting page lists the permitted hours as 6am to 8pm between 1 October and 31 March, and 6am to 6pm between 1 April and 30 September. The entry gate is closed and locked each evening, and the page says the closure is enforceable under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, with penalties. With today’s date in the October to March period, the hours that apply now are 6am to 8pm.

What should I know about the roads up the mountain?

The visiting page says the steep, narrow roads from Nerang and Canungra are unsuitable for buses, trailers, caravans and trucks. It gives the distances to Tamborine Mountain as 36 km from Southport via the Pacific Highway and Oxenford-Tamborine Road, or 28 km from Nerang via Nerang-Beaudesert Road, and 8 km from Canungra on Tamborine Mountain Road. For current road conditions, Queensland Parks lists Queensland Traffic on 13 19 40 and qldtraffic.qld.gov.au.

What else do the park pages ask of visitors?

Pets are not allowed in Tamborine National Park, except horses on designated forest trails. Queensland Parks says to bring your own drinking water and rubbish bags, because no bins are provided, and to wear sturdy shoes. If you are caught on the tracks when a creek crossing floods, the park’s advice is to wait until the water no longer covers the track. In an emergency, call 000.

More guides: Gold Coast parking guide

Sources

• Queensland Parks — Wet weather: Cedar Creek rock pools closed (alert 27120; checked 25 October 2026)
• Queensland Parks — Severe Weather Damage, Tamborine National Park (alert 25064)
• Queensland Parks — Limited parking at Cedar Creek (alert 27001)
• Queensland Parks — Tamborine National Park, visiting safely

Featured image: Cedar Creek Falls car park and information hut, Tamborine National Park, taken in 2011 (photo: Shiftchange / CC0) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service or the Queensland Government. Closures can change at short notice; check the park alerts page before you go.