Pine Ridge Conservation Park

Discover one of the last remaining wallum banksia stands on the Gold Coast in this small park featuring banskia woodland, heath and paperbark swamp forests. While dune vegetation on the Gold Coast has all but disappeared due to urban development, the remaining patch of wallum heath protected in this small park is culturally important to the Kombumerri-Ngarangwal people. Here you can escape the city's hustle and bustle on a stroll or cycle. Stroll along the sealed boundary track (suitable for prams and wheelchairs) or explore the sandy track through the heart of the park. Discover the park's varied plant-life, including tall bloodwood trees, heath and paperbark swamps. Enjoy the spectacle of wildflowers such as banksia, boronia and the wallum wedge pea in late winter and spring, especially after good autumn rains. Remember to bring your binoculars for watching wildlife. You may see lace monitors, koalas, bearded dragons and birds, including sacred kingfishers (pictured), rainbow bee-eaters and variegated fairy-wrens. While you can't camp in the park, you can relax over a lazy picnic after exploring to make a day trip of your visit. Image credits: Heath; Banksia: (Michel Dominique) Qld Govt; Bush turkey: Qld Govt