Now that we’re heading for the cooler months filled with cloudless days and crisp air, hiking sounds like the perfect kind of adventure. So here’s a list of nine hikes around Brisbane that are not only beautiful, rewarding, and make for a great day of exercise, but are also complete with totally instagrammable views.
Mt Barney
2 hours from Brisbane
Try the lower portal hike (7.4km) for watering holes galore. Or try the east peak (16km) for a much steeper, more challenging, but just as scenic hike. It’s a tough one, but it makes the views a thousand times sweeter. With several points to stop and take photos with the stunning views, you won’t know which photo to post
Mt Warning Summit Trail
1 hour 40 from Brisbane
Walk up for the sunset to experience the orange sky and take some artistic silhouette photos. There are also 360-degree views so you can take photos from any angle, with any lighting you desire. This hike is 8.8km and takes about four hours, so make sure to bring a head torch for the walk down.
Mt Coolum
1 hour 35 from Brisbane
On a sunny day, the view of the sparkling ocean and the rolling hills is enough to make you stop for a half-hour photoshoot at least three times throughout the walk. Luckily it’s only 1.6km long, so you can afford to make a few photo stops.
Image Credit: Will Steele Photography, Mt Cordeaux
Mt Cordeaux
1 hour 25 from Brisbane
This is a great 6.8km rainforest walk filled with mossy rocks and ancient trees, which then opens up to amazing views of the mountain ranges. And if you still want more photos, you can walk a further 2.8km to Bare rock, where you’ll discover even more amazing views.
Lamington National Park
1 hour 55 from Brisbane
Try the Alabama falls trail (10.6km). Not only does this walk feel like a rainforest paradise, but the waterfall looks like a fairy wonderland. With water trickling down mossy rocks, pink flowers growing through the cracks, and the sun reflecting on the water, it’s clearly a great spot for an Insta shoot. As a bonus, there’s a rainforest boardwalk complete with rickety bridges, as well as a ladder fixed onto one of the biggest trees, which you can climb up and get that real adventurous photo
Mt Tibrogargan Summit
1 hour from Brisbane
Scrambling up rocks never looked so instagrammable. This hike really tests your rock-climbing skills as well as your flexibility, so it’s great for a perfect action shot or boomerang. There are stunning views throughout the whole 3km climb, as well as the magnificent view from the top.
Kondalilla Falls Walk
1 hour 30 from Brisbane
This trail includes a couple of detours and all up is 4.7km. One detour takes you to a lookout where you’ll be able to snap photos of the storeys-high waterfall. The other takes you down to the bottom of the falls, complete with big shady trees and rocks so you can sit and watch the majesty all around. It’s the perfect spot for a candid photo. From there you walk over a little bridge (another great photo op), and up more steps until you arrive at the main watering hole.
Image Credit: Maria, Springbrook National Park
Springbrook National Park
1 hour 10 from Brisbane
Hike the twin falls circuit (4km) for multiple viewing points that look out into the sea of trees. Along the walk, there’s a rocky creek near the cliff face, so you can get some stunning photos standing in the middle of the water, with both the creek and the vast forest below. Just watch out for leeches, because there is nothing instagrammable about them.
Mt Tamborine
1 hour from Brisbane City
Try the Palm Grove Rainforest Circuit (2.6km) and prepare yourself for the most beautiful strangler figs and ginormous trees, which is perfect for that nature pic, especially when the sun is streaming through the foliage. It’s enough to make you look like a real nature goddess.
Main Image Credit: Will Steele Photography
