This was published 9 years ago
Beaudesert, Queensland: Travel guide and things to do
Located 65 km south of Brisbane and 46 metres above sea-level, Beaudesert is located on the Mount Lindesay Highway and nestled in the valley of the Logan River.
The town was named after Beau Desert station which was established in the area in 1842 and named after Beau Desert Park in Staffordshire. The area had been explored in the late 1820s by both Allan Cunningham and Patrick Logan after whom the nearby river is named.
The large landholdings which were taken up in the early 1840s remained until the 1860s when they were broken up. This led to a change from sheep grazing to cattle and a growth in the density of a settlement which became known as Beaudesert which was proclaimed a town in 1876. By the time the railway arrived in 1888 the town had grown due to its proximity to Brisbane. Today it is a thriving agricultural centre producing dairy products and beef for the nearby state capital.
It is an attractive centre with a population surpassing 4000 and is a popular day trip from Brisbane with visitors travelling from Beaudesert up Tambourine Mountain and across to the Gold Coast. The Beaudesert markets are held on the first Saturday of each month.
Things to see
The area is characterised by the kind of tourist development which occurs near to a capital city.
Woollahra Farmworld
Located 8 km north of Beaudesert on the Mount Lindesay Highway, this dairy farm has picnic facilities and offers visitors an opportunity to see dairying in action. Phone (07) 5543 1171 for more details.
Beaudesert Historical Museum and Information Centre
For people interested in the history of the region this excellent museum is located in Jubilee Park which has a very extensive display of transport equipment and a well-preserved slab hut. The Historical Pioneer Cottage was built by Patrick Milbanks on his Kerry selection in 1875. It was presented to the society by his grandson in 1961. For more information check out: http://www.magsq.com.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=483
Beaudesert Community Arts & Information Centre
Located at 2 14 Enterprise Drive this Art Gallery, tea house and craft shop attracts some 8000 visitors each year. It sells souvenirs and crafts and can provide information on the attractions of the surrounding area. Phone 5541 4495
Heritage
The town's greatest historical attraction is St Marys, a magnificent timber church. It has some lovely timber work and the recent red-and-cream paint job has made it a superb local landmark.
Beyond St Marys on the Boonah road is the old racecourse with a delightful grandstand dating back to the 1890s.
Mt Barney National Park
This mountainous and undeveloped park, with its valleys, caves, crevices, open eucalypt forest, grassy slopes, creeks, cascades, pools and examples of rare fauna, offers some of the state's most spectacular scenery and largest tracts of undisturbed vegetation. Declared part of a World Heritage Reserve in 1994, it was once part of a route used by three Aboriginal tribes. It is ideal for those who enjoy, and are experienced enough to handle, largely self-reliant camping (there are few facilities) and more challenging treks and rock-climbing escapades. There are plenty of wallabies and kangaroos, as well as the less common platypus. Antarctic Beech Forest can be found on Mt Ballow, tall banksia forests on Mt Lindesay, heathland on Mt Maroon and some rainforest on Mt Barney itself.
Mt Barney is the third-highest peak in Queensland. The first European to climb it, in 1828,was Captain Patrick Logan, then the commandant of the Moreton Bay penal settlement. His companions on the trek were botanists Allan Cunningham and George Fraser.
To access the park, head south of Beaudesert along the Mt Lindesay Highway. 1 km beyond Rathdowney turn right onto the Boonah-Rathdowney Road. 8 km along this road turn left onto the Barney View-Upper Logan Road. Signs indicate the route for the remainder of the journey (about 12 km) to Yellow Pinch Reserve. En route is the turnoff to Lower Portals carpark. This is the starting point for a 3.7-km walk to Lower Portals, which is a capacious pool on a gorge carved out by Mt Barney Creek. It entails some steep gradients.
The Yellow Pinch walk (6.5 km) starts from the Yellow Pinch carpark and follows a fire trail past South Ridge to a cool patch of rainforest. Don't be tempted to climb South Ridge unless you are well experienced.
For those with a 4WD there is a more remote 4-km walk (involving steep gradients) which leads from Cleared Ridge to Upper Portals. The former is about a 45-minute drive from the Yellow Pinch area. There are other more obscure tracks in the park (including those leading up Mt Barney) but these require a much higher level of fitness and orienteering expertise. For more information check out:http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/mount-barney/
Rathdowney
Rathdowney is a small rural service centre located on the Mt Lindesay Highway, 32 km south of Beaudesert. The town began to develop in 1906 when the original Rathdowney estate, established in 1876, was broken up. In the early days timber and dairying were the sustenance of the local economy. It has a caravan park, a takeaway food shop, a post office, a newsagency, a hotel/motel, bed and breakfast, farmstay and cottage accommodation, and an information centre cum historical museum which is open weekends and public holidays from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 1.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. and, in school holidays only, on Wednesdays from 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., tel: (07) 5544 1222. Located in the old Commercial Bank building, it houses displays relating to local history, as well as an old tramway station building and waiting room. The tramway operated from 1911 to 1944 and was important for shipping goods such as cream and timber out and connecting passengers to the outside world. The annual Heritage Festival is held each year in April. Visitors to the area should take advantage of the views available at Captain Logan's Lookout in John St. Check out:http://www.rathdowney.org.au/content/view/3/3/ for more information.
Ecotours
Araucaria Ecotours at 1770 Running Creek Road via Rathdowney offer insightful one-day, two-day and three-day tours, as well as weekend wildlife skill camps, all taking in the local flora and fauna of this picturesque area, tel: (07) 5544 1283 or (07) 3848 4318 or email: platypuscorner@bigpond.com. or check out: http://www.learnaboutwildlife.com/index.html
Tourist information
Beaudesert Country Tourism
P.O. Box 309 Beaudesert QLD 4285
Telephone: 1300 881 164
Web Site: http://www.beaudeserttourism.com.au
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