Hidden in suburban Chermside, this charming forest has a mixture of bitumen and dirt tracks with some wooden boardwalks. Stroll along interlinking paths through groves of banksias, grass trees and acacias. There are several signposted trails up to 1.5km long taking you over hills, through forest or down to the creek. Wallabies and their little cousins, pademelons, live on the reserve along with more than 100 bird species. Apart from the ubiquitous cheeky scrub turkeys and kookaburras, we spotted a delicate-looking wallaby (woohoo!), and walked beneath the chittering flying fox colony on the creek.
The main entrance has full amenities, a playground for kids and a 400m wheelchair accessible Senses Trail circuit with signs in Braille. The Downfall Creek Bushland Centre is here too (open Mon-Thu 9am-4pm). This is a great place to walk for kids of all ages, and if you stretch your legs you can easily link up with other parts of the Chermside Hills Reserves for more challenging walks up to 8km+. At the northern end of the reserve the wildlife corridor bridge over Hamilton Road is a novelty and an easy way to enter the adjacent Milne Hill Reserve and its scenic views over Brisbane.
