If you haven’t tried bushwalking, Golden Boulder Circuit situated within D’Aguilar National Park is a great place to start. Here you could follow the footsteps of gold miners that once worked on the mine shafts in Bellbird Grove.
Bellbird Grove is home to a number of bird species including cockatoos, whip birds and wedge-tailed eagles. There are also great picnic and barbecue spots here where the family could just hang out and for kids to run around and play.
And if you’re feeling a little adventurous, there are two walking tracks at the site, the Turrbal Circuit and the Golden Boulder Circuit.
The gently sloping Golden Boulder track will take you on an educational tour as you pass the remains of the abandoned goldmines which date back to the 860s as well as a reconstructed shanty hut. Mining operations in this area lasted until 1946 when the last gold prospectors gave up ever finding any more gold.
Here, there are opportunities to watch sulphur-crested cockatoos, pardalotes, lace monitors, eastern whip birds and other wildlife that thrive in the area.
Got energy for some more walk? You can continue exploring the 1.7km Turrbal Circuit, named after the Turrbal tribe who once inhabited the area. This leisurely walk passes through a eucalypt forest and crosses Cedar Creek several times.
Do watch out because you might come across bird species including eastern yellow robin and white-browed scrubwren.
How to get there?
Bellbird Grove is situated in the South D’Aguilar section of D’Aguilar National Park. From The Gap, you take Mount Nebo Road to Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre. Then continue north-west along Mt Nebo Road (about 4 kilometres) before you take a turn into Bellbird Grove Road. From there will be another 1.6km ride before you reach the day-use area car park.
Published 17-January-2023