Good Night Scrub National Park

What's special

In hilly country in the Burnett Valley, Good Night Scrub National Park protects an intact remnant of once extensive hoop pine rainforest. Most of this 6670ha park is dry rainforest with tall hoop pines emerging above the forest. Distinctive bottle trees and crows ash are also common. The rest of the park is dry open forest of spotted gum, forest red gum and narrow-leaved red ironbark.

According to local folklore, the scrub was so thick, people could not walk or ride through it. If cattle escaped into the scrub, you could “kiss your cattle goodnight”.

Good Night Scrub is the last known sighting of the presumed extinct paradise parrot. Part of the park will be flooded by the proposed Paradise Dam on the Burnett River.

Exploring Good Night Scrub

Enjoy nature in this peaceful retreat. Have a bush picnic in a picturesque bushland setting at Kalliwa Hut. Picnic tables are provided.

Go birdwatching. More than 166 species have been seen in the park, including powerful owls, regent bowerbirds, forest kingfishers and king parrots. See swans, spoonbills and other waterbirds along the river. Go wildlife watching. See black-striped, swamp and red-necked wallabies. More than 60 species of butterflies have been seen in the park.

Enjoy the 360-degree view from the old fire tower at One Tree Hill Lookout. On a clear day, you can see from Bundaberg to Mt Walsh.

Walking

No tracks are provided but you can walk along a firebreak trail. Carry water. Wear a hat and sunscreen.

Getting there

Good Night Scrub is in the Burnett Valley between Gin Gin and Gayndah. Turn right off the Bruce Highway at a signposted junction 10km south of Gin Gin and head south. Or turn west off the highway at Booyal, 27km west of Childers. After 200m on the Biggenden Road, turn right and drive 4km to the Burnett River causeway then another 9km to the junction with the park road. The park is a further 10km from this junction along a gravel road. Access within the park is on gravel road that is suitable for conventional vehicles only in dry weather and can be impassable to four-wheel-drive vehicles in the wet. The steep access road to One Tree Hill Lookout is four-wheel-drive only in dry conditions.