The Sunshine Coast has a wealth of beach resorts, surf spots and rugged hinterland in southern Queensland, Australia. The Sunshine Coast is the best place for an exciting holiday or if you prefer it, a quiet escape with nature and fun.
Discover its amazing beaches, the best food scene and the many natural wonders of the Australian hinterland.
Here is an overview of the top 8 4WD Tracks Near The Sunshine Coast (in no particular order)
- Agnes Water to Kroombit Tops Circuit
- Glasshouse Powerline Track
- Landcruiser Mountain Park Jimna
- Lobs Hole Ravine Campgrounds, Snowy Mountains
- Cocoparra National Park- Woolshed Flats
- Southern Highlands- Sojourn
- Stockton Beach
- Levuka 4WD Park
One thing the Sunshine Coast is known for is its Great 4WD Tracks! If you’re like us an adventure freak then is time for you to know the 8 best 4WD tracks near Sunshine Coast!
Before you continue, If your new to 4wd and offroading or are not sure what equipment to take out with you on your adventures, make sure to check out the Off Road Aussies Essential 4×4 Equipment List where I have taken the time to review and recommend the equipment I use. If you kit yourself out correctly you will be able to tackle everything that your new adventures will throw at you.
1. Agnes Water to Kroombit Tops Circuit
A long, winding circuit that takes you in and out of three national parks.
Difficulty: Moderate-hard
Track Length: 432 KM
Time to finish: About 9 hours*
Terrain: Bitumen, gravel, dirt, rocky, rainforest, mud
How to get here:
To get to Agnes Water, head north on the M1 from Brisbane and merge onto the Bruce Highway (A1). This entire stretch is about 312 km long. When you get to Childers, continue onto Childers Rd to get to State Route 3 and follow this north for 162 km. You should find yourself at Agnes Water within 2 hours and this is where your 4WD track starts.
Notables:
Arguably the longest 4WD track circuit that passes by Kroombit Tops National Park, the Agnes-Water to Kroombit Tops Circuit is a track that starts a little further up north of the Sunshine Coast area, but is well worth the trip. The track starts off in Agnes Water, a coastal town with a decent surfing community and cuts through three national park areas. While in Agnes Water, you can check out the Agnes Water Museum.
From Agnes Water, head south on Round Hill Rd towards Bundaberg for about 30 km until you take a right onto Tableland Rd at the intersection. Follow this road for another 25 km to Miriam Vale. This spot is a great place to refuel, restock and resupply. Ask the local Visitor’s Center about good places to fish, walk and camp.
Proceed south to the Blackman Gap intersection and stay on Blackman Gap Rd for about 20 km until you reach the top of Many Peaks Range near Builyan. Afterwards, head south for about 40 km towards Bancroft, a town where you can resupply and rest up.
Take Clonmel Rd and follow it up north for about 58 km, taking in the scenery while enjoying the wonders of Kroombit Tops National Park. Your turn-off point is at Futter Creek Conservation Park in Diglum, a good 30 km north from the center of Kroombit Tops. From here, head east on Diglum Rd, take a left at Clifton Rd and continue down Cedarvale Rd until you reach Ubobo. Be sure to take time to check out the scenic Boyne Valley areas. Afterwards, head south towards Builyan again, until you take a left on Blackman Gap Rd to head back to Agnes Water.
You can learn more about Anges Water by going to their website here
2. Glasshouse Powerline Track
A 4WD’ers mecca located within 2 hours of Brisbane.
Difficulty: Easy to Hard (Hard at “Big Red”)
Track Length: About 30 KM
Time to finish: About 2 hours*
Terrain: Sandy, rocky, mud, river crossing, clay
How to get here:
From Brisbane, head north on the M1 for about 46 km towards Caboolture, then take exit 152 to get onto D’Aguilar Highway (State Route 85) and head west for another 24 km towards Bracalba. Turn right to get onto Raaen Rd and stay on this road for another 4 km before turning left onto a small dirt road. Take the first right and you should be where the track starts.
Notables:
Located in Beerburrum West State Forest, The Glasshouse Powerline Track is a mecca for 4WD enthusiasts and offers tracks of varying difficulties for all 4WD skill levels. While there is no exact track to start on, the track detailed here should start you off from a moderate-easy difficulty level.
When turning off Raaen Rd, expect to be greeted by some decent climbs along a canyon-like track which should head off into Little Red up north. If you want some practice runs and moderate-easy 4WD’ing, take the tracks heading east towards Pig Pen and Hennessy Hill. Heading this way should lead you towards the Glasshouse Mountains Lookout area to rest and resupply. This area is also a rest stop for serious 4WD’ers before they tackle the tracks heading north towards Big Red.
Little Red is about a square km’s worth of challenging 4WD tracks that lead up to the Big Red Carpark; a last bit of respite before Big Red.
It is recommended to bring a second 4WD vehicle and recovery gear if you decide to head up towards Big Red. Suspension lifts and 33’ to 35’ wheels are highly advisable to use. Big Red is the upper half of the climb and should bring you to the top of the Glasshouse Mountains where you catch great views of the national park. It is filled with heavy ruts and hard climbs and is not recommended for inexperienced 4WD’ers.
3. Landcruiser Mountain Park Jimna
A 4WD trail park with almost 200 km of off-road driving for serious 4WD enthusiasts.
Difficulty: Moderate to Hard
Track Length: About 40 sq KM
Time to finish: About 6 hours*
Terrain: Bitumen, rocky, mud, river crossing, clay
How to get here:
From Brisbane, travel north on the M1 for about 27 km until you reach Caboolture, then get off on exit 152 to get onto the D’Aguilar Highway (State Route 85). Stay on this road for about 47 km until you reach Kilcoy, where you will want to turn right to get onto Winya Rd. Take a left after 2 km to get onto Mt Kilcoy Rd then continue onto Kilcoy Murgon Rd. Stay on this road for another 50 km and you should hit the 4WD park in about 45 minutes.
Notables:
It’s no “Sunshine Coast 4WD” list without mentioning Landcruiser Mountain Park Jimna. The name pretty much says it all and should give you a good idea of what you can expect. The tracks are numerous and range from moderate to hard difficulty levels, so kit and mod out your 4WD accordingly.
After paying for the entrance fee and receiving your maps, take the difficulty ratings on your map with a grain of salt as several 4WD message boards users reporting inaccurate difficulty levels; some users even completely backing out of checking new tracks because of how rough the tracks were.
Check out Telecom Hill, Troopie Trail, and the Camp Road Track for challenging 4WD trails. If you need to stop and kick your boots off, camp at Cowah Falls Campground for a nice, refreshing dip.
4. Harry’s Hut Road
A quick, laidback prelude to Rainbow Beach.
Difficulty: Easy
Track Length: About 10 KM
Time to finish: About 2 hours*
Terrain: Sandy, coastal, woodland, dirt
How to get here:
From Brisbane, head north on the M1 (Bruce Highway) for about 140 km towards Black Mountain, then exit onto Old Bruce Highway. Turn right onto Pioneer Rd, then follow it north towards Pomona. Take Pomona Kin Kin Rd all the way north (which becomes Gympie Kin Kin Rd) for about 40 km until you take a right to head onto Cooloola Way. Turn right to get onto Harry’s Hut Rd.
Alternatively, you could begin the trail by heading into Noosa, then passing through Teewah Beach before trekking west towards Lake Cootharaba and heading north to intercept Harry’s Hut Road from Fig Tree Point.
Notables:
Situated in the Cooloola Recreation Area, a popular and large spot with many things to do, Harry’s Hut Road serves as a small, quiet area to rest and soak up some sun without running into too many people.
It’s located northwest of Lake Cootharaba and offers a nice, quick and easy 4WD trail to complement the rough, unpredictable sandy tracks of the Great Sandy National Park. It’s also a nice place to camp and fish; check out Harry’s Hut for camping accommodations and permits.
5. Great Beach Drive (Teewah Beach)
A simple and easy 4WD track along the sandy coastline of the Great Sandy National Park.
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate-easy (Moderate-hard, inland sections)
Track Length: About 50 KM
Time to finish: About 2 hours*
Terrain: Sandy, coastal (rainforest, mud, dirt and rocky inland tracks)
How to get here:
From Harry’s Hut Road, backtrack the way you came in from Noosa, then head east.
You can start the track from the northern end of the beach, near Rainbow Beach, or from the south end of the beach towards Noosa and Laguna Bay.
This 4WD trail is located about 2 ½ hours north of Brisbane.
Notables:
Great Beach Drive is very straightforward and does not require much in the way of directions. It’s a simple, straight, sandy drive from the north point of Rainbow Beach to Laguna Bay and is a track that can be done in reverse. You can set up camp and fish at the Teewah Beach Camping Zone; an almost 20km stretch of beach along Teewah Beach to relax and lounge around on. This is almost entirely sand driving, so make sure you deflate your tires accordingly and stick with low gear.
Some scenic spots include the Carlo Sand Blow located north near Rainbow Beach and the Cooloola Wilderness Trail inland towards the south portion of the beach.
If you’re looking for an extra challenge, head inland to try tackling more challenging terrain, but remember that some tracks require vehicle permits to drive on.
6. Conondale National Park
A relatively large national park area for a truly relaxing 4WD getaway from city life.
Difficulty: Moderate
Track Length: 142 sq KM
Time to finish: About 6 hours*
Terrain: Dirt, rocky, muddy, rainforest, river crossing, clay
How to get here:
Head north on the M1 for about 55 km towards Elimbah, then exit left onto Steve Irwin Way. Continue down this road for 20 km until you exit left on Railway St at Landsborough to head onto Maleny St. This road becomes Landsborough Maleny Rd, which you will follow for another 13 km until you reach Maleny. From Maleny, continue following the road out until it becomes Maleny Kenilworth Rd which should take you straight into national park area in about 10 km.
Notables:
Conondale National Park is a large national park area filled with decent bushwalking trails and some major 4WD tracks. Sunday Creek Road is the major connecting 4WD track that runs on the western end of the national park. It connects Conondale to the Jimna State Forest to the west, and runs north towards Imbil State Forest. This 4WD track is what you will want to take if you want to spend some nice, challenging, quality time 4WD’ing. On the other hand, the Booloumba Creek Road runs parallel to Sunday Creek Road and connects several parking lots and campsites to the east.
If you want to head out into Maleny National Park, you may want to take note of your proximity to Maleny-Kenilworth Rd, as this road connects Imbil, Maleny, Conondale and the highway together.
It is highly advisable to keep your 4WD in low gear, modded for high clearance and tuned in to the emergency frequency stations, particularly during the rainy seasons.
When in the area, be sure to check out Peters Creek, Booloumba Falls, Mt Allan, Artists Cascades, Summer Falls, and Strangler Cairn; prepare accordingly. Most of the bushwalking trails will require experienced hikers to traverse and navigate through safely.
7. Bellthorpe National Park
A national park in between Conondale and Glasshouse.
Difficulty: Easy to Hard
Track Length: About 30 sq KM
Time to finish: About 3 hours*
Terrain: Dirt, rocky, muddy, rainforest, river crossing
How to get here:
From Conondale National Park, you can follow Sandy Creek Road for about 20 km heading south until you reach Bellthorpe.
From Glasshouse Powerline Track, you can get on the D’Aguilar Highway (State Route 85) heading west towards Stony Creek until you take a right to get onto Stony Creek Rd. Head north for about 6 km and you should be within the park boundaries. You could try to make a beeline and take the inland 4WD trails to get to Bellthorpe, but most of them are only open to authorized vehicles and horses.
The park itself is about two hours north of Brisbane.
Notables:
Bellthorpe National Park is directly south of Conondale and northwest of the Glasshouse Mountains. It’s practically the “go-between” of both areas. If your vacation time (and park permits) allows it, you can camp at all three of these 4WD national park trails for a solid, uninterrupted Sunshine Coast outback experience.
The main track that is available to 4WD’s at all times of the year is Brandon’s Road. This track starts at Stony Creek Rd to the south and cuts across the national park to the north where it meets Sandy Creek Rd to the north and leads straight to the Jimna State Forest.
The more challenging (and fun) track to take note of is Branch Creek Road. This trail is only available during dry seasons and runs a little loop around Dog Road in the middle of the park. It joins Brandon’s Road but also runs further west along Beacon Road. The western part of this track leads to Beacon View, a walking trail that has great lookout spots, if you’re interested.
The main campsite is the Stony Creek Day-use Area to the south. Be sure to check out Old Brandon’s Sawmill Site and the various breaks and gorges on the western portion of Branch Creek Road if the weather allows it.
8. Mapleton National Park
A national park for enthusiasts looking for a quick day trip to sate their 4WD fix and lots of walks.
Difficulty: Easy-moderate
Track Length: About 15 sq KM
Time to finish: Less than an hour*
Terrain: Bitumen, dirt, rocky, muddy, rainforest, river crossing
How to get here:
From Brisbane, head north on the M1 towards Eumundi and follow it for 101 km. Take exit 224 towards Eumundi/Noosa/Kenilworth (State Route 12) and get onto Eumundi-Kenilworth Rd. Follow this road for about 17 km then take a left onto Cedar Creek Rd. This should be the start of your 4WD’ing trek.
Notables:
The 4WD track at Mapleton National Park is small and very short. It’s the perfect 4WD’ing spot for the daycationer who isn’t looking for much else other than an honest 4WD track.
The two main 4WD tracks that run into this national park are Mapleton Forest Road and East Cedar Creek Road. Both are located to the east and northeast of the national park, respectively. They both run south to north (although you can drive the trails in the opposite direction) and lead to the Mapleton Day-use Area and Leafy Lane Trailhead to the south, or the Cooloolabin Dam and Point Glorious Lookout to the north. Both trails can be used at any time in the year.In addition, the national park is a great place to go bushwalking as there are several trails in the area. Check out Bonyee Walk, and half-day walks to the Ubajee Viewpoint and Gheerulla Falls for some nice, easy walks. The Linda Garrett Circuit, Pilularis Walk, Turpentine Trail, Piccabeen Circuit and Kureelpa Falls Circuit are bushwalking tracks to consider if you’re looking for some more adventure in your vacation.
