Toohey Forest Park

Toohey Forest is well known amongst Brisbane rock climbers for its great bouldering areas. For those who aren’t climbers, bouldering is climbing across rather than up and means you don’t need ropes or harnesses but is still a great way to get fit and strong and improve your climbing skills. Toohey Forest is the only place other than Kangaroo Point where you can boulder in the outdoors without having to drive several hours away from Brisbane. If you want to give it a go, it’s probably a good idea to take a friend to spot you. You might see a few other climbers around but there’s always plenty of room for all. Some of the bouldering areas are a bit off the track but its pretty hard to get lost as the park isn’t very large.

This is one of my favourite escapes in Brisbane. There is enough bushland left here to escape the city for a short while and be led into believing you’re in the countryside. There is also a good chance you’ll see monitor lizards, and snakes. I’ve seen two browns in recent times.
Be a little wary – and I think the police should do something about this – but not far from the car park men use the bush as a ‘beat’. I hate that part of the park, so escape it and go explore the further reaches. There’s a small creek, a bit of a billabong, some different vegetation, and some interesting walking tracks.
If you like mountain biking there are some small tracks, but nothing really challenging. I prefer walking as you miss too much on a bike. As said, there is a surprising amount of the natural world left here and it is best appreciated on foot.