What’s On In Brisbane? – Chermside Hills Reserve, McDowall

Chermside Hills Reserve

The Chermside Hills Reserve is located along Hamilton Road around 12 kilometres from the centre of Brisbane in the suburb of McDowall. The reserve is one of three connected nature reserves that make up an area known as the Chermside Hills Reserves with the other two reserves being Milne Hill Reserve and Raven Street Reserve.

The area provides a significant look at Brisbane’s flora and fauna with over 200 native plant species found in the park, which represent around 25% of Australia’s native plant families. Flora includes grass trees, banksias, comb ferns, stringybarks, sheoaks and many more.

The Chermside Hills Reserve provides a popular bushland oasis in the North of the city and includes various walking trails which are popular with exercisers or city hikers looking for a break from the bustle of the city. Some of the more prominent tracks include

Giwadha Track – A two kilometre circuit track that circles through the Southern end of the Chermside Hills Reserve. The track passes through creekside vegetation, open forest, heath understorey, shrubs and also climbs to the highest point of the reserve at Spider Hill (some views of surrounding countryside and city are possible from the hill, however the bush growth impedes most views). This track is in the medium difficulty level.
Grass Tree Trail – This trail leads North from Giwadha Track to the Northern end of Chermside Hills Reserve. A circuit trail can be created by heading East along the edge of the reserve at the end of Grass Tree Trail and returning to the centre of the reserve by Stringybark Trail. The circuit has a medium difficulty with a couple of small climbs.

A small car park can be found off Trout Road which can accommodate around 10 cars. This is the beginning of the Giwadha Track and covered picnic tables can be found in the area. A bus stop is also located near to the South-Eastern end of Chermside Hills Reserve on Hamilton Road. For more information on public transport please visit Translink.

Useful links for the Chermside Hill Reserve

Further information on the Chermside Hill Reserve including map from the Brisbane City Council can be found here.
Opencyclemap.org has a fairly good map of the trails and topography at Chermside Hills Reserve and can be found here.
Reviews on Milne Hill Reserve and Raven Street Reserve.

Facilities At Chermside Hills Reserve

	The majority of the reserve is native bushland with over 25% of Australia’s Native Plant Family found in the area.
	Various walking tracks are located through the reserve with some of the more popular being Giwadha Track – A two kilometre circuit track that circles through the Southern end of the Chermside Hills Reserve. The track passes through creekside vegetation, open forest, heath understorey, shrubs and also climbs to the highest point of the reserve at Spider Hill. This track is in the medium difficulty level. Grass Tree Trail – This trail leads North from Giwadha Track to the Northern end of Chermside Hills Reserve. A circuit trail can be created by heading East along the edge of the reserve at the end of Grass Tree Trail and returning to the centre of the reserve by Stringybark Trail. The circuit has a medium difficulty with a couple of small climbs.
	Covered picnic tables are found at the South-Eastern end of the reserve near the car park.
	Parking is best at a small car park off Trouts Road in the South-Eastern end of the park. Parking is also available on-street on the adjacent streets to Chermside Hills Reserve.
	A bus stop is located near to the South-Eastern end of Chermside Hills Reserve on Hamilton Road. For more information on public transport please visit Translink.