Just five minutes from Eumundi township and twenty minutes from Noosa is Eumundi Conservation Park, a great spot for recreation at all times of the year.
The park has a timber-getting history as evidenced by enormous remaining tree stumps. It is mainly dry eucalypt forest with a few pockets of rainforest hugging the waterways. Where once, forest giants such as cedar, beech, blackbutt and tallowwood were felled, well-formed trails now provide walkers, bike riders and horse riders with a peaceful recreation reserve. Importantly for wildlife, this is a refuge from an increasingly urbanised environment.
Be aware that this park has three entrances: via Seib Rd, Eumundi; Eumundi-Noosa Road and North Arm gate. Depending on where you begin your walk, the length will vary and using the map you can create a length to suit yourself. The tracks are shared, so walkers may meet up with horse riders and cyclists along the way.
Follow the trail give-way code: Cyclists must give way to walkers and horse riders and alert others when they approach. Walkers must give way to horses. Dogs are not permitted in the park whether on or off leash.
A wide variety of birds can be both seen and heard in this special reserve and if you rest for a while beside the dam near the old cattle yards you may be lucky enough to spot a kingfisher darting into the water in search of food. In the Spring, many wildflowers line the paths.
Look out for Comesperma defoliatum or Fairies’ Wings, a delightful small plant with purple flower featuring two petals that look like tiny wings. Its abundance in this park is unusual.
Native Gorse, Daviesia ulicifolia, uncommon around Noosa, can be seen here as well as several native orchids if you are visiting at the right time.
Take time to explore Eumundi Conservation Park, shady in Summer with wildflowers in Spring, this certainly is a park for all seasons. You won’t be disappointed.
Liz Diggles. Noosa Parks Association.
