Adventure time: Dularcha National Park – Tunnel Track
A heritage listed 93.5m long, curved tunnel in the northern section of this trail makes this a fun and unique adventure for all the family.
A heritage listed 93.5m long, curved tunnel in the northern section of this trail makes this a fun and unique adventure for all the family.
Suitability
Suitable for walkers, recreational cyclists, mountain bikers and horse riders - and even sturdy prams with good stability!
Highlights
This 3.4km (one way) trail is a favourite outing for families and is bike and horse friendly. Built in 1891, the Dularcha tunnel is one of only two tunnels along the old narrow-gauge North Coast Line between Brisbane and Gympie – a serious labour-intensive feat. Once opened, it would take 12 hours to make the 170km journey between the two locations!
If you are worried about tunnel darkness or want to see the bat colony huddled in the crevices of the tunnel’s ceiling then bring a torch.
There are three shared trails in the Dularcha National Park – the Tunnel Track, Tunnel Bypass Track and Roses 8.8km Circuit – which enables walkers, mountain bike riders and horse riders to explore the park's natural and historic features. All other trails in the area are mountain bike riders and walkers only.
The Tunnel Bypass Track is a 220m section designed for horse-riders who don't want to take their horses through the tunnel.
Reminder: Cyclists and walkers give way to horses and when using trails, cyclists must alert others when approaching.
If you are short on time and primarily want to see the Tunnel then you are best accessing it from the northern side in Mooloolah, accessed from Paget Street via Dorson Drive, or from the train station on Bray Road.
Afterwards
Take time to explore the township of Landsborough or have a picnic lunch in Pioneer Park - a wonderful park for families and a destination in its own right. Its impressive playground has soft-fall rubber padding underfoot, a flying fox, lots of swings and activity play spaces, shaded picnic shelters, BBQs and amenities.
How to get there
This trail starts at the corner of Beech Road and Cunningham Avenue, Landsborough. Head south or north on the M1, take the Steve Irwin Way and head to Landsborough. Turn into Railway Street, then left into Maleny Street, at the roundabout turn right into Gympie Street North, then left into Myla Road which becomes Cunningham Avenue. The starting point is 1 km along this road.
Note for horse riders: There is float parking for 2 vehicles/floats on the southern side of Beech Road, adjacent to the bushland.
For more than 250 walking, running, paddling, cycling, mountain-biking and horse-riding trails on the Sunshine Coast #chooseyournextadventure with Adventure Sunshine Coast at https://adventure.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au/
NB – For those who wish to take their dog on their adventures, be sure to check out council’s handy interactive off leash dog map to help identify the current dog off-leash, on-leash and prohibited areas when you’re out and about across the Sunshine Coast local government region: https://pets.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au
