Toohey Forest Park - Nathan

Brisbane City Council's Toohey Forest Park is approximately 260 hectares in size and located 10 kilometres south of the Brisbane Central Business District. The park adjoins bushland owned and managed by Griffith University and includes barbecues, picnics, views, bush walking tracks and designated shared use tracks for walking and cycling.

Council is undertaking restoration works on selected walking tracks within Toohey Forest Park. These works will be completed by December 2023 (weather permitting).

Check track closed signage on site and use alternate trails whilst works are underway.

Walking track information and track map

Toohey Forest Park offers a variety of walking tracks, shared use trails for walking and cycling and a bikeway.

For track locations, length and grading, download the:

Special features

Picnic areas

Mayne Estate and Toohey picnic area - Toohey Road, Tarragindi. Gates open from 6am-7pm every day.

Flora and fauna

Toohey Forest is typical of the open eucalypt forests that once covered Brisbane. Rainforest species grow along creeks and in moist gullies. It is home to over 400 species of native wildlife and plant species. The forest features sandstone outcrops and is made up of a variety of eucalypt trees. The understorey has wattles, she-oaks, heath species, creepers, grasses and in sandstone areas, stands of grass trees. The woodlands with heath understorey plants, grass trees and banksias, are beautiful around Griffith University.

The most threatening weeds are lantana (Lantana camara), ochna (Ochna serrulata) and cat’s claw creeper (Macfadyena unguis-cati).

Toohey Forest is home to koalas, echidnas and lace monitors. It has more than 100 species of birds and a diversity of reptiles, butterflies and frogs. This is unique for an area with such a close proximity to the city centre.

You may see:

koalas, possums and gliders
bats and flying foxes
owls, hawks, kites, tawny frogmouths, kookaburras, kingfishers, parrots, doves, pigeons, honey eaters, fantails, whistlers, finches, pardalotes, fairy wrens and thornbills
lizards, goannas, skinks and geckoes
ant nests disturbed by echidnas.

History

Toohey Forest is named after James Toohey, an Irishman made wealthy in the California gold rush. He selected these lands in 1872 and his family held the forests until Council gradually acquired them after 1945.

Toohey Mountain is made of tough quartzite formed 380 million years ago - a time when the coastline was far to the west and the region was deep under ocean. This is an indication of the enormous forces that shaped the ancient ocean floor sediments and resulting mountains.