If you’re looking for a short hike in Brisbane that immerses you in nature without being too taxing, look no further. I recently visited Gold Creek Reservoir with my 13-year-old and we had a blast circumnavigating the reservoir, which sits on the edge of Brisbane Forest Park in Upper Brookfield. The trail boasts varied birdlife and gives you a decent bit of exercise along with some nice views.
How to Get to this Short Hike in Brisbane
From Brisbane, head southwest towards Chapel Hill – through Indooroopilly, Kenmore and eventually Brookfield. At Brookfield, turn right into Gold Creek Road and head into Upper Brookfield. Follow Gold Creek Road to the end and you’ll arrive at the car park for Gold Creek Reservoir. The drive should take you just over 30 minutes from Brisbane City.
Clockwise or Anti-clockwise
From the car park, follow signs to the trail, cross a small concrete bridge and you’ll see a hill in front of you. If you choose to take this hill (as we did), know that you’ll be doing the walk in a clockwise direction.
If you’re keen to tackle the walk in an anti-clockwise direction, turn right just after you cross the creek and follow it a short way up to the next bridge crossing. Cross this, then turn left, walk up the hill and when you see a short black pole with a no bicycle sign on it, turn left (just before the sign) and follow the trail to the dam overflow.
I’ve read comments that it’s better to do the walk in an anti-clockwise direction, as you’ll get the steeper bits over and done with first. After having done the walk, I’d say there’s really no difference. In fact, it just feels more natural (and a whole lot easier) to do the walk in a clockwise direction, like we did. After all, you’ll be treading the same path no matter which way you do it!
The First Half
Olin, my 13-year-old, took off up the large hill that leads to the reservoir itself. This looked like an exciting way to start the walk, and as I now had really no choice, I followed him towards the dam wall. We reached the top of the dam on a sunny Sunday morning – just before 10:30am – and walked down to the water.
Here the clouds spread out across the sky like vast, corrugated ribs, hovering above lily pads that sat on the reservoir’s dark, smooth surface. We couldn’t have picked better weather, and after wandering along the dam wall, we followed the trail to the west, which hugs the edge of the reservoir. The trail is thin and bordered by forest, offering pleasant views above the reservoir.
This part of the trail is fairly open (it gets more forested later) and you’ll walk along a fire trail at certain points before the trail narrows again. The trail also mostly hugs the reservoir and you’ll get fleeting views as you weave in and out of bushland. We saw some large, knotted trees and some strange-looking funghi on this part of the journey. We also let two other people pass at this point – the only people we saw along this short hike in Brisbane.
The Second Half
Reaching the far end of the reservoir, the trail widened before it narrowed again, and the surrounding foliage became more dense. We passed red berries and bird nest ferns in the sunlight, before crossing a small creek that I imagine would be flowing after some strong rain.
One thing I love about this short hike in Brisbane is there’s a microcosm of activity going on around you. If you pay attention, you’ll see things like strange flying saucer mushrooms, sap-ridden trees, and tree patterns that looked as if they’d survived a light dousing with a sub-machine gun.
Coming up the other side of the reservoir, the trail moves away from the water, becoming narrow and densely forested. Here the bird noises were incredibly loud, sounding like laser guns, while whipbirds echoed more softly in the background. This section of the walk freaked my son out a little, as he felt claustrophobic and the bird noises spooked him.
Check out my video at the end of this post to hear the birds!
I personally loved this bit, but you’re afforded no glimpses of the reservoir along this section. Again, look closely and you’ll see a myriad of wildlife. I looked down and spied a caterpillar which was almost camouflaged. My caterpillar suspicions were confirmed when I stroked the leaf-like creature and it arched its head up towards the forest canopy.
The Final Stretch
As we couldn’t see the reservoir for much of this part, it felt like we’d taken a wrong turn on this short hike in Brisbane. The trail at this point did undulate in sections and it gives you a nice little workout, but it’s nothing too steep and it only added to the experience. After about 20 minutes or more of a waterless wander, the reservoir suddenly appears and you’re nearly back at the dam wall. Continue through the forest a little more and you’ll arrive, as we did, at the overflow wall.
The Overflow Wall
Gold Creek Reservoir is a simple design, where if the reservoir is over capacity, it runs down the overflow wall into Gold Creek. The day we were there, the sign told us the reservoir was at 110% capacity, so the overflow steps had water gently cascading down them. It was at this point that I encouraged Olin to cross the overflow so I could get some pics and footage for this blog, as well as experience the water cascading over our feet and down into the creek.
After exploring the overflow wall for about 15 minutes, we continued on the last part of the trail, emerging just above where our walk began. Here there’s a fig tree planted in memory of Alan Ferguson Alexander, who – we found out – was a staunch community group worker in the local area.
How Long is The Gold Creek Reservoir Loop?
We took about two hours and 15 minutes to complete the loop, but that was stopping a few times and included time exploring the overflow wall. I’d say you could pretty comfortably do this short hike in Brisbane in around two hours. The walk is 5.5 kilometres long in total.
How Difficult is the Walk?
While I wouldn’t say the walk is taxing, it isn’t a walk in the park either. It does undulate on the last third (or the first third if you’re walking in an anti-clockwise direction), so it will give you a nice little workout. Saying that, it isn’t difficult. Just make sure you have a reasonable level of fitness and you’ll be fine.
Flora and Fauna
Gold Creek Reservoir is part of the Brisbane Forest Park and the reservoir itself is home to platypus as well as various native fish species. Trees include the rare Brown of Plum Pine, and there are also tall eucalypts, dry rainforest plants and various types of funghi on the trail. Bird life here is plentiful, with over 200 species, such as the Azure Kingfisher, Peregrine Falcon, Australian Masked Owl, Regent Bowerbird, along with ducks, pigeons and lorikeets, to name but a few.
As I’ve mentioned, the sounds of the birds here are just crazy (in a good way). Check out my video at the end to see what I mean!
Facilities and Can and Can’t Dos
There are garbage bins, a shelter with seats and plenty of grass for a picnic or somewhere to relax or play. There are toilets on the grounds, although there’s no swimming or paddle crafts allowed in the reservoir, of any kind. Dogs aren’t allowed, although you can bring horses and bicycles along the trail, as allegedly the loop is a popular spot with mountain bikers (although I didn’t see any).
A Bit of History
Gold Creek Dam was built in 1885 as an important water source to Brisbane. The dam’s pipeline was decommissioned in 1991, although a tunnel was built in 1928 to connect Gold Creek to Enoggera Creek to act as one water storage. The dam also acts to mitigate floods and provide water flows into Gold Creek. The dam overflow, which contains 12 steps, was the world’s first concrete stepped spillway.
Sites at the base of the dam wall include the old pump house, along with a huge filter that’s no longer in use.
Brookfield General Store
if you have time, stop at the general store in Brookfield on your way to or from this short hike in Brisbane. We just drove past it, but Brookfield looks like a lovely little town and the general store has quite a lot of character from the outside. It was pretty packed when we drove past too. Brookfield General Store was built in 1871 and stocks local goods like honey, oil, jams, and serves up meals such as burgers, beef, pork ribs and pizzas.
I’ll have to come back and experience this. Let me know in the comments if you’ve visited the store!
Check out my video of our experience below.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a quick nature immersion not too far from Brisbane, Gold Creek Reservoir is a must-do. Additionally, it’s much prettier and more varied than I’d imagined, and it even gives you a good little workout for two hours. When we started the walk, my son was saying, ‘wow this is pretty good dad’, and he’s a teenager! I highly recommend you check this short hike in Brisbane out, which, along with Eugenia Circuit, is a city classic.
