Scribbly Gum Circuit

The Scribbly Gum Circuit is a 7.6 km loop through the Scribbly Gums Conservation Area, the Alexandra Hills end of Redland City Council's Redlands Track Park. Dogs are welcome and the lead stays on for all of it, because this is a conservation reserve and the rule is there to keep dogs off the wildlife living in it.

The walk

AllTrails puts the circuit at 7.6 km with about 140 metres of climbing, graded moderate, which at a sniffing pace works out to roughly an hour and a half to two hours. Most of it runs on wide, well established fire trails with sandy or packed earth underfoot, so it is easier going than the distance suggests. The circuit sits inside a much larger network of about 25 km of trails across 239 hectares, so you can cut it short or stretch it out without backtracking.

Leash status

Redland City Council manages the reserve and requires dogs on lead at all times. Stick to the shared fire trails: the narrow single track is built for mountain bikes, and dogs and horses belong on the wider routes. The reserve is open 4am to 10pm daily, and there are no bins on the trails, so whatever you bag comes back to the car with you.

Watch-outs

Max: the fire trails are shared with bikes and horses, and both come round bends faster than you expect. If your dog spooks at a bike, keep them on the inside of the track and shorten the lead when you hear gravel.

Being a conservation area, wildlife is the point: keep your dog close rather than ranging on the extended lead, and watch for snakes in the warmer months.

Water

The trailhead shelters have troughs built to serve dogs and horses as well as people, along with a seat and a trail map. There is nothing along the circuit itself, so fill up before you start.

Getting there

The closest entry is the McDonald Road and Flinders Street trailhead at Alexandra Hills, reached off Finucane Road at the Alexandra Hills Hotel intersection, with gravel parking at the end of the road. Clarke Street at Cleveland, Brindabella Circuit and Congreve Crescent at Thornlands all open onto the same network. There are no public toilets inside the reserve.

Close by with the dogs

If the circuit has not emptied the tank, both the Windemere Road Park Fenced Dog Park and the George Street Park Fenced Dog Park are enclosed off-leash runs a few minutes away, and the Raby Bay dog beach cools everyone down in summer.

When to go

Weekday mornings are the quiet window. Weekend mornings between seven and ten bring the bikes out in numbers, and the sandy trails hold heat by midday in summer. Good for fit dogs who need the distance more than the scenery.

More options are on the Queensland dog walks guide and the Alexandra Hills destination page.