Karawatha Forest Park

Karawatha Forest Park covers 900 hectares of eucalypt forest, wetland and sandstone ridge on Brisbane's southern edge, with 42 kilometres of walking track running through it. Dogs are welcome on lead everywhere in the park, and the gates open at 6am and close at 6pm daily. The full circuit runs about 13km and is rated moderate at three to three and a half hours, but most visitors break the network into much shorter pieces instead.

The Melaleuca Circuit and the Wild May Trail are the two most people walk: short, scenic and easy to moderate, both reachable from the Discovery Centre end. The ground shifts as you move through the park, from open eucalypt forest on the ridges to boardwalk over wetland in the low ground, and the sandstone outcrops give it more variety than a suburban reserve has any right to.

Leash status

Brisbane City Council manages Karawatha, and dogs must be on lead in all areas of the park. This is not a formality. The forest is a major wildlife refuge carrying wallabies, gliders and a heavy bird population, which is the entire reason the leash rule exists. Dogs are welcome on the designated walking tracks but should stay off the untracked bush on either side. Inside the Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre, dogs wait outside. Bins sit at the entrances, so carry waste back to them.

Water and hazards

There is a drinking water station at the Discovery Centre on the Acacia Road side, and it is the only reliable water in the park. The Illaweena Street end has no equivalent, so fill up before you walk in and carry more than you think you need for a summer walk in this part of Brisbane. The other practical hazard is navigation: 42 kilometres of track and a lot of junctions, and phone signal in the middle of the forest is not something to rely on. Photograph the map board at the trailhead before you start.

Getting there and parking

Two entrances, and they are not equivalent. The main one is 149 Acacia Road in Karawatha, which has the Discovery Centre, toilets, water and the largest free car park. The other is 303 Illaweena Street in Drewvale, with a covered picnic area and open grass but a smaller car park that fills faster. Both are free. It is a 25 to 30 minute drive south of the Brisbane CBD, and public transport to the trailheads is limited enough that driving is the realistic option. The main tracks around the Discovery Centre are firm enough for wheelchairs and prams, which also makes them the right choice for an older dog or one coming back from injury.

When to go

Early on a weekday, or before 9am on a weekend if you want parking at the Discovery Centre. Weekends bring families to the centre and the tracks closest to it, while the outer sections of the network stay quiet almost all the time. Wildflowers come through from August to October. Good for big runners who need a proper day out, and for anyone after real bushland without leaving Brisbane.

Close by with the dogs

Drewvale Offleash Dog Park is the closest fenced run to the Illaweena entrance, with Calamvale and Algester both a short drive. For coffee afterwards, Milli and Mol's Espresso at Algester and Andonis Cafe and Bar at Stretton are the nearest stops.

Max: On-lead all day here, and honestly the wallabies make it worth it. Watch the treeline at dusk on the way back to the car.

More routes are on the Queensland trails guide, and other dog-friendly stops around the suburb sit on the Drewvale destination page.