Buderim-Palmwoods Heritage Tramway Walk

The Buderim-Palmwoods Heritage Tramway Walk follows the cutting of the old tramway from Mons, about 2 kilometres each way through shaded sub-tropical forest, and it is one of the easiest on-lead walks on the Sunshine Coast hinterland fringe. Flat, wide and gentle, it works for almost any dog that can manage 4 kilometres.

The walk

The route runs along the old tramway alignment with a consistent, barely-noticeable grade, and an hour to an hour and a half covers the return trip comfortably. The forest canopy keeps most of it shaded, and tramway cuttings and interpretive signs mark the history as you go. The surface is firm gravel-style path, manageable for older dogs and steady walkers.

Leash status

Dogs must stay on lead the whole way. Sunshine Coast Council manages the walk as koala habitat, which is the real reason the lead rule matters, and the trail is for walkers only: no bikes, no horses. One thing to know for 2026: the council brought in new dog rules for its environment reserves and bushland from 3 July 2026, so treat the trailhead signage as the current word on where dogs can and cannot go, and bin your dog's waste.

Pepsi: Koalas move between trees around dawn and dusk. If your dog is a wildlife-spotter, walk the middle of the day and keep the lead short under the big eucalypts.

Water and parking

There are no dog water points on the track, so carry what you both need, particularly in the humid hinterland summer. The trailhead is at the corner of Mons Road and Telco Road at Mons, with a small free gravel parking area on your left as you turn into Telco Road. Spaces are limited, which is another argument for an early start.

When to go

The shade makes this a good warm-weather walk compared with exposed coastal paths, but mid-summer still calls for a morning start. Weekday mornings are quietest; weekends bring family traffic on the wide path, which is fine for a social dog and harder work for a reactive one.

Make a day of it

Buderim village is up the hill: John Kyle Espresso covers the coffee leg, and the Elizabeth Daniels Park Fenced Dog Park gives the dog an off-lead run after all that good behaviour on the lead. The adjoining Heritage Trail Bushland Park extends the walk if 4 kilometres feels short. Staying over, Winston Cottage at Palmwoods puts you at the tramway's other end.

More hinterland walks are on the Queensland dog trails guide and the Mons destination page.