"Mount Tamborine" Mount Tamborine by ettiewyn

I had booked a two day hiking trip to Lamington National Park and Springbrook National Park that also involved spending the night at a small rainforest lodge. Unfortunately this trip was cancelled two days before the date, due to heavy rainfalls in the area - going to the places would have been too dangerous.
I was of course sad that the tour was cancelled, and I had a hard time searching for an alternative - I really had wanted to do some real walking and hiking in the rainforest, but in Brisbane's tourist office I did not find anything like that. In the end I opted for a tour to Mount Tamborine and Lamington National Park - it did not involve any hiking, but at least a short walk in the rainforest during a visit to O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat, a guest house located within Lamington National Park.

Please note: Mount Tamborine is spelled without an u - this is an error in the VT database!!!

Mount Tamborine is located in the green behind the gold, the green and lush area northwest of the Goald Coast. It is a region of green hills and valleys, dense rainforest, cute villages, small farms and vineyards. It is a real contrast to the glitter and consumerism of the Gold Coast!
Another plus is that it is not far from Brisbane and the Gold Coast, so a short trip to visit the rainforest is easily done if you are staying there.

The village Mount Tamborine is located on Tamborine Mountain, a plateau of 28squ.km. There are two more villages, Eagle Hights and North Tamborine. My pages cover some places in Eagle Hights and North Tamborine, and the surrounding area, but I have placed it here because it is all close to or on the mountain.

According to the official website, the name of the place has nothing to do with the instrument, but derives from a word of the local Yugambeh language, referring to a lime tree species growing here. The fruits of this tree were a thirst quencher for these Aboriginal people, and when the European settlers arrived, they traded with them. The Europeans made jam of it, and so the place got its name! The Yugambeh name is Wonglepong and refers to the echo that can be heard in the mountains.

A lot of people who live around Mount Tamborine lead quite an alternative life. Many grow their own food and veggies, many have horses or other animals, and there are also many artists. There are also many weekend homes of well-off people from Brisbane who come here to spend their free time.

I must say, though, that unfortunately I did not spend much time here, and the main stop was Gallery Walk, which was quite commercial and not really to my taste. I think that there must be much better ways to spend one's time here!