📍10 Best Things To Do In Murgon and Wondai, QLD Road Trip Visitor Guide. (South Burnett 2024.)
WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN MURGON & WONDAI ARE?
In the beautiful South Burnett’s central west, lies the lovely neighbouring towns of Wondai and Goomeri. With some beautiful heritage attractions, art installations, scenic walking trails, prime birdwatching opportunities and a stunning lake, these charming places prove that just because they may seem tiny and devoid of much to see on a map, together, there’s so much more to them than meets the eye as I found out road tripping throughout the region.
👉 My top 3 picks for what to do in Murgon & Wondai, QLD:
- Boat Mountain Conservation Park.
- 55 Million Years Ago.
- Lake Barambah/ Blijke Petersen Dam.
Planning Your Trip? Use My Favourite Resources!
Tours/Experiences: I recommend Viator.
Accommodation: I recommend Booking.com.
Flights: I recommend Aviasales.
Car Rental: I recommend economybookings.
Best Things To Do In Murgon.
1. Boat Mountain Conservation Park.
The indisputable highlight of visiting Murgon is Boat Mountain Conservation Park. This gorgeous nature reserve lies to the town’s northwest and is a fantastic place to escape it all. The distinctive upturned boat-shaped mountain only contains one in-and-out walk with a sidetrack, but it’s a breathtaking one at that.
After plenty of stairs, Braithwaites Lookout is a lovely narrow viewpoint overlooking the Murgon township while Silburns Vine Scrub Walk showcases distinctively different vegetation to the main track before joining back up with it. Making your way to the end of the track, the ridgeline provides stunning pockets of view looking to the east and west before Daniels Lookout unveils the spectacular undulating landscape of the north.
And because it does face that orientation, it’s a phenomenal spot to watch the soft golden light of the setting sun hit the western slopes, casting increasingly long shadows across the valleys before disappearing for the night.
Note: On the drive to Boat Mountain, drop by Apex Kapernick Park, a stunning hidden gem with a picnic area and lovely views of this unique upsidedown boat-shaped mountain.
2. 55 Million Years Ago.
One of the newest attractions in the South Burnett region is 55 Million Years Ago. This fascinating museum showcases replicas of some of the area’s most significant fossil finds that shook the paleontology world.
In the 1930s, 15 new species of Teriatiary Period megafauna were found at the fossil site near Boat Mountain Conservation Park. Although they aren’t as old as the famous dinosaurs of the three Mesozoic Eras by around 10 million years, at the time, they predated the oldest ones of the Eocene Period by a mammoth 20 million years, bridging a significant ecological gap increasing the understanding of Australia’s prehistoric fauna.
3. Kilkivan-Kingaroy Rail Trail.
For those who love spending hours appreciating the great outdoors, the Kilkivan-Kingaroy Rail Trail is one of the best things to do in Murgon and Wondai as it connects both these beautiful towns.
But, as the name suggests, it also goes significantly longer. The entire track from the lovely Greater Gympie town of Kilkivan to Kingaroy, the heart of the South Burnett is a mammoth 88km pathway through the picturesque countryside along an old repurposed train line. And with the South Burnett section being sealed, and the distances between most towns being reasonably short, it’s a great choose-your-own day trip or multi-day adventure for those of average fitness to conquer the landscape by foot or pedal power.
4. The Ration Shed Museum. – $.
Nestled between Murgon and the serene Blijke Petersen Dam/ Lake Barambah, lies the quaint Aboriginal town of Cherbourg, which has the must-visit Ration Shed Museum. This wonderful hidden gem provides visitors with a fascinating glimpse into the beautiful and extensive culture of the Wakka Wakka people, the largest Aboriginal community in southeastern Queensland.
Located in the Cherbourg Historical, Cultural and Community Precinct, you can opt for a self-guided or guided tour with local Elders to gain a deeper understanding of Australia’s Indigenous people, who are said to be the oldest living culture on Earth and appreciate their extensive history and Dreamtime culture that dates back at least 65,000 years!
5. Pay Respect To The Aboriginal Soldiers.
Anzac Memorial Park, Cherbourg.
While you’re in Cherbourg, be sure to visit the poignant Anzac Memorial Park, to pay respect to contributions and sacrifices made by the Aboriginal Community in the devastating World Wars of the early 20th Century.
Read stories of their participation and how they fought so valiantly alongside their countrymen from all over Australia. However, despite their contributions, the fight for the indigenous community was not won. You’ll learn that even though they gave as much as their white counterparts, they had to fight hard to get the same recognition for the sacrifices their men gave to fight for the freedoms of our country.
It’s a small but beautiful memorial for the heroes of an often overlooked community and can pay your respects to those who fought and lost their lives in the greatest battles known and get an insight into their hardships in the early 20th century.
Best Things To Do In Wondai.
6. Wondai Visitor Information Centre & Timber Museum.
Serving dual purpose as Wondai’s Visitor Information Centre and Timber Museum, you can learn about the South Burnett’s prolific timber industry which the town subsisted on during the days of early settlement and continues to play a major role throughout the years.
The museum is inside a beautiful traditional log structure and features a dynamic wagon camp diorama and restored bullock wagon helping visitors to visualise what the men of yesteryear were working with, plus the various timbers they sourced from here along with photos and numerous artifacts. Meanwhile, outside has life-size sculptures of overworked bullocks, an old water well, a classic post and rail fence and a stainless steel silhouette of a timber cutter.
7. Regional Art Gallery/ Art Trail In The Park.
A great place to visit for art lovers in Wondai is the Regional Art Gallery, which has rotational artworks showing the region and its culture through the eyes of local artists using their favourite mediums.
But the art isn’t just inside the building as in the park and on the street corners surrounding it are small artworks atop blue poles. I was told by a lovely local lady this is their towns take on the infamous Blue Poles artwork by Jackson Pollock at the National Gallery Of Australia in the ACT, which I found hilarious.
This piece gained notoriety because the Australian government acquired it for a whopping $1.3 million in 1973, the most money ever spent on an American painting at that time, and many people couldn’t see how they could spend so much on something that was basically just a canvas with paint spattered all over it.
I later went to that gallery, knowing it was there and looked for it, but I couldn’t find it. I later realised that it wasn’t in a missed section, but I actually had already seen it, but didn’t think it was interesting enough to photograph, which says a lot about my opinion of it given that I take pictures of just about everything. LOL. I found the ones in Wondai more meaningful and endearing.
Best Places To Visit Around Wondai & Murgon.
8. Lake Barambah/ Bjelke Petersen Dam.
For a lovely change of pace, Lake Barambah, also known as Bjelke Petersen Dam, is a great place to swap gently undulating hills for beautiful lakeside scenery and driving endless country roads for floating across the water.
Boating, kayaking and sailing are all permitted at this picturesque place, making it an excellent way to explore its expanse and appreciate its stunning beauty along with all the animals that call it home.
Speaking of animals, I don’t know if it was because I visited at the crack of dawn or not but the day-use area but they day use area had horses, which I think were wild! “Where did they come from, where did they go, where did they come from, Cotton Horse Joe?”
It was also a prime munching ground for adorable rabbits and had the largest flock of pelicans I have ever seen. And with the local wildlife population being that prominent, having a picnic or BBQ there is like being a titular princess in the disney animation, Snow White And The Seven Dwarves.
Pst: I wouldn’t be surprised if kangaroos and wallabies also frequent the place as many other lakes have these hippity hoppities as frequent visitors too.
9. Wooroolin Wetlands.
Those interested in birdwatching and unique geography won’t want to miss out on visiting the Wooroolin Wetlands 13km south of Wondai.
Read the sign at Dalton Park to learn about the intriguing geology where the seasonal take is prone to spontaneously disappearing thanks to the rare tremours that open cracks for the water to drain in suspected underground lava tubes before taking a stroll through the picturesque landscape and looking for the beautiful birds, such as beautiful duo-tone galahs and squawking white cockatoos that visit this important avian habitat.
10. Kingaroy.
Further south along the same highway is Kingaroy the biggest town in South Burnett and the heart of the region. Famous for being the Peanut Capital of Australia, there is finally a Big Peanut to celebrate this exciting national status. This brings me much joy as for a disappointingly long time they didn’t have one, which is totally unAustralian, given how much Big Things have become a cheesy quintessential iconic of our nation and taking a fun photo with them is symbolic of having travelled around, so I’ll have to go back!
But not just for that reason, as there the Peanut Van opposite Lions Park sells them coated in many different flavours that are ridiculously moorish and perfect snack for your road trip. Kingaroy also has two beautiful lookouts with spectacular sweeping views of the countryside not to miss. The closest one is Apex Lookout on the northern side of town while Mt Wooroolin is just a few kilometres west of it and is a great place to also have a picnic.
11. Goomeri & Kilkivan.
Northeast of Wondai and Murgon lies Goomeri and Kilkivan which also has some lovely attractions to offer. The former is the Pumpkin Capital Of Australia and has a humbly sized Big Pumpkin, which weighs a whopping 550kg and sits atop a stunning mosaic block. If you want to help the town further celebrate this status, you can attend their fun, three day Pumpkn Event which takes place annually on the fourth weekend of March.
Over at Kilkivan, the Pearson Lookout in nearby Mudlo National Park, provides quite the physical workout for the lower half of the body and provides lovely views overlooking the picturesque countryside of the Greater Gymie region.
Wondai Attractions Map.
Conclusion: What To Do In Murgon & Wondai Visitor Guide.
From the spectacular views of the countryside Daniels Lookout in Boat Mountain National Park to the stunning Lake Barambah with all the animals that love to visit the day-use area and the geographically peculiar Wooroolin Wetlands, there are some fantastic things to doe in Murgon and Wondai that’ll make you want to slow down and spend more time explore this stunning part of the South Burnett region.
If you plan to visit Murgon & Wondai, consider looking at these other posts.
