Whites Hill Reserve

Whites Hill Reserve is over 170 hectares in size and is located approximately seven kilometres south-east of the Brisbane CBD.

Whites Hill is an important bushland remnant supporting a number of vegetation communities including open eucalypt forest and rainforest. Sankeys Scrub is found within the reserve and is an important remnant of dry rainforest. The variety of habitats within this bushland makes it a very important refuge for a diversity of wildlife.

Walking track information and track map

Whites Hill Reserve offers a variety of walking tracks and trails.

To see a map of the reserve, track locations, grading and length of the tracks, download the:

• Whites Hill Reserve track map (PDF - 4.7Mb)
• Whites Hill Reserve track map (Word - 623kb).

Special features

Visitors to the reserve can enjoy barbecue and picnic facilities, playground equipment, bushwalking, nature study and views of the city from the lookout. Sporting fields in the reserve cater for touch football, cricket and soccer. These fields also offer space for other activities such as informal games. A dog off-leash area is also located adjoining Boundary Road.

The main access point to reserve facilities is from a car parking area off Boundary Road, Camp Hill.

World-class sporting fields

The sporting fields cater to three sporting activities; touch football, cricket and soccer. These areas also provide an excellent space for other activities such as kite-flying, picnicking and informal games.

Sankey's Scrub

Approximately one hectare in size, this remnant of dry rainforest occurs on a steep slope that grades down to Salvin Creek, a tributary of Bulimba Creek. Explore this beautiful rainforest and note where white beech, hoop pine and crows ash would have once stood before they were felled by timber cutters at the turn of the century.

Whites Hill Lookout

Climb to the top of Whites Hill and see views through the trees to the city. While you are there take the time to read the rich history of Whites Hill.

Flora and fauna

Whites Hill is an important bushland remnant supporting a number of vegetation communities including eucalypt forest and dry rainforest. Sankey's Scrub, an important remnant of dry rainforest is home to some rare species of flora such as Shirley’s tuckeroo, Queensland nut, prickly snake vine and white beech.

The primary weeds in Whites Hill Reserve are ochna, common lantana, madeira vine, mile a minute, morning glory, asparagus fern, guinea grass and molasses grass.

The variety of habitats within this bushland makes it a very important refuge for a diversity of wildlife. During fauna surveys, 62% of Brisbane’s mammals were identified in the reserve, 18% of Brisbane’s reptiles, 33% of Brisbane’s amphibians and 27% of Brisbane’s birds. This is an amazing diversity of wildlife for a reserve that is only 170 hectares in size.

Animals you may see:

• powerful owls
• koalas
• velvet geckos
• Brisbane short-necked turtles
• short-beaked echidnas
• sacred kingfishers nesting in termite nests high in the eucalypts.

History

Before the establishment of the Moreton Bay Penal Colony at Brisbane Town in 1824, the Whites Hill area was home to Australian Indigenous people.

From farming, waste disposal, to supplying road base to the developing region, Whites Hill has played a part in Brisbane’s evolution as a city. During the early decades of the 20th century, a teahouse, one of Queensland’s first commercial tourist operations, was located on the summit.

In the early 1900s, Whites Hill was a popular tourist destination and a venue for dances and weddings. Visitors were charged sixpence entry. The summit was the site of Robert White's residence, which included a tearoom, astronomy telescope and a camera obscura. At the time the land was cleared from the top and sides of the hill to take advantage of the views, but the bush has since grown back.

The Whites Hill area was also used for the Whites Hill Climb event, a car enthusiast’s event in which cars raced to the top of the hill.

In 1934 Brisbane City Council acquired the bulk of the land known as Whites Hill Reserve. The reserve is recognised as an ecologically-significant tract of bushland, offering a diverse range of nature-based and sporting recreation opportunities.