Underground Creek track

How to get there

1. This is the eastern side of the park, not the Visitor Precinct. Confirm the current signed approach to the Dr Roberts carpark on the official park page before you leave town.
2. Screenshot directions. Official pages say mobile coverage is not reliable — the eastern access is a bad place to discover that.
3. Do not assume this is the same car park as The Pyramid or Castle Rock. Budget extra time for the first visit.
4. Conventional access is usual in dry weather — still check park alerts for road or track notes.

How to do it (step by step)

1. Start at Dr Roberts Waterhole if you have not seen it yet (easy 1.2 km return, Grade 2, about 30 minutes on its own).
2. Continue on the signed Underground Creek track through swamp communities, woodland and shrubland.
3. Read the on-track geology signs at the water-sculpted granite. That is the point of this walk.
4. Return the same way. Official: 2.8 km return, about 1.5 hours. Pack water even though the distance looks short.

What to expect

Underground Creek is the eastern Grade 3 return from Dr Roberts Waterhole through swamp, woodland and shrubland to water-sculpted granite. Official: 2.8 km return, about 1.5 hours. Geology signs on the track do the explaining. You came for the creek-cut rock and, in season, the flowers.

It is a different day from the precinct summits. No dome scramble. Still a real track: uneven ground, possibly wet underfoot through the swamp communities, and no treated water at the far end.

How the day works

Start at the Dr Roberts carpark on the eastern access. That is not the Visitor Precinct. Screenshot the drive. A tidy outing is Dr Roberts Waterhole first (1.2 km, Grade 2), then Underground Creek from the same start.

Return the same way. If you still have energy after both, picnic at the eastern side rather than racing back to add The Pyramid. Two precincts in one afternoon usually means a rushed last walk.

Hazards

Swamp-community sections can be wet or muddy after rain. Shoes you accept getting dirty beat brand-new white trainers. Roots and uneven granite still apply.

Reception is no better on the eastern side. Screenshot maps and alerts before you leave Stanthorpe or Tenterfield Wi-Fi. In warm months, insects and heat are ordinary kit problems — not emergencies, but they spoil an under-packed 1.5 hours.

Turning around

Turn around on the same track. If the swamp section is a mess or the group is slowing, Dr Roberts Waterhole on its own is still a complete eastern stop.

Do not invent a through-walk to the Visitor Precinct from here. Come back to the Dr Roberts carpark and drive. The two sides of the park are different arrivals.

Map (orientation)

Pin may be approximate. Confirm trailheads, parking and track status on Queensland Parks before you drive.

Other walks from this area

Same arrival, different commitment. Open the guide that matches the day — do not stack them because they share a car park.

Dr Roberts Waterhole

1.2 km return (QPWS, re-checked 2026-08-16) · easy

Short Grade 2 return walk to a still waterhole with blackbutt reflections. Official: 1.2 km return, about 30 minutes. The gentlest named walk in this guide.

Open walk guide →