30 Years March 1991 – March 2021 : Issue 134 : Our Community Newspaper :Mar’21- May ‘21
THE SECRET IS OUT - SOCIAL MEDIA SERVES UP SPRINGBROOK No longer the Gold Coast Hinterland’s best kept secret, Springbrook has become the hottest destination in SE Qld! In the past, we long term residents would have to deliberately and slowly give our addresses to trades people or suppliers, explaining that, no, not Springwood, we wanted the goods or services to arrive at Springbrook via Mudgeeraba, on the Gold Coast. Even as recently as the 1990’s and early 2000’s, our work colleagues and new found friends would confuse our plateau with Tamborine, Beechmont or Binna Burra, often remarking that they had never been to Springbrook …asking vaguely.. where is it again? As most of us have noticed, this has changed dramatically with an influx of visitors on weekends and public holidays in particular, but recently even some humble week days can see lines of cars parked (often haphazardly) at the various track entrances, particularly those that access Purlingbrook and/or Twin Falls. In the era of the selfie and the rise of social media, those who had never heard of Springbrook are now posting images of themselves hiking, swimming, lounging on the rocks and sharing the forest with dozens of others who are doing the same thing. I am now reading posts about how the Twin Falls circuit is the favourite rainforest experience of many Gold Coasters and of course their friends are excited to see what the attraction is and on it goes to their friends. The upshot is that Springbrook NP is being inundated and while many are attracted by the values of environmental preservation, conservation of species and education about our rainforest ecosystems, many others are just there for the photo op. The consequence is overcrowding, carpark chaos and a diminishing of the rainforest experience for those who have visited for the aforementioned values. Of course others would argue that getting people out into the environment is often the first step to educating them to value, respect and support conservation. However this can only happen with goodwill, guidance and information and a willingness to understand the complex relationships in the rainforest biome and that national parks aren’t just for recreation but also for the preservation of very special habitats and species. Let’s hope that Springbrook can survive the onslaught.
Pam Hall
Some examples of social media posts about Springbrook and its obvious appeal. Springbrook Voices: Issue 134
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Mar ’21 – May ‘21