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The Queensland government will put millions of dollars towards an ecotourism venture in the Gold Coast hinterland, with a camping ground and zipline development bordering protected land.
The zipline near the hinterland town of Springbrook would span one kilometre, making it the country’s largest, Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said on Friday.
It was one of two announcements of funding for south-east Queensland tourism ventures, with another $4 million going to a surf park project at Parkwood.
“Tourists these days don’t just come to sit in a hotel or sit on a beach – they want adventure,” Powell said.
He said the adventure park would sit on a 120-hectare land parcel alongside Springbrook National Park, west of Gold Coast beaches and about 100 kilometres south of Brisbane.
Developer David Taylor said the project, dubbed Numinbah Escape, would include a 34-site camping ground, amenities and a permanent cafe.
“We’re combining really immersive nature-based tourism accommodation with exciting adventure activities from guided bushwalking tours to abseiling to mountain biking, and many more,” he said.
Taylor said his family had matched and exceeded the state investment, but expected the cash boost would mean the park could be finished five to seven years earlier than he had originally planned.
The money was taken from an $80 million fund the state government was using to launch tourism initiatives across the state before the 2032 Olympics, including a zipline across the Brisbane River.
Thunderbird Park – about an hour’s drive north of Numinbah Valley at nearby Tamborine Mountain – currently boasts its own zipline tour sitting 70 metres off the ground.
Plans for a cableway in Springbrook have also been proposed to draw tourists to the Gold Coast hinterland, but have been controversial locally.
By late 2025, the council was still investigating a potential route for that development, despite locals and environmental protection groups raising concerns about its potential environmental impact.
Friday’s announcement also included $4 million for the Palm Valley surf park project, endorsed by retired world champion surfer Mick Fanning.
The park would include a wave pool and surf academy, alongside a golf course at Parkwood, near the Gold Coast University Hospital.
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