Charlie Moreland, named after a park ranger of the same name, is a campground in the Imbil State Forrest, a few kilometres south of Kenilworth. The campgrounds are set next Little Yabba Creek along Sunday Creek Rd.
A day use area has plenty of picnic tables and BBQs to enjoy the area from. From the day use area, there is a short walk to a swimming hole that is popular in the warmer months. A rope from a tree on the opposite bank has people swinging into the water. There is a grassy area to sit and watch others from if you don’t want to take a dip.
The campground has been updated in 2015. The day use area has new picnic tables and BBQs, old trees dropping limbs removed, and the toilet blocks have been updated with newer flushing toilets. The cold water shower seems to have disappeared.
The causeway over Little Yabba Creek has been updated too. It is now higher, which should help as it used to flood fairly easily when it rained. The older causeway was built in 1952 and had names carved into concrete that was left over and dumped beside the causeway.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service asked for the names to be preserved, recognising the historical significance. The contractors have left this part of the old causeway exposed and added their own names beside it in the new concrete.
There are a couple of walks at the Charlie Moreland campground. Little Yabba circuit is a 1.5km walk, crossing over Little Yabba Creek with Hoop Pines and the riverine rainforest. The Piccabeen circuit extends the same walk further to 3.5km, with piccabeen palms.
Mount Allan walk is a longer walk at nearly 9km. It heads through a Hoop Pine plantation and towards Mount Allan. It is a shared trail, so you may cross paths with horse riders and mountain bikes on the way. The last part climbs up Mount Allan with views from the top.
There are other places to visit while at Charlie Moreland but are better driven to. An information board provides some suggestions. The board shows a circuit loop that can be driven but is outdated with a bridge (which is marked on it) closed and impassable. We headed off to drive the circuit, but only did two of the seven locations before discovering the bridge closed with concrete filled steel bars blocking it. The NPSR map is updated and shows the road is not a circuit.
The Lookout is the closest we went to, about 2.3km from the campground. There is a lookout platform that looks over the area towards Mount Allan. You could walk to this rather than drive, but it is uphill and you need to watch for traffic a lot of vehicles use it.
The second location we went to is the Peters Creek walk, up Funnels Hut Road. It is 13kms from Charlie Moreland, so not an option for walking to from the campgrounds. From the parking area, the walk is a short 500m return walk, and easy with a few steps. The creek runs down shallow rock falls and through boulders. A viewing area is at the top of the cascading water, and a boardwalk at the bottom views it from the lower section. It is a beautiful picturesque spot, and worth the trip to there.
Once finding the bridge closed, we didn’t go to the other locations as we didn’t have enough time remaining to drive back around to access them from Booloumba Creek Rd. The locations are Booloumba Falls walk, a 3km return walk, Booloumba View, the Booloumba Creek
day-use area, and Artists Cascades walk, a 10.6km return walk leading to the Gold Mine and Strangler Cairn.
The seventh location on the drive information board is the Fig Tree Walk , another brown sign destination we had attended earlier the same day.
To get there:
If coming from the Bruce Hwy, take the exit for Kenilworth, near Eumundi. Coming from the south, go straight through the roundabout and the road follows beside the Bruce Hwy for nearly 3km to Eumundi Kenilworth Rd. From the north, go right at the roundabout and you will be on the Eumundi Kenilworth Rd. Follow Eumundi Kenilworth Rd for 28.9km. The road turns to the left at Kenilworth as Elizabeth St. Continue along Elizabeth St, through the Kenilworth township, for 6.7km, and turn right into Sunday Creek Rd at the brown sign. Follow Sunday Creek Rd for about 4.5km and you will be at Charlie Moreland after crossing the causeway. The day use area is to the right, or continue straight ahead for the camping areas.
From Mapleton, head west from on Obi Obi Rd to the end, 19.8km from the start of Obi Obi Rd in Mapleton. Turn left into Eumundi Kenilworth Rd and follow for 1km. The road turns to the left at Kenilworth as Elizabeth St. Continue along Elizabeth St, through the Kenilworth township, for 6.7km, and turn right into Sunday Creek Rd at the brown sign. Follow Sunday Creek Rd for about 4.5km and you will be at Charlie Moreland after crossing the causeway. The day use area is to the right, or continue straight ahead for the camping areas.
Cost: Free for day use, Camping Queensland Park and Forest Fees
Hours: Anytime
Toilets: Yes
Bins: No
Tables: Yes
Seating: Yes
Water: Yes, not potable
Food: No
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Pets: No
BBQ: Yes
Playground: No
Links:
https://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/parks/imbil/pdf/charliemoreland-camparea.pdf
https://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/parks/imbil/pdf/imbil-conondale-map.pdf
https://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/experiences/camping/camping_fees.html