Boat Mountain Conservation Park is west of Goomeri and north of Murgon. It gets its name from its flat-topped ridge shaped like an upturned boat.
The parking area has a table with seating, some information boards, and not much else. There is ample room for vehicles to park, but trailers and large vehicles will have difficulty turning around if there is only a couple of vehicles there. For this reason, trailers and caravans are not allowed to go to Boat Mountain, so it is best to schedule in a visit from where you are staying if you are towing.
The first lookout is Braithwaite’s Lookout, looking south from the mountain. The main photo was taken at this lookout, with a goanna perched at the top of a dead tree sunning itself. The walk is short taking less than 10 minutes, but with 187 steps it can take get you breathing heavy on the way up. There are resting benches on the way up so you can take a break and observe the bush while you catch your breath. A bench is also at the lookout.
The other two walks, Daniel’s Lookout and Silburns Vine Scrub, are longer but are easier flat walks, but you have to get to Braithwaite’s lookout first. They can be done together by going on Silburns Vine Scrub walk on the return from Daniel’s Lookout as it is a loop off the same trail. Looking at the times on the information board there are nearly 2 hours of walking, but much of it is on the same track so to do all of them is less than an hour (depending on how much time you stop to take in the views).
Daniel’s Lookout is about a 1km walk along a flat and wide trail from Braithwaite’s lookout and looks towards the north with views of Mount Boogooramunya and the Seven Sisters in the distance. A convenient sitting bench is at the lookout, though there is not a lot of shade here. Along the way, there are a number of opportunities for views to the west, and towards that later part views to the east.
On the return walk, I took the Silburns Vine Scrub loop back instead of the main trail. The scrub walk is narrower, closed in and hidden from direct sunlight most of the way. The trail is well defined and easy to follow, and less closed in than Owenia nature walk at nearby Jack Smith Scrub 
.
On the walks telltale signs of quail and bandicoot diggings are seen along the trails, but I didn’t see any of these elusive creatures (bandicoots are nocturnal so I didn’t expect to see any). There were plenty of birds flying around, including a few fantails (rufous fantails?) with orange rumps.
Take drinking water with you. Insect spray is probably a good idea also, but I didn’t have any problems with insects, other than noisy cicadas. The walks are suitable for children, and safe when keeping to the trails. Extra care should be taken near the lookouts as they are closer to the cliff edges.
