The Venman Bushland National Park is a conservation area with an easy bush walking trail, picnic area, wood BBQs and toilets. It is part of the Koala Bushland Coordinated Conservation Area.
The national park features open eucalypt forest and sections of lowland rainforest in 415 hectares of bushland.
The Koala Bushland Coordinated Conservation Area, or KBCCA, is made up of several conservation areas. Venman Bushland National Park, starting as a private endeavour of John Venman, provides a koala habitat and conserves other flora and fauna.
There is a day use area with picnic tables and wood fired BBQs, however, the main recreational use of the area is trail walking. Horse riding and mountain bike riding are available in other parks in KBCCA, however, not within Venman Bushland National Park.
The gates close at 5.30pm each night, so when planning walking from this area, make sure you allow time for returning and leaving the park.
Walking Trails
Tingalpa Creek Circuit
The Tingalpa Creek Circuit is an easy Grade 3 circuit. It follows along the Tingalpa Creek and patches of rainforest. The walking trail is 2.5 kilometres long and takes around 1.5 hours, depending on how often you stop to look for wildlife.
Venman Circuit
Venman Circuit is a longer 7.5-kilometre walk. It winds along the banks of Tingalpa Creek in a wider circuit, wandering through open eucalypt forests and melaleuca swamp. At the far end, the circuit links up with Neville Lawrie Reserve and the Ford Road Conservation Area
Koala Bushland Coordinated Conservation Area (KBCCA)
Koala Bushland Coordinated Conservation Area is made up by five conservation areas, managed by a coordinated group of entities. Venman Bushland National Park, managed by QPWS, is one of the five areas.
Daisy Hill Conservation Park
Also managed by QPWS (Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service), Daisy Hill Conservation Park is possibly the most known with a brown sign along the Pacific Highway for Daisy Hill Koala Centre. Daisy Hill Koala Centre is contained within Daisy Hill Conservation Park.
Spotted Gum Circuit and Stringybark Circuit are two walking trails within Daisy Hill Conservation Park, also allowing mountain bike and horse riding. Buhot Creek Circuit is another trail and the largest in the KBCCA. The 9-kilometre trail crosses into Nevill Lawrie Reserve.
Neville Lawrie Reserve
Venman Bushland National Park borders directly with Nevill Lawrie Reserve, managed by Logan City Council. It links from the Venman Circuit to the Plunkett Mallee Circuit.
Neville Lawrie Reserve isn’t accessible directly with two trails starting from other areas. Its largest trail is the Buhot Creek Circuit, which starts from the Daisy Hill Conservation Park and features an old quarry.
Its other trail is Plunkett Mallee Circuit, which starts from the Don and Christine Burnett Conservation Area.
Don and Christine Burnett Conservation Area
The smallest of the five conservation areas, Don and Christine Burnett Conservation Area sits between Neville Lawrie Reserve and Ford Road Conservation Area.
Managed by Redland City Council, Don and Christine Burnett Conservation Area has 2.4km shared-use trail. The Plunkett Mallee Circuit starts from a parking area on Ford Road and links to Venman Circuit.
Ford Road Conservation Area
Ford Road Conservation Area is separated from Don and Christine Burnett Conservation Area by Ford Road. It doesn’t have any official walking trails.
John Burnett Venman
The land was privately owned by John Burnett Venman, who farmed cattle in the area, commonly known as Jack. Seeing a lot of the land being damaged from bad farming practices, he wanted to preserve the vegetation and return it to what it was 200 years prior.
At the age of 60, Jack sold his 255 acres of bushland to Albert Shire Council for one dollar. The deal was they got the land, he got to develop it into something worthwhile as an environmental reserve.
For over 10 years Jack Venman worked on the reserve. He created walking tracks and dammed a section of Tingalpa Creek to ensure there is fresh water for animals during the dry season. For visiting people, Jack built wooden chairs and tables and stone barbecues. He resigned as caretaker at the age of 73.
The park was renamed after Jack Venman’s death to Venman Bushland National Park, 10 years after he resigned as caretaker.
A stone block sits in the park with the following inscription marked on it:
This public bushland refuge was donated
by John B VenmanTo the Albert Shire Council
for regeneration perpetuity to preserve the
indigenous fauna and flora of this areaofficially opened 20-3-1976
by Hon. K.B Tomkins. M.L.AMinister for Lands, Forestry
National Parks & Wildlife Service
