Currumbin Border Trails

Activities:

Location:

Currumbin Waters, QLD Australia. View our adventure map for the trailhead location.

Description: 

The trails are on land situated between two quarantine fences acting as a buffer zone between the states of Queensland and New South Wales. It’s pretty hard to get lost up here - just stay between the two fences and you can’t really go wrong.

(NB - there are some fences across the trails - with gates - that restrict access to dirt bikes etc; going through these is OK. The fences to stay between are the (generally) barbed wire ones running east-west (from the coast out towards the hinterland)).

We used to have several routes laid out for this trail, but the firetrail is extremely easy to follow and the singletrack network is expanding and changing all the time; as long as you follow the previous “stay between the fences” rule, you’ll be fine. Mountain bikes, reasonably skilled gravel bike riders, trail runners and hikers will all enjoy this area. Trailforks and similar apps have most of the trails identified, but remember that the network evolves pretty frequently - so you’re better off just exploring the area to work out which trails head where.

Most of the singletrack network is between Border Drive North and Piggabeen Road, although there is some less ridden stuff outside of this area. Where the singletrack ends at Piggabeen Road, the firetrail continues heading west all the way up to the Tomewin Border gates, although the last kilometre or two are usually very overgrown.

It’s worth noting that if you park at Border Drive North and follow the footpath leading under the M1 motorway, you’ll find a set of bush stairs that take you into Tugun Hill Conservation Area. While the trail network here isn’t massive, it’s an area worth exploring. If you’re ever looking for training on stairs locally (say you’re preparing for Ultra Trail Australia), then this is a pretty good area for southern GC locals. Tugun Hill is unsuitable for bikes.

Access:

The best access is from Border Drive North, and to a lesser degree Hoffschildt Drive, although parking in both these areas is increasingly busy. A good option is to park off Bienvenue Drive near Currumbin Alleygators rugby club, and then access Hoffschildt or Border North on foot or bike.

If accessing the trails from Border Drive North: at the top of the culdesac there is a maintenance gate, and from there an obvious footpad that leads up to a City of Gold Coast signed trail (which they call “Hidden Valley Reserve”). Follow this trail - a mix between wider double-track and singletrail - until it meets the main border track. From there, most people go right and then within 50m drop into the singletrail on the left-hand side of the trail. You’re now into the fun stuff.

(NB - when you hit the main border track from the access trail, if you instead take a left and cross over the firetrail, you’ll also find singletrail that heads east - although this is rougher, looser and is typically tighter and steeper with much less flow.)

If accessing from Hoffschildt Drive: there’s an obvious footpad from the culdesac that goes up the embankment to a border gate (with a stile for walking through). From this point, heading south-west (right) is more common and is where the bulk of the singletrail network resides, although going north-east takes you towards Border Drive North - and there’s good singletrail that way too.

Suggested Routes:

Tugun Hill Conservation Area
Distance: 3.8km
Elevation: 120 mD±
This route is short, but includes a lot of bush steps. This route is NOT suitable for bikes. It’s a lollipop circuit: out-and back on the same bush stairs, with a hilly loop in the conservation area as the turnaround.

Currumbin Border Trails singletrack - Hidden Valley Reserve to Piggabeen Road return
Distance: approx. 9-10km (depending on which trails you take)
Elevation: approx. 200-250 mD ± (again, depending on which trails you take)
This route is a choose-your-own adventure: follow singletrack in the general direction you want to head, then turn around when you hit the second set of gates near the powerline easement just above Piggabeen Rd. (The first set of gates you pass through is near Hoffschildt Dr, at a bit over 2km from the start of your run).

Currumbin Border Trails - the main fire trail, Hidden Valley Reserve to Strawberry Hill
Distance: 16km
Elevation: approx. 450 mD ±
This route is the OG Currumbin Border Trails experience, prior to any of the singletrack network being started. Again head out from Hidden Valley Reserve, but this time when you hit the Border Trail proper, stick to the main fire trail. This trail technically goes all the way up to the border crossing at the top of Tomewin Mountain Rd, but typically users turn around somwehere up near Strawberry Hill (after passing some very expensive GC properties!). Access varies considerably depending on the trail maintenance cycle (i.e. when it’s been slashed by the land managers; when the grass is short it’s great, when it’s long it can be an ugly old time!