Cruice Park is located 4km west of the township of Woodford along the Kilcoy-Beerwah Road. It's the perfect spot to pull over and revitalise from your day tripping around the Moreton Bay Region.
The park has a soft fall playground perfect for toddlers and primary school aged children. They will love climbing the spider ropes and sliding down the slide. The playground has natural shading from the near by gum trees throughout the park.
It’s easy to lose track of time and find yourself needing to pull over for the night to revitalise for the next day of adventure and discovery when your holidaying. Cruice Park is a free overnight camp spot for stays no longer than 20 hours. Pets are also allowed, although there are restrictions around the playgrounds.
Toilet facilities are cleaned daily.
With it's looping 'in-park' paved road, Cruice Park is a convenient overnight stop for large caravans and trailers. Just pull up and enjoy the sun as it sets over the ranges of Bellthorpe National Park.
Located at Cruice Park is The Leichhardt Memorial. Ludwig Leichhardt is most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.
In his day, Leichhardt was celebrated as a national hero and lauded as the 'Prince of Explorers', but tragedy was to befall him - he mysteriously disappeared at the age of 35 during an expedition from the Darling Downs in southern Queensland bound for Western Australia's Swan River Settlement. His disappearance remains one of Australia's oldest and earliest cold cases.
The memorial reads:
Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt, naturalist and explorer, was born at Trebatsch in Prussia in 1813 and arrived in Australia in 1842.
In June 1843, Leichhardt travelled overland to Moreton Bay. Here he made friends with the Archer brothers and travelled to their homestead 'Durundur' which was located just north of this park. This he used as a base for journeys throughout south-east Queensland throughout late 1843 and the early months of 1844.
The earlier route to the Gympie Gold Fields passed through Durundur Station.
The erection of this monument is the result of a generous donation from Mr Douglas Jolly of Brisbane.
An additional plaque was unvieled by Professor Michael Schuetz Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany on 26 October 2013. The plaque commemorates the explorations of Leichhardt and his visit to Durundur Station on the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Also located at Cruice Park is the Durundur Station Memorial, a sandstone monument in tribute to 6 of Queensland's early settlers - the Archer brothers. The explorers and pastoralists who've a number of locations throughout Queensland either named by them or in honour of them.
The Archer brothers were the sons of William Archer, a Scottish timber merchant. 6 of the 7 brothers played a major role in the colonisation of Queensland, with the first of the brother's, David, arriving in Sydney in 1834. He was soon joined by William and Thomas in 1838. The brothers had planned to seek out pastoral lands on the Darling Downs, but this initial plan did not come to pass as all the best pastoral land had been staked out already by the time William and Thomas arrived in Australia. Instead, they turned their attention to the Stanley River region and established Durundur Station which is now the site of Cruice Park near present day Woodford.
The Archer brothers named their station 'Durundur', which is the aboriginal name for the Moreton Bay Ash (Eucalyptus tessellaris). with the ambition to use the land for sheep breeding. However, the property proved unsuitable for sheep, so instead, Durundur became a base camp for travellers and pioneers.
Naturalist and explorer Ludwig Leichhardt stayed at Durundur for several months in 1843 and 1844, as he explored south-east Queensland. The property also became a popular stop for miners looking to strike it lucky at the Gympie Gold Fields.
Woodford is home to the famous Woodford Folk Festival, so Cruice Park is very busy during the festival period in December and January annually.
Bellthorpe Stays is a great place for you, your family or your friends to stay and enjoy the big outdoors.
Nestled atop Mt Mee is Birches Restaurant, a premier venue offering magnificent modern Australian meals and stunning views across the rolling hills of the rural countryside to the Redcliffe peninsula, Moreton Island and beyond.
If you’re looking for things to do in Woodford QLD, then pop into the Woodford Visitor Information Centre located beside the water tower on the D’Aguilar Highway. Staffed by 20 volunteers, this Centre sees around 15,000 visitors drop in on annually to collect information detailing the town and surrounding areas.
Looking for peaceful Mt Mee café dining amidst nature which offers both indoor and alfresco seating options? The Place2b Café is an excellent, family-friendly spot ideal for relaxed, high-quality breakfast, lunch or dinner homemade dining away from all the city crowds and noise.
Woodford Gardens is a family run and owned cafe in Woodford, Queensland. Woodford is situated less than one hours drive from North Lakes. Woodford Gardens is not only a cafe but also serves as a function centre. Woodford Gardens also has 4 acres of beautifully manicured lawns and gardens.