Best picnic spots in Southern Queensland Country

Why eat indoors when the great outdoors is so inviting?

Let mother nature provide the four walls of your next dining experience and local wildlife the soundtrack to your meal. Get amongst nature and take al fresco dining to new levels at one of these picnic spots in Southern Queensland Country.

Bald Rock Day Use Area, Girraween National Park

If you're planning on walking the granite belt playground that is Girraween National Park, you'll want to fuel your adventure with a picnic at the Bald Rock Creek day-use area.

Here you can fire up a BBQ and enjoy a picnic at one of the shaded tables, with views onto some of this national park's most famous peaks. Before setting off we'd recommend brushing up on important facts about this national park on the display walls outside the Visitor Information Centre, especially if you want to know more about this park's abundant wildlife.

No matter which trail you choose, all of Girraween's walks promise spectacular views, but The Pyramid is undoubtedly the most famous of this park's portfolio.

Picnic Point, Toowoomba

The clue is in the name for this picnic possie.

You'll find it atop the Toowoomba range, overlooking the Lockyer Valley below.

Let the little ones loose on the playground while you set up the picnic, 700m above sea level.

If the thermos isn't getting the heart started, pop into Picnic Point Cafe for a real cup of joe before exploring this heritage-listed park.

Dandabah Camping Area, Bunya Mountains

What do you say to throwing down a picnic rug overlooking the 600-year-old giant pines of the Bunya Mountains National Park? A resounding 'yes' is the right answer.

You'll find this piece of picnic paradise at the Dandabah Camping Area in the Bunya Mountains, about three hours north-west of Brisbane.

Enjoy a packed lunch at one of the picnic tables or shelter sheds, before embarking on one of the walking trails which range from 500m to 6km (one-way).

Keep your eyes peeled for Bunya nuts, which fall from this famous pine to the forest floor below.

Lake Broadwater, Dalby

It's rare to be almost 300km from the nearest coast but still able to picnic by the water, but that's the case at Dalby's Lake Broadwater, the only natural, freshwater lake of the Western Downs.

Set up your basked at one of the picnic tables on the foreshore and enjoy the serenity - that is, when water sport enthusiasts aren't masking the 230 different birdcalls with their motors.

Inhale serenity as you breathe aromas of the open bushland of cypress pines, eucalypts and woodlands that surround the lake.

PS - if you don't want to pack your own picnic, pop into Urban Paddock in Dalby on your way through and order something delightful to go.

Queen Mary Falls, Killarney

Name a more iconic duo than a picnic and a plunge waterfall? We'll wait.

Discover Southern Queensland Country's most famous falls in Main Range National Park, Queen Mary Falls.

The short walk to the bottom starts from the picnic area, so you can easily combine your main meal with this waterfall's main event, overlooking the 40m drop from the picnic area.

If you've worked up an appetite for waterfall chasing after your picnic, you might like to check out the nearby Daggs and Browns Falls nearby.

Queens Park, Toowoomba

Toowoomba might be home to many parks, but not all of them are heritage-listed like its Queen's Park, which welcomes visitors to town.

Its 26.3 hectares of green space offers plenty of space to throw down a rug, in the immaculately landscaped gardens of Water Hill.

Depending on how active you'd like your picnic to become, you might like to base yourself in the south-eastern corner of the park where you’ll find a playground or the north-western corner which has plenty of grass to throw a frisbee and kick a ball around.

For those more interested in the more formal botanical elements of the park, the north-eastern section is where you’ll find the prettiest blooms, which in Spring promise a free carnival of flowers.

Botanic Gardens, Goondiwindi

There's no shortage of picnic space in the 25 hectares at the Goondiwindi Botanic Gardens.

You'll find it on the western outskirts of Goondiwindi, home to native plants and flora distinct to this part of Western Country.

If you're travelling with little ones, this park packs lots of picnic potential with its BBQ areas, playground, shelter sheds and toilet facilities.

Once you've finished your picnic, explore the surrounds of the park's lake which is alive with birdlife and water sports.