We had friends visiting and decided to go to Middle Brother mountain and visit the Bird Tree. The road was a bit rough in places after the recent rains . If you were in a 2WD you could do it but just drive carefully. There is a picnic area near the car park. It is a short loop walk to Benaroon and the Bird Tree. Benaroon is the largest Blackbutt in Australia, while the Bird Tree is the largest by volume. It is amazing to think that these trees are over 300 years old and were well established when Captain Cook sailed past. It had been raining when we visited so the forest was lush. Lots of palm trees, mosses and lichens. Well worth a visit. The only thing it lacks is an information board telling you about the trees and their significance.

We took a gamble that the road would be reasonably well graded for our Audi Q3. The car is all wheel drive but does not have exceptional ground clearance. It has good road tyres. I think you need good tyres because the road was more like a track in places as you go. The track must have been affected by recent stormy rainy weather as there were quite large washouts and the road had not been graded for some time. It took us 30 minutes to do the 9 kilometers each way to the Bird Tree spot. We were driving very carefully to avoid vehicle and tyre damage. It’s well worth the drive to see the tree and it’s surroundings. Take aerogard as the mossies are exceptionally bad. So bad in fact that we only stopped for a few seconds at the tree and then ran back the 150 meters to the car. It’s a very isolated spot, we didn’t see anyone else, which makes it all the better. In dryer weather when the mosquito plague has abated it would be very pleasant. In hindsight I would recommend access in a full time four wheel drive vehicle (read large Ute or Prado) for comfort and safety.