I LOVE DAISY HILL FOREST.

 Ever since we moved to Springwood 52 years ago, we have been walking in Daisy Hill Forest. Over the years it has changed its name and now it is called Daisy Hill Conservation Park but I still call it Daisy Hill Forest. Daisy Hill is the name of the suburb next to Springwood where we live now. We lived in two different houses in Springwood before moving to Daisy Hill, where we lived before moving into 'Elements Retirement Living' village which is in Springwood. So as you can see we haven't moved far since we settled down after a whirlwind time living in Papua New Guinea and Switzerland when we were young.

So we have been living close to the forest for a long time and have seen a few changes. Here is a little history of the area.

The Dennis family were the first Europeans to settle in Daisy Hill. In 1870 they acquired 800 acres. They named it Daisy Hill because their daughters had seen  daisies (Olearia Nernstii) growing on the hill.

Olearia nernstii in a nursery.

 Daisy Hill Forest was declared a timber reserve in 1874. In 1917 it was declared a State Forest. The first in Queensland. In 1901 part of the forest was used as a rifle range but mantles and targets were destroyed in a bush fire in 1908. The land was reinstated to the forest in 1952.

In 1986 it became a State Forest Park. The forest was used for timber, honey, gold mining and grazing. In 2006 it was gazetted as Daisy Hill Conservation Park for habitat conservation and recreation.

When we first started visiting the forest it was just bushland with a small picnic area and children's playground. Later a ring road was built through the forest and a big recreation park made with toilet blocks, shelters and BBQ's installed. There were walking and bike trails made. 

In 2018 there was an upgrade made for the Commonwealth Games expected tourists and now in 2023 we are getting more improvements.

They are making a wheelchair access from the end of our street, making more mountain bike trails, additional parking and new amenities.

Consequently, the access from our street is closed but we can still access directly from our village but we can only go one way we can't do our usual circuit. So we walk through a different park close by until the work is finished. There is another entry point in Daisy Hill which is open but we would have to drive there. The Conservation Park covers 1500ha/3706.5 acres.

Closed this way.

Open this way, our village to the left.

Our local state member of parliament, Mick de Brenni (left) and one of our residents, Rex are turning the first sod at the start of work on the improvements. Our Managing Director, Chiou See is next to Mick. The other people are locals who use the forest regularly and many belong to "The friends of the forest", a volunteer organisation that helps maintain the Park.

Soon we'll be able to do this again.