Paddling in Wongi National Park

Wongi National Park sits in the Fraser Coast hinterland of south-east Queensland, north-west of Maryborough near Biggenden. The water here is quiet — spring-fed waterholes and tannin-stained lakes set among paperbark wetlands and she-oak forest.

This is flatwater country, full stop. The two waters that anchor the paddling are the Wongi Waterholes and Lake Lenthall.

The Wongi Waterholes are crystal-clear springs that bubble up through white sand, calm enough for a canoe or kayak and framed tightly by paperbarks.

Lake Lenthall carries the characteristic tea-tree stain of the region — dark, slow water where turtles, eels, and waterbirds are regularly spotted from a low-angle seat in a kayak. Both are accessible from the campground area off Warrah Road.

The park is year-round paddling, though the cooler winter months make for more comfortable time on the water, and spring brings the surrounding forest into flower.

There are no tides, no current to read, and no portages to plan — the appeal is the stillness and what moves through it. Because this is a national park, check with Queensland Parks and Wildlife before you go.

Bring your own boat; there is no indication of hire equipment on site. Access tracks are sandy and some require a high-clearance vehicle, so factor that into how you rig your car-top load.

The waterholes are the kind of place that asks you to slow down and stay a while — paddle out, drift, listen to the frogs come on at dusk.