The Numinbah Valley is a valley and locality in the Gold Coast hinterland in South East Queensland. This Scenic Rim valley covers 116 km² and contains cleared grazing land, rocky outcrops, waterfalls, rainforest walks and good hinterland scenery. Lonely Planet has described the valley as the most beautiful in South EastQueensland. Compared to other areas of the Gold Coast the Numinbah Valley has remained largely undeveloped in recent decades. To the east is the Springbrook plateau. On the eastern side of the valley is the Natural Bridge in Springbrook National Park and to the west lies the Lamington Plateau and the Lamington National Park. To the south is the Tweed Valley in northern New South Wales. Vegetation in the valley includes dry and wet sclerophyll forest. The valley is part of the upper catchment area for the Nerang River which flows into the Hinze Dam in the lowest elevated and most northern part of the valley. The communities of Advancetown and the small township of Numinbah are located in Numinbah Valley. The river which lies in the Numinbah valley region is home to the duck billed platypus. The platypus is regularly seen in Bonchow park and Forest park in Numinbah valley. recent studies show that most of the platypus population on the Gold Coast lies in Numinbah valley and Canungra fresh water streams including Scenic Rim suburbs such as Palen Creek, Rathdowney, Mount Barney and surrounding suburbs.
History
The valley was first explored by timber cutters seeking cedar in 1845. Bullocks hauled the felled timber to Nerang. Later in the 1860s, when a route to the Tweed Valley was discovered as surveyors mapped the Queensland/New South Wales border, settlers moved into the area. A township developed in the 1880s. A sawmill operated from 1909 until 1944 when agriculture and dairying became the primary industries. Numinbah Provisional School opened on 7 February 1927. In 1938 it was renamed Numinbah Valley State School.
Facilities
The Numinbah Correctional Centre is located within the locality. A Numinbah Valley Landcare group operates in the valley. Bornhoffen PCYC or the Numinbah Valley Environmental Education Centre caters for large groups of students. These large recreational facilities are situated in the southern and highest part where the headwaters of the Nerang River coalesce. The Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk traverses the valley from O'Reilly's Guesthouse in the west to Springbrook National Park to the east.
Education
Numinbah Valley State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at 2270 Nerang-Murwillumbah Road. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 14 students with 7 teachers and 4 non-teaching staff. Numinbah Valley Environmental Education Centre is an Outdoor and Evironmental Education Centre at 1721 Nerang-Murwillumbah Road.
Industry
At one of three places in Queensland perlite is extracted from a deposit in the valley and trucked to Sydney.
