Lamington and Tamborine National Parks
Turning 238 km of track condition data into a strategic program for investment, maintenance and long-term asset management
A track condition audit can tell you what needs fixing. Greater value comes from using that evidence to determine what to invest in, what to maintain, and how to build a more resilient network that can be effectively managed over the long term.
Across 238 kilometres of walking tracks in Lamington and Tamborine National Parks, Blue Sky Trails helped QPWS make that transition, turning detailed condition data into a 10-year framework for capital renewal, maintenance, resourcing and asset management.
Lamington and Tamborine National Parks include some of Queensland’s most significant walking experiences, with Lamington forming part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area. The networks include remote tracks, ageing infrastructure and assets increasingly exposed to severe weather, changing environmental conditions and the longer-term impacts of a changing climate.
Blue Sky Trails delivered both the comprehensive condition audit and the subsequent 10-Year Track Asset Management Plan.
This created a direct pathway from evidence collected on the ground to strategic investment and long-term asset management. The result was an integrated approach to capital renewal, maintenance, resourcing and building a more resilient track network.
The Plan provides a clear framework for strengthening the resilience of the track network, protecting long-term asset performance, and preparing the network for changing environmental and climate conditions.
The Challenge
A condition audit can identify defects, but a list of repairs does not provide an investment strategy.
QPWS needed to understand which issues could be addressed through routine or programmed maintenance, and which required more substantial capital intervention.
In some locations, existing track infrastructure had deteriorated, reached the end of its useful life, or was no longer providing an appropriate level of end user experience.
Continuing to maintain infrastructure without addressing the underlying cause of deterioration would provide limited long-term value and risk repeated expenditure on the same problems. In these locations, capital renewal was required first to establish a suitable asset standard, allowing future maintenance to protect that investment and extend its useful life.
The challenge was therefore to move beyond individual defects and determine what was required to improve the underlying condition and resilience of the network, while also establishing a sustainable approach to its ongoing management.
Building the Evidence Base
Blue Sky Trails developed a project-specific audit methodology aligned with QPWS operational requirements, asset management systems and AS 2156 walking track classifications. The audit was complex given the remote nature of the tracks and the need to transit to and from locations to capture data.
Field teams systematically assessed the network on foot, capturing georeferenced information on track condition, drainage, infrastructure, vegetation, safety and environmental issues using Trail Vision.
Each observation was linked to a specific location, providing a traceable relationship between existing condition, recommended treatment and indicative repair cost.
The audit established a consistent baseline across the track networks and provided the evidence required to move from individual maintenance issues to network-level investment planning.
From Audit Data to Investment Strategy
The next step was determining what the condition data meant for the future management of the network.
Rather than treating every identified issue as maintenance, Blue Sky Trails separated the required response into two distinct investment streams.
- Capital works and renewals addressed locations where existing infrastructure required significant rehabilitation, replacement or upgrade to establish an appropriate long-term standard.
- Asset preservation and maintenance addressed the ongoing works required to protect those assets, manage deterioration and maintain track condition once an appropriate infrastructure baseline had been established.
This distinction was important.
Where underlying infrastructure was no longer adequate or viable, increasing maintenance alone would not resolve the problem. Capital investment was required first to establish a maintainable asset.
The audit data was therefore used to define strategic projects and programs across the network, considering not only physical infrastructure but also the resourcing, systems and management capability required to deliver and sustain the investment.
The audit data was used to define an integrated investment portfolio that addressed not only infrastructure renewal, but also climate resilience, visitor infrastructure, operational capability and the ongoing preservation of the network.
A 10-Year Track Asset Management Plan
The 10-Year Track Asset Management Plan transformed detailed audit data into a practical framework for where to invest, what to renew and how to preserve the network over the long term.
Rather than creating a single list of works, the Plan established three complementary programs: a Strategic Investment Framework to prioritise investment, a Capital Works Program to renew and upgrade infrastructure, and an Annual Maintenance Program to preserve asset condition and protect that investment.
Together, these programs provide a coordinated pathway from the 2026 Walking Track Audit through to long-term management of the network.
Importantly, the Plan recognised that effective asset management extends beyond physical infrastructure.
Strategic investment also addressed resourcing, data, systems, inspection and management capability, ensuring QPWS has the organisational capacity to plan, deliver, monitor and maintain the network over time.
This creates a lifecycle approach where capital investment establishes or restores an appropriate asset standard, while ongoing maintenance protects that investment and extends asset life.
The Outcome
QPWS now has more than a condition assessment of the trail networks at Lamington and Tamborine National Parks.
The project established a direct connection between what exists on the ground today and where investment should be directed over the next decade.
- Detailed georeferenced audit data provided the evidence base.
- Strategic capital projects address infrastructure requiring significant intervention.
- The asset preservation program provides a framework for maintaining those assets and the broader network once an appropriate standard has been established.
Together, these elements provide a structured basis for prioritising investment, developing future budgets, programming works, preparing procurement packages, and allocating resources across the network.
The same baseline data can also support future inspections and condition assessments, allowing QPWS to measure deterioration, completed works and changes in network condition over time.
Why This Matters
Effective asset management is about making the right intervention at the right time.
Knowing when to maintain, when to renew and when broader investment is required is critical to improving asset performance and achieving long-term value.
The Lamington and Tamborine project demonstrates how detailed track condition data can be transformed into a strategic asset management framework that connects today’s condition with tomorrow’s investment decisions.
By bringing capital renewal, maintenance, resourcing and asset management together, the Plan provides QPWS with a clear pathway to protect its investment, strengthen network resilience and prepare these nationally significant walking tracks for a changing climate.
