The Sydney–Brisbane rail corridor traverses the length of the north south axis of Running Creek. At the border the railway enters a tunnel and then traverses the Cougal Spiral.
Nearby the Lions Road passes through Richmond Gap on the McPherson Range and links to Cougal in northern New South Wales.
The terrain is generally hilly with elevations rising in the south to well above 600 metres along the McPherson Range. It covers the area roughly equivalent to the catchment formed by Running Creek, with the exception of its most upper parts which lie in Mount Gipps and Southern Lamington. Running Creek, itself a tributary of the Logan River, has a number of tributaries including New Year Creek and Camp Creek. Vegetation has been cleared in many parts for primary production purposes.
History
Timber was an important early industry in the area. There were sawmills at Running Creek and Glenapp. These sawmills no longer exist.
The Glenapp railway signal box is located on the eastern side of the Brisbane-to-Sydney railway line at Running Creek (28°17′04″S152°54′21″E / 28.2845°S 152.9057°E / -28.2845; 152.9057 (Glenapp railway signal box)). The hut was established in 1930 and is only one of a few remaining intact in the country. Having been made redundant due to automation, it was proposed to demolish the Glenapp signal box in 2007. However, the "Glenapp boys" Den and Rob Sibson, who had grown up in the Glenapp community, decided to rescue and restore the signal box as a small museum. The Glenapp railway siding was relocated to the Rathdowney Historical Museum.
Telemon Environment Park which later became known as Mount Chinghee National Park was first gazetted in 1994.
Demographics
In the 2011 census, Running Creek and surrounding localities had a population of 463 people.
In the 2016 census, Running Creek had a population of 147 people.
In the 2021 census, Running Creek had a population of 146 people.
Education
There are no schools in Running Creek. The nearest primary school is Rathdowney State School in neighbouring Rathdowney to the north-west. The nearest secondary school is Beaudesert State High School in Beaudesert.
^Schaefer, Timothy (31 December 2016). "Devoted to Glenapp Stn". Queensland Country Life. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
Teese, Nerelie (2001), Hurricane lamps & handmilking : a history of dairy farming along the Logan & Albert River Valleys, Nerelie Teese, ISBN978-0-9579326-0-9