Ride Type: Family Rides

Northern Rivers Rail Trail: Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek

If you’re looking for a relaxed, family-friendly gravel ride with plenty of places to stop, snack and explore, the northern end of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail delivers. Starting in Murwillumbah and rolling south toward Crabbes Creek, this stretch serves up sealed paths to warm up, gentle gradients, heritage bridges, a tunnel adventure, and farm-gate fun along the way. 

Distance: 24 km one way (48 km return) – but turn around when it suits.
Style: shared rail trail (great for gravel, MTB and hybrids) 
Best for: cruisy weekend rides, kids/new riders, and picnic-paced adventurers 
Don’t forget: lights for the tunnel, swimmers for the farmstay, and a sense of curiosity 

Start in Murwillumbah: coffee first, pedals second 

Murwillumbah makes an ideal trailhead: park up, grab a takeaway coffee at the Platform cafe before starting your ride. Bring your own bike, or organise hire from one of the commercial operators nearby so you can travel light and still enjoy the trail at your own pace. 

The first 2.2 km out of Murwillumbah is sealed, which is a big win for families, little legs, and riders who are new to gravel. It’s the perfect warm-up stretch before the trail returns to compacted surface. Around the 2 km mark you can choose to detour to the Tweed Regional Gallery and Margaret Olley Art Centre (accessed via a set of stairs) for a culture stop mid-ride. 

Meander past Dunbible and a string of scenic bridges 

From here the ride settles into a satisfying rail-trail rhythm: gentle turns, old rail formation under your tyres, and regular little moments that make you stop and look around. Keep rolling south toward the historic site of Dunbible, crossing a series of scenic bridges that break up the kilometres with perfect photo pauses. 

Make it a day out: lunch, a swim and farmyard friends 

If you’ve got time, plan a longer stop at Hosanna Farmstay. It’s an easy place to turn a ride into a full day: refuel with lunch, cool off with a swim, and let the kids say hello to the farm animals before you hop back on the bikes. 

Tunnel time: Burringbar Range (500 m of darkness) 

One of the most memorable moments on this section is heading through the Burringbar Range tunnel: around 500 metres of cool, echoing darkness. Bring lights (front and rear), take it steady, and keep your eyes peeled. If conditions are right you may spot glow worms along the walls and microbats flitting through the beam of your headlight. 

After the tunnel, keep meandering south if everyone’s feeling good. You’ll pass through the laid-back villages of Burringbar and Mooball. Great places to pause, stretch, and decide whether you’re riding the full length or making this an out-and-back adventure. If it’s a hot day and you’re happy to add a side mission, Mooball has a historic pub with a pool. It’s ideal for a refreshing drink while the kids cool off with a dip. The full one-way journey to Crabbes Creek is 24 km, making it a satisfying 48 km return ride back to Murwillumbah. 

Tips for a great day on the northern section 

Bring lights for the Burringbar Range tunnel—ideally a steady front light plus a rear blinky. 
Pack swimmers and a towel if you’re planning a farmstay stop or a pool-side detour. 
Ride politely: it’s a shared trail with walkers, kids and dogs—slow down when passing. 
Carry water and snacks. Even an “easy” rail trail feels long without fuel. 
Download a map before you go—mobile reception can be patchy in sections. 

Yarrabilba Rail Trail – Discover Logan

This Rail Trail is suitable for families provided care is taken crossing Waterford-Tamborine Road at the Anzac Avenue interesection lights.

Difficulty: Easy 7km out and back or 22km extended loop with optional distances in between.

Surface Type: Shared 3.5km Bitumen Path with connection to mostly wide concrete footpaths in Yarrabilba, the site of Camp Cable during WWII.

What’s in the Area: Logan Village Green and Museum, LV Bakery, LV Hotel, Yarrabilba Rock Shelters, South Rock State School Bike Shed, Boorol Lookout and Café 63 adjacent to Yarrabilba State Secondary College.

For the adventurous there’s a mountain bike trail to Mount Wickham which starts up a hill, up from the Rock Shelters.

Visitor Parking: Available in Logan Village around the Village Green or in Yarrabilba at Buxton Park or Café 63. Currently there’s no parking on the Rail Trail (eastern) side of the four lane Waterford-Tamborine Road through Historic Logan Village. Hopefully when the Rail Trail is extended to Bethania Station (+11.5km) parking will be available at the LV Trail Head at the site of the 1880s Logan Village Junction, Rail Station.

Finch Hatton, Mackay

Queensland has been coming through a boom in mountain biking, with most trail networks around the state seeing a lot more use as more people discover the joy of riding off-road, and the thrills of riding singletrack.

Mackay has been a growing mountain bike hot bed over the last decade, with some key drivers in the local community developing a testing network of trails at Rowallan Park, that has seen high level events held in the area. The town of Eungella, atop the Pioneer Valley, has also hosted the Mackay Mountain Marathon, a popular mountain bike event on the range run by Corry Cycles. But there has always been a plan to bring more mountain biking to the region for near on a decade. And earlier this year, the first section of the new Finch Hatton Mountain Bike Trails have opened.

All about Finch Hatton

Finch Hatton is west of Mackay in the Pioneer Valley. The small township is home to Finch Hatton Gorge, where waters tumble through chasms of volcanic boulders, through remnant rainforests left after the visits from timber getters through the last century. The town of Finch Hatton has the essentials; a general store, a pub and hotel, and a showgrounds with camping. They now also have the first phase of a world class mountain bike network.  

Built on the land of the Yuwi and Widi people, the trail network designed by World Trail has 16 trails that are now open, using 250m of elevation to take riders up, along and down. The trail mix should have a very broad appeal with 7 green trails, 6 blue trails and 3 black trails for those chasing airtime. In the future, another 82km of trails will be built. This includes more flow and gravity trails, but also a huge wilderness trail that will stretch from the town of Eungella atop the range all the way down to Finch Hatton.

Photo: Flow MTB

On the dirt

The mix of trails delivers plenty of flow, with the machine built berms, rollers and kickers letting riders choose whether they pump a feature for speed, hit the kicker for airtime, or roll through with a broad smile.

Riders can use a shuttle service at Finch Hatton run by Off Camber, with half or full-day options. For those looking to ride under their own steam, there is a friendly climbing trail called G’day G’day – a great way to get familiar with the network.

Most of the trails are described as Airflow, where you can let your skill level choose how you ride it – in the air or flowing over the dirt features. Stage two of the Finch Hatton trails will deliver some more natural terrain for the fans of more naturally technical features and rock gardens.

For younger riders, there’s a pump track at the trail head. Big kids and small kids can work on their skills on the asphalt pump track.

Speaking to Colin Levitch from Flow Mountan Bike, they were clrealy impressed when they visited.

‘As new riding destinations pop up around the country, Queensland finally has something fresh to bring to the table. Stage one is only a small release of singletrack, and the fun per kilometre ratio is impressive, with a whole lot more still to come. The vibe of the town is warm and welcoming, and once the adventure trail from Eungella comes online, Finch Hatton is going to be big. If it’s not on your radar yet, it should be.’

Photo: Flow MTB

Finch Hatton looks set to become a must-ride mountain bike destination not just for Queensland, but potentially for all Australian mountain bikers. What’s on the ground now has a great offering, but as the destination grows there will be easily a week’s worth of riding and activities in this part of Queensland.

How to get there

The Finch Hatton trails are about 60km from Mackay’s airport, or about 385km from Townsville, 980km from Brisbane and 735km from Cairns.

When to go

Finch Hatton trails have been designed to be ridden in all-weather. But given the impacts summer storms can have, we’d plan your visits between early autumn and late spring for the most stable conditions.

Eating and drinking

The Criterion Hotel is right in town, and claim to have the best food in the Pioneer Valley! They have all the pub favourites you would expect… plus some salads. Their pies come highly recommended.

Where to stay

If you want to stay right in Finch Hatton, the Criterion Hotel have rooms, or you can camp at the Showgrounds. Otherwise you would be best to stay somewhere in Mackay, where there is a whole range of accommodation types.

Bike Hire

Corry Cycles have a store at Finch Hatton that is open Friday to Sunday. They have bike riding essentials and a range of e-bikes to hire.

Photo: Flow MTB

Mary Valley Rail Trail

Photo by Brea Martin Photography

Inland from the popular beaches of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast lies the Mary River Valley, home to the Mary Valley Rail Trail. This shared use recreational trail runhs between Brooloo and Imbil, tracing a popular route for visitors and locals alike. The 4.7km length is stage one of the Mary Valley Rail Trail, with two further stages proposed to travel to Kandanga and then Amamoor.

The Brooloo to Imbil section is open for use by bike riders, walkers, wheelchair users and horse-riders. The trail surface is compacted gravel and is accessible to people of most abilities, making it perfect for a family ride or a place to take someone who is yet to truly understand the joy of cycling.

You can start at either end, with carparking available at both trailheads. Drinking water, toilets, and other facilities are located 200m from the Imbil trailhead in Imbil village, where you will also find a general store, bakey, pub and more. There is no water or public toilets at Brooloo.

Photo: Jan Watt

The rail trail follows the old railway corridor, and remains pretty flat as it winds and carves through the surrounding hilly landscape. The environment is diverse, from open grassy woodland to Hoop Pine plantations to rainforest to farmland.  One of the highlights of the trail is the bellbird colony that resides permanently in the middle section of the trail. There have even been over 4000 trees planted by the local user group – the net result is more habitat and lots of shade along the route.

Coombabah Lakelands

Source: Weekend Notes

Perfect for Active Families!

Coombabah is the perfect spot to introduce your kids to riding on unpaved fire trails but still enjoy the Australian bushland. The tracks at the conservation area go through grasslands, forested areas, along a canal, all whilst spotting native animals. The eastern grey kangaroos aren’t hard to spot but the koalas require a keen eye!

The trails are flat, and most are well signposted making this ride suitable for all ages and fitness levels. Please note that the park opens at 6am daily, with gates closing at 6pm.

Slacks Creek Bikeway

A Great Route!

Slacks Creek located in Logan City is home to a well maintained and popular bike way which extends from Springwood to the Tygum Lagoon in River Glen Village. Enjoy meandering along the trail which follows the creek through various landscapes and grassy fields.

The all abilities playground at Logan gardens is a great spot for kids of any age to explore along your ride. Please note that if you are intending on doing the entire bikeway it will be a 20km round trip to get back to your starting point.

Travelling with a family can be difficult, especially when you have bikes in tow, but it’s easier when you are confident and have the right equipment to secure your bikes. Read our top tips on bike security here.

Rocks Riverside Promenade

A Family Favourite

Planning a family ride is always easier when there is a spectacular park along the route, and that’s why Rocks Riverside is a family favourite. Starting at the parks main car park, navigate onto the shared pathway which borders the Brisbane River. From here, spin those legs 3km along the beautiful towering gum trees and park space.

Once you reach Amazons Place Park adjacent to the Centenary Highway, turn around and make your way back along the pathway. There are many places along the route where you can stop for a picnic or our suggestion, wait until you’re back at Rocks Riverside Park where there is a water play area!

Boondall Wetlands

Source: Live for Less Brisbane

A hidden gem!

Riding through the Boondall wetlands is definitely one to add to the list of must do’s! With mangroves, marshlands, woodlands and waterholes it’s a great place to take the family on a ride and is relatively flat.

We suggest starting your ride at Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre just off the Gateway motorway. From here simply follow the cycleway to Nudgee Road. Once you reach the end you can cross to the path on the far side to get a view of the water – just be careful crossing the road! Then you have the option of a flat ride out to Nudgee Beach, another 3km away, or back to where you started.