Adventure awaits in the tropical savannah lands

Disused railway lines come in all shapes and sizes across Queensland. This point-to-point ride uses a line which was built by the Chillagoe Mining and Railway company in 1902, but was later taken over by Queensland Rail, and eventually closed in 1960. In the 60 years since it has been a public road, but obviously it is a road with the gentle gradients and remnant history that goes with its railway past.

Recent ride reports (from July 2021) note that the 8km trail section near Mt Garnet is rough and overgrown in places, before you reach Nymbool Road.

Although we have listed this ride starting in Mt Garnet, which is on the Kennedy Highway and easy to get to via road from Cairns, the railway formation was built as a spur off the Tablelands line at Lappa Lappa (now known as Lappa Junction).

According to the Rail Trails Australia page on this trail, you can expect outstanding savannah landscapes, panoramic views, impressive cuttings, stone bridges and culverts.

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The 120 year-old “pub” at Lappa Junction is also a highlight, styling itself as Australia’s first BYO hotel (it doesn’t have a liquor licence). It does have a museum, however.

There are no services whatsoever between Mt Garnet and Lappa Junction, so being self-sufficient for food and water is important. And while this ride is “only” 52km, it would be a big day out to ride it both directions, so planning a shuttle with multiple cars, or having a support vehicle might be a good plan.

Trans North operates a bus from Cairns to Karumba that stops at Mt Garnet, see the Trans North website to book.

The Savannahlander private railway comes past Lappa Junction most days in a gleaming 1960s rail motor from either Cairns, Forsayth or Karumba, but it’s a tourist experience, not a standard railway service, so you can’t just jump on it back to Cairns.

The Great Northern Cycle Trail is a Facebook group which has put together a route which includes this ride as the western section of a 450km adventure cycling loop around the Atherton Tablelands. Lots of other great riding being highlighted around the Tablelands and Savannah country in that group!

Our photos for this article came from Sandra Butler who is part of the above-mentioned Great Northern Cycle Trail group. Of the Mt Garnet – Lappa Junction route she says: “It is a really beautiful ride!”

First instalment for a magnificent new rail trail

The Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail is a fascinating mix of Queensland history and current day interpretations of that history.

Barrimoon Tunnels to Builyan is the first section of the BBIRT to be open. It covers about 27-28 km. The best way to ride is down the Dawes Range, starting from Kalpowar. A short section of gravel road links Kalpowar to Barrimoon Siding, and off you go. There are toilets at Kalpowar (at the community hall), but once you set out on the rail trail there are no services until you get to the other end.

The Gayndah-Monto-Gladstone branch railway scribes a massive 270km arc away from the main coastal railway line through the North Burnett region. It left the main line at Mungar Junction, about 10km south of Maryborough, and rejoined at Byellee, just outside of Gladstone.

The section from Monto down into the Boyne Valley was the last section built, in the 1920 and 30s. Close to the top of the range are the six tunnels that make this such a spectacular ride.

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From Barrimoon siding down to Golembil is the spectacular initial section of the new trail. And it is worth every last bit of the time, effort or money it takes to get you there.

Your writer of this guide has ridden plenty of rail trails in Australia. And this is (potentially) the best one. A little more work on the surface and it will be the best one.

There are six tunnels in the 5km from the top of the Dawes Range at Barrimoon. And the trails rolls through each of the tunnels, and in between there are views of the range all around. Just down the valley from here is a town called Many Peaks. And you can see why, as you cruise on the 11 km downhill to Golembil bridge.

From Golembil, the trail continues along the valley towards Many Peaks, and eventually Builyan, where there are toilets (at the community hall) and a shop (Kirsten’s Cottage, not always open, check before you ride).

The trail along here has plenty of rough and sandy sections. Wide tyres are a must, and this correspondent cannot help but think it would have been easier without our touring load.

The first stage of the Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail has opened up the possibility of linking up to other rail trails, for a truly epic adventure. See the Great Queensland Rail Trail Adventure website or Facebook page for more inspiration.

This hidden gem awaits …

The Kilkivan to Kingaroy Rail Trail is a must-do — 90km of blissfully traffic free riding through some of the nicest countryside in Queensland.

The KKRT is best considered as two rail trails, because the sections managed by Gympie Regional Council and South Burnett Regional Council have some major differences.

Kilkivan to Murgon is 45km (which apart from from about 6km is all in Gympie LGA), and it is the mildly adventurous section, with creek crossings and gravel surfaces, weaving through the cuttings around Manyung. It also has many gates, which is fine if you are riding in a group — take turns at who can be the most courteous gate-opener! But if you are riding solo, then you will get a lot of practice in dismounts and remounts — good news for the cyclocross enthusiasts among us.

Murgon to Kingaroy is also 45km long through the South Burnett LGA. This part is the family-friendly roll through the countryside, with trees planted beside the trail, and places to jump off and have a dip in Barambah Creek, or a picnic beside the trail next to the disused Wondai Butter Factory.

Like all rail trails, the gradients are gentle throughout. However, there are substantial height differences if you ride the whole way on the KKRT.

Kingaroy is at 425 metres above sea level, and Kilkivan is 150 metres above sea level.

So if you are going one way, and you get to choose which direction to ride … Kingaroy is the place to launch from. If you are doing the trail as an “out and back” over a couple of days, then start in Kilkivan and get the downhill run to finish off.

There are so many great little towns along the route, especially in the southern half. We totally recommend getting off the trail for a little explore around Goomeri, Murgon, Wondai, Tingoora (historic pub!), Wooroolin (amazing wetlands) and Memerambi.

There are free campsites on the trail at Wondai and Wooroolin.

The Goat Track is an iconic Brisbane ride available to any serious bike rider. We know plenty of people who ride it on road bikes, and of course it’s fine on a cyclocross or gravel bike or touring bike (good training if you are loaded up!). And perhaps there are more ascents of the Goat Track by mountain bike riders than any other sub-category, because it links so well with the myriad of epic off-road rides in D’Aguilar National Park.

This loop starts and finishes in Samford Village, which is a busy place on weekends. There is a great choice of cafes for your post-ride refueling!

Roll out of the village on Mount Glorious Road. It’s always glorious in the Samford Valley, and you can warm up with the gentle slopes before you reach the turnoff to the Goat Track.

The track is a gravel road and the climb is a steady 8% grade for 3km. The gradient never really changes, so although it’s hard work and most people will end up in their lowest gear, if you can cope with the start of the climb all you need to get to the top is persistence.

Turn left at the top of the Goat Track and there’s a little bit more climbing into Nebo Village. The Cafe in The Mountains is an option for refreshments before we launch into enjoying the fruits of our labour: the down hill run along South Boundary Road.

But a word of warning! Modern mountain bikes and gravel bikes have great brakes, but exercise some caution when descending South Boundary Rd, which is a double-track fire road. There are a couple of corners which have major drop-offs on one side. Overcook it into one of those turns and the mistake could be very costly indeed.

But if you brake early on the corners and let your bike run on the straight sections, you will have plenty of fun until the draggy climb up to the Centre Road intersection. Don’t miss this left turn otherwise you will end up in The Gap.

Centre Road descent can be pretty rough as well, so once again take it easy down to Enoggera Creek. Then chug your way up the 1.5 km climb back up to Mt Nebo Rd. This is a tough one, so be nice to yourself and take breaks.

Another quick descent and a left turn into Bellbird Grove, where you can dodge the frisbees and wave at the picnickers. Then one last nasty climb up the Link Road to the junction with Camp Mountain Trail. A traverse on Link Rd across to McLean Rd is our last section of gravel for the day and its quite fun, with three dips and short power climbs out the other side.

It’s a quick trip down McLean Rd South to join up with the Samford-Ferny Grove rail trail and a gentle way back towards Samford Village. We recommend a short stop on a sweeping left hand corner on McLean Rd South, at the cairn that remembers the Camp Mountain rail disaster. Sixteen people lost their lives on Labor Day in May 1947, the worst accident in Queensland’s railway history. The Dayboro railway line closed eight years later, in 1955.

Check out the map and GPS files on Ride With GPS.

Grit your teeth for some gravel!

There is a reason they call this part of the world “the Scenic Rim”.

For this whole ride, the views to the Border Ranges to the south are simply spectacular.

Make sure that you take a quick breather at the top of every hill, because otherwise you’re missing a major part of what makes this ride memorable.

There are many many variations of this ride, and by linking the back roads around Boonah you can easily make it any distance from 50km to 150km.

This version is right in the middle, so it is suitable for those with good fitness and some gravel riding skills. We reckon it’s too exposed for the height of summer, so choose your time of year carefully.

The ride along the ridgeline on Cannon Creek Road is one of the great delights of backroads cycling … keeping your eyes on the road is the trickiest task because there are views left and right the whole way.

The ride around Maroon Dam doesn’t have many places to fill your water bottle so make sure you have plenty of water on board when you start the ride. The climb up Fletcher Rd to Carneys Creek Rd is a tough slog with some sections of 15 percent gradient, but the views and the downhill which follow makes it all worthwhile.

Boonah has plenty of places for a great feed before or after you ride. The Dugandan Hotel just south of town is a favourite place to replenish those electrolytes.

Check out the map and downloadable GPS files at Ride With GPS.

Gravel goodness right on the border!

This route, starting at Storm King Dam, was used as the gravel edition of the Stanthorpe Community event ‘That Dam Ride’ in 2020.

Stanthorpe is a great base for gravel rides along quiet country roads. This route is an example, but the possibilities of gravel loops in the region are nearly endless. The granite-rich soil makes for a white-ish gravel road that is unlike anything else in Queensland … smooth except where corrugations intrude, and on the right tyres (700×35 minimum, up to 700×40 or our favourite 650×48) you will feel as though you are floating over the ground.

There is quite an amount of climbing in this route, but the hills but aren’t super steep, and because the course is a loop, what goes up must come down, and there are some fun descents. This writer loved the section from where you turn north around 27km, all the way till you turn west to head back towards Stanthorpe. That was 35km of route which trended downwards … hard not to be smiling in that case.

And after you’ve explored the gravel roads, there’s so much more to explore in the Granite Belt region. For some other great rides in the area, check out Ride The Great Divide.

Not for the faint hearted!

This challenging ride has been a popular event in the Queensland cyclocross social calendar for a couple of years. The first half is all climbing, and the second half is all downhill.

Starting in the small Lockyer Valley town of Helidon (which has an IGA/cafe and a pub, so your choice of post-ride refuelling), the first few kilometres are pretty gentle as we roll through Lockyer Siding on our way towards Murphys Creek.

There’s a tough little pinch on Murphys Creek Rd on the bitumen, before we cross the railway line and head up into the hills.

We are climbing on gravel for the next 21 km, and there are Strava segments aplenty, so challenge yourself every time the road kicks up a bit, and you can find out later whether you’ve bested Queensland’s best cyclocrossers.

Close to the top there is a dry-weather only option on National Park Rd. This road becomes slimy red mud when it rains. Do not ask me how I know this because I’m trying to forget. The route we’ve supplied below takes the long way around on Esk-Hampton Road which is not nearly as much fun. Your choice on the day.

There is a nice little park at the turnaround point, with water and toilets.

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And then all the pain of the climbing is forgotten as we descend on Seventeen Mile Road. It is 26km of fun fun fun, although there are a couple of small climbs on the way down that will test those tired legs. Depending on recent weather conditions, Seventeen Mile Road can be a little corrugated in places, but mostly you will be having the time of your life on the way down. A couple of the early sections are steep, so take care. Closer to Helidon the road flattens, but the downhill lasts all the way into the township.

A couple of sharp turns as you enter the town, and then out-sprint your companions to the “finish line” at Soldiers Memorial Park on the main street. Congratulations, you have faced your Helidoom and come out the other side!

The Caboolture-Wamuran rail trail is just the beginning for this fun loop

The Caboolture-Wamuran rail trail is a concrete or bitumen path which provides a gentle 10km warm-up for this mixed surface ride.

Start from the Caboolture trailhead and roll past the Caboolture education precinct. You will then make your way through some low-density suburbia before skirting around the back of the Wamuran sawmill, and through a cutting to emerge in a nice park to complete the rail trail.

There are toilets at Wamuran (around the back of the community centre) before you launch into the next stage of the ride. After about 4km of minor road you make your way into a remnant natural forest and follow the Old Wamuran rail corridor. 6km of easy climbing pops you out onto Raen Rd. After another couple of km on the bitumen, we take a left turn into the pine plantations of the Beerburrum State Forest.

The literal high point of the ride comes after about 12km of forestry roads: the Glass House Mountains lookout. As you gaze around at the view, remember the dreamtime legend of Tibrogargan and Beerwah and their children, and see their tears flowing to the sea.

Back on the bike for a short but bumpy descent (or a short detour to the Glasshouse Mountains Lookout Cafe), and then a cruise along gravel roads towards Beerburrum township.

There are more coffee options at Beerburrum, and maybe you will need a snack as well, to power you along the bitumen sections back to Caboolture. After a few kilometres on Beerburrum Rd to Elimbah, you can dogleg onto Hamilton Rd and Dances Rd for a pretty quiet run back to the rail trail car park.

Look across to your right as you come into town and you will see the Caboolture Historical Village, with more than 70 buildings celebrating the pioneer days of the region.