Explore the South East Queensland Countryside With This New Multi-Day Cycling Trip Along a Disused Rail Line

Queensland’s tourism industry is dominated by images of the reef, rainforest and dusty outback, but much of the state doesn’t fit into these categories. It’s why tourism opportunities have historically been limited in some regions – but now the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, which stretches from Yarraman to Wulkuraka near Ipswich, is fast changing that.

Constructed over 29 years between 1884 and 1913, the railway line fell into disuse by the 1980s and was converted into a rail trail in sections, with the final leg being completed in 2018. Hardened riders regularly attempt it in one day (one former Olympic cyclist is reported to have made the round trip in under twelve hours, which would have beaten the trains), but the accepted wisdom is that three days is a more enjoyable time frame. And a new multi-day trip is making it more accessible than ever by including bike hire, accommodation and luggage transfers between each stop.

At over 161 kilometres, the traffic-free trail passes through rolling farmland, tall hardwood forests and small country towns where the largest building is still the 100-year-old pub. And for most of that length the track is wide enough to accommodate several cyclists on a surface that alternates between dirt, gravel, sand and asphalt.

BVRT Cycles owner Josie Sheehan has been hiring out bikes since before the trail was even completed, and says that numbers have grown “dramatically” over the past five years – she estimates she’s clocked up 1.4 million kilometres in seven years while shuttling cyclists from one end of the trail to the other.

“A lot of those people are surprised that you can be this close to Brisbane and still feel so remote,” she says, and that’s exactly what makes the trail so appealing. “Having so much open space where you can interact with nature makes it a great way to experience the relaxed country lifestyle for a couple of days.”

Cycling in a downhill direction means starting with a two-hour shuttle from Ipswich and leaving the morning traffic behind for a broad valley where iconic Queenslander houses look out over herds of grazing cattle and rusty windmills. But even they have disappeared by the time the shuttle reaches isolated Yarraman Station on the lower slopes of the Great Dividing Range.

From there the trail heads east through open bushland, where fire-scarred yacca are flanked by termite mounds that slowly change colour as the soil switches from loam to sand and red dirt. Occasional patches of dense hardwood forest provide a change of pace, as well as indicate the railway’s original purpose – many of the original Queenslander homes were built from blackbutt, hoop pine and cedar brought to Brisbane by train.

One of the joys of riding the trail is landing in spots that you would never otherwise visit, and Linville definitely falls into that category. Linville Hotel owner Tracey Diver, whose family has lived in the area for five generations, remembers when it was “a booming little town with timber and cattle,” but the sleepy one-street town is now so small that you can hear cattle lowing from the deck of the two-storey pub.

She estimates that 80 per cent of her overnight guests are cyclists, none of whom would have visited five years ago, and since taking over the pub with her sister 15 months ago she’s been able to add a beer garden and outdoor dining area, as well as change the menu more frequently for repeat visitors.

And Diver says it’s easy to see why the trail is so popular. “After Linville it goes through some rainforest before coming out into this picturesque valley where you can breathe in the fresh country air while you ride through farmland full of grazing cattle. It shows off just how beautiful this region is.”

As the trail approaches Wulkuraka, the population centres grow closer together and former railway stations evolve from long-forgotten sidings hidden in the scrub to playgrounds filled with kids. And when it turns into a paved bikeway five kilometres from the end, it sets the scene for a triumphant procession through suburbia. That stretch provides a gentle reintroduction to the greater Brisbane area before returning the bike at Wulkuraka and travelling back to the city in the most appropriate way imaginable: a one-hour train trip.

The writer was a guest of Tourism Queensland and Australian Cycle Tours.

brisbanevalleyrailtrail.com.au