This is the second in a series of stories from my recent road trip in South East Queensland. With campervan packed and bikes loaded on the back, we went travelling old roads with new eyes.
After riding the Esk to Fernvale section of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT) on Sunday, we were keen to explore more. This time though, we’d be on our own. And we were. Well… sort of.
Monday brought milder temperatures along with weary bodies and a plan to ride the rail trail from Esk to Toogoolawah, enjoy a pub lunch and ride back again. The return journey would be about 42kms (26mi).
Within a few kilometres of leaving Esk, we were peeling off gloves, jackets and leg warmers. The land was parched. Brown grasses stretched to the horizon. My body loosened up to the jiggle of the rail trail.
By eight kilometres, I’d frozen. But it wasn’t from the cold.
We were happily riding, pausing to take photos, drink water or cross a creek. Then ahead, spread across the trail and over its edges, we saw cattle. Their rich caramel colour striking against the land’s beige grass. As we rolled closer, the herd rearranged itself. I wouldn’t have minded if they were all cows but there were a couple of bulls amongst them. And one bull had rearranged itself sideways across the trail.
At this point I don’t remember breathing. But I do remember stopping. And I do remember saying to Jane, who was encouraging me to keep rolling forward: “I think we have to turn around”. And at some level I was remembering something else.
When I was twelve, I was one of ten country schoolchildren selected to attend the Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane. Once known as the Brisbane Exhibition, but now affectionately called ‘The Ekka’, this show is an agricultural exhibition held for ten days every August. I travelled by train from Bundaberg to Brisbane, chaperoned by a local schoolteacher, and during that visit to the Ekka, I made a discovery.
I discovered that although I like farm animals, I prefer them if there’s a fence between us.
The other nine kids seemed far more familiar with farm animals than me. We were all children of farmers but I’d lived on a sugar cane farm where our farm animals consisted of a dozen chooks, two ever-breeding cats and a face licking labrador. The closest I’d come to a cow was going with Mum to pick up milk from the neighbour’s dairy. I’d only seen bulls behind fences from afar. And as for horses, there really was only that one night on the Shetland Pony at Bundaberg’s Skyway Drive-In Theatre when I was about four.
When it came to the Grand Parade at the close of the Ekka and the other kids were hoping to hold the lead of some large beast and walk it around the main arena, I was making myself as small as possible. I think someone noticed. They gave me the job of holding a placard bearing the name of the Grand Champion Hereford Bull, while walking in front of this large lumbering blue-ribbon-wearing animal for the entire parade. I couldn’t wait for it to be over.
So back on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, I’m frozen with the fear of a farm girl sissy.
It’s not like I ever had a bad experience with cattle. I just don’t have enough experience with them. Do I ring my bell? Do I talk to them? And they’re so BIG. Do I ride fast? Or slow? What do I do if they start running towards me? So I stood astride my bike on the trail like a donkey refusing to budge while Jane coaxed both me and the cattle to move on.
And we did – me and the cattle – move around and forward and past each other.
But of course, that was no cause for me to feel much relief because I knew we had to come back the same way in the afternoon. “Do you think they’ll still be there when we come back again?”
No, they’ll be gone by then, came the nonchalant reply.
But of course they were there. And I knew they would be. But I decided I was going to face this fear. Actually I had no choice but it was still good to feel as if I was in charge of something.
So with firm voices laced with kindness, we called out to the cattle, waved our arms and encouraged them to move. All the while we kept pedalling through and past the herd. I remember breathing this time.
As for the rest of my Esk to Toogoolawah rail trail ride, it was enjoyable. I’ll let the photos and their captions tell you why… (for obvious reasons, there are no photos of cattle 🙂 ).
Rest stop near Coal Creek
Riding across a livestock grid.
BVRT is well signposted.
We saw three kangaroos grazing here – a large male and two smaller females. The females squeezed under the barbed wire fence and the male waited, watched us, and then in one bound from a standing start, jumped the fence.
Arriving in Toogoolawah via the Bubble Bridge, designed to celebrate the condensed milk factory that once operated in the town. Now the old factory is the Somerset Regional Art Gallery, named ‘The Condensery’.
Pub lunch at Toogoolawah – Rail Trailers Welcome.
Unsuccessfully photographing local llamas.
At the end of November, I’m doing something that I’ve never done before. Not that doing something different is unusual for me. I did my first yoga headstand at 50!
But my yoga headstand lasted less than a minute. My new adventure at the end of November will take me nine days.
You see, I’m riding the 9-day RACV Great Victorian Bike Ride. This rolling bike festival will take me travelling by bicycle through amazing landscape from the Grampians to the Great Ocean Road.
The ride begins in Hall’s Gap, a small town about 250kms west of Melbourne, on the doorstep of the beautiful Grampians National Park. From there we ride south towards Victoria’s southern coast to the Great Ocean Road. Now this is where I get even more excited telling you about this ride.
The Great Ocean Road travels a spectacular stretch of Australian coast with rugged coastal cliffs eroded by the Southern Ocean. This famous scenic drive is well known for the Twelve Apostles – a collection of limestone pillars formed and continually reshaped by erosion.
It’s here at the Twelve Apostles that our bike ride joins the Great Ocean Road and continues along it for another four days until we reach Geelong where the ride finishes. As we ride along the Great Ocean Road, we’ll roll through small coastal townships, through littoral bushland and alongside some of Australia’s most famous surfing breaks. Hmm… do you think I can take my surfboard trolley? 😉 Maybe not.
As with most supported cycling holidays, the RACV Great Victorian Bike Ride has options to suit different riders. I’m riding the 9-day tour but there are also 5-day and 3-day options. So if you’re interested in knowing more, head to their website where there are detailed descriptions of each option and plenty of practical advice about preparing for the ride.
And that leads me to my next point.
Over the nine days, I’ll be riding 527kms. And I’ve never done that before. So between now and November 26, I’m in training… #GreatVic Ahead! 🙂
p.s. – if this post has you tempted to join the ride, there is an early bird rate available until 5pm next Wednesday 3rd August.
The nine day ride from Halls Gap to Geelong.
This post begins a series of stories from my road trip in South East Queensland. With campervan packed and bikes loaded on the back, we went travelling old roads with new eyes.
One degree Celsius. Mostly sunny. Fernvale. 7am Sunday 3rd July. I stood in the car park wearing leg warmers, cycling shorts, three layers of merino wool under a shell jacket, a woollen skull cap and gloves. Shivering. Partly from the cold but also with excitement. I was about to ride the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT) for the very first time.
Fernvale is a small town about 61kms west of Brisbane and 130kms north west from my home on the southern Gold Coast. Midwinter meant a pre-dawn start for our 90 minute drive but with motorways most of the way, the journey was easy. Plus we had people to meet.
Cars trickled into the car park at the Fernvale Futures Centre, driven by women in cycling kit and carrying bicycles. A large bus, a coffee cart and an empty removalist’s van waited to swing into action for the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail’s Women’s Ride.
After signing in for the ride, sipping coffees brewed by the Somerset Coffee barista, and loading bikes into the removalist’s van, our group of 55 riders boarded the bus and filled it with a pleasant blend of chatter and laughter for the thirty minute drive to Esk.
The BVRT Users Association holds regular events to introduce bicycle riders to the rail trail. The Women’s Ride would see us ride the BVRT from Esk to Fernvale.
I felt a little anxious about the ride.
I felt a little anxious about the ride. At 44kms, it would be a long ride for me. It was also on terrain where a mountain bike – which I didn’t have – is strongly recommended. However, my Vivente is a touring bike made for tough terrain so I felt reassured that it should be okay to handle the trail.
After unloading all the bikes, the group gathered at the old Esk railway station and rolled out of Esk along the rail trail. My apprehension was quickly replaced with the enjoyment of pedalling along. At first, everyone seemed to be moving along at a quick tempo but soon riders found their own pedalling pace and the group spread out. Some were keen to reach the destinations ahead. Others, like me were soaking up the scenery on the journey.
Between between Esk and Fernvale, the BVRT crosses a variety of landscapes.
Between between Esk and Fernvale, the BVRT crosses a variety of landscapes. There are open paddocks with cattle grazing, fields carrying crops, native bushland and creek gullies to cross. Rail trail terrain is ideal for bicycle riding. Old railways followed the contours of the land where gradients were most gentle. This means rail trails traverse mostly flat land. The exception is where the trail has to diverge from the original railway line.
Between Esk and Fernvale, the trail diverges at the creek crossings. The historic railway bridges spanning the creek gullies are closed for safety. So the trail takes riders down into each gully to the creek and up again. Some riders navigate these gullies on their bikes. For me, I felt safer dismounting and walking.
Ride Marshals gave helpful information
We were given helpful information about the gullies by the ‘ride marshals’ who are members of the BVRT Users Association volunteering their cycling skills and knowledge about the trail. The Ride Marshals were spread throughout the group ride, maintained contact with each other via walkie-talkie and ensured no one was left behind. They are also very pleasant people to have a chat with along the way. And very helpful when my rear tyre punctured – only my second in four years!
Halfway through the ride, we arrived at Coominya and took a slight detour to visit the Bellevue Homestead where the cooks in the kitchen were expecting us. It was morning tea time and after riding 24kms, I’ve never tasted pancakes so good!
The rail trail’s surface varies considerably between Esk and Fernvale – compacted clay, loose gravel (some fine, some quite chunky and sharp) and luxurious bitumen around each township. Although my tough tourer took me across the rough surfaces, a bike with suspension and fatter tyres would make it more enjoyable for sure.
We finished the ride feeling exhilarated. Cycling through Sunday morning with no cars to navigate, under broad blue skies, where the landscape stretches your eyes to each horizon, really was a great way to start our road trip.
It was an excellent introduction to the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail and set us up well to ride another sector of the trail the following day.
For more information about the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, visit their website.
Bus, removalist’s van and barista waiting as everyone arrives at Fernvale.
Getting ready to start at the old Esk railway station.
Settling in to the ride.
Barricades to prevent livestock crossing – have to pick up bike and carry over.
The old railway bridges are closed for safety.
Like these riders, I felt safer to dismount and walk the steeper gullies.
There are gates along the way to open and close.
Arriving Bellevue Homestead for morning tea and those pancakes!
…caught with a flat …well how ’bout that.
Map of the ride from my Strava app.
What a great ride!
For more photos and stories of life on two wheels, visit my Facebook page @abike4allseasons – click here for the link.
a bike for all seasons 