Getting Away...Finally...Part 5!

It was a rough night at Harlin. When I set up camp there was some road traffic, but not overly bad. Unfortunately there was a traffic incident on The D'Agular Hwy. A motor cycle apparently drifted across the road and went under an oncoming cattle truck. The truck went over and cattle were everywhere. I don't know much more than that.

As the D'Agular was closed that meant the Brisbane Valley Hwy was the main traffic connection. This meant heavier than normal traffic went by where I was camped. That coupled with a light mounted in the tree I was camped under, well enough said.

Morning came round way too soon, but I rose early, and after the drinkies the previous night, somewhat sheepishly. A little rough around the edges I got packed up fairly quickly, and after a morning's heart starter of caffeine I began pedalling my way toward Toogoolawah, my first planned stop for the morning.

The first hill out of Harlin was a ball tearer. It was very steep indeed. I made it about half way up but walked the rest of it. Once at the top an amazing view greeted me. An everlasting view of pasture and grazing lands seemed to reach on forever.

A much welcomed downhill run was ahead of me now, down through private land which had me questioning if I had come the right direction. But it wasn't long before I saw a trail marker. The road surface along this section was almost like a well prepared gravel road, smooth and fast.

Getting close to what is named The Milk Train Bridge I spotted a rider heading towards me as I was climbing out of the small gully. He called out my name and I was a little taken back. But then I remembered that a friend I was meeting up with later had told one of his friends that I was riding south. We stopped and chatted for a while and bid our farewells.

The wind hadn't been overly bad this morning, it even felt like I had a tail wind on much of what I had done. Leon, the rider I chatted to said he had a tail wind What, could that be possible? It was long before I realised that I was riding in behind small hills and rises. Once up on the flat after meeting Leon, the head wind blew.

Not far out of Toogoolawah now and fanging for some breakfast I was about to pass another couple of riders. I've forgotten their names now but they are from Out There Cycling in Toogoolawah's small township. We chatted for about ten minutes and they gave me a suggestion of a good cafe in town. That's where I headed.

The small township was still asleep with minimal traffic and a few pedestrians spotted along it's footpaths. I found the cafe and settled in for much needed sustenance and caffeine. I messaged Graham, the friend I was to meet and he had left Esk where he was riding from. He was going to head north as I rode south and we'd meet somewhere in the middle. Breakfast had I was on the bike again.

Water bottles filled and on my way out of town I crossed over the new bridge and back on the trail again. This section was familiar to me as I had ridden it before. Coming out of Toogoolawah can be somewhat rough and it is also a subtle incline. I didn't push too hard, the headwind was another thing holding back this Old Bum.

Not too far out of town and I heard, "Hey, have you seen an Old Bum?" It was Graham. We had never in person but had been friends via Social Media for some time now. It was great to finally put a face to the name.

We rode and chatted, the days ride only being around thirty-five kilometres for me. There was no rush an not far out of Esk we caught up with another rider heading north. This guy was a tourist and he was heading to Mackay from Melbourne. His girl friend was driving and they would meet up every other day. He would drive some, then ride some.

Eventually getting into Esk Graham and I headed for a nearby cafe for lunch. We chatted for a good hour before departing ways. He was driving back to Brisbane and I was riding to the local Caravan park.

I was planning on stayong two nights in Esk. I like the town and it would have been great to have an extra day to look around. But for thirty dollars per night for an non powered site to fit a one man tent...jeez, I thought that was a bit steep.

Anyway, I checked in, set up camp and then drowned myself in the park's pool. It was shady and cool in the water and not wanting to get out, I just lay there floating around in the water like a stranded ship. Eventually a lot of other people decided it was time for a swim, and I don't people well...lol.

Out and into the shower. This was my first shower for a couple of days and the dust from the trail was deep under my skin. It felt good, and even though it was a rather warm day, a hot shower felt good. After this I walked up town where a six pack of beer found it's way into my clutches. How did that bloody happen?

Back at the park now I sat comfortably in the camp kitchen. The beers getting extra chilled in the kitchen's fridge and I nibbling on some corn chips, salsa and cheese. I'd made the decision to move on the following day, so I spent as much time up at the kitchen charging my battery packs, cameras and phone. I still had a couple of days to go, and free camping, so I wanted as much power as possible.

The night ended in the tent under the stars once again. The Southern Cross bright above, and the moon glowing through broken clouds made for a spectacular night light. It wasn't long before the eyelids grew heavy and I was off to sleep.

Eventually to the top of the steep climb out of Harlin

No milk, or nor train

Ah!Finally Toogoolawah and food

Some rough patches, some good

Set up for the night at Esk

Munchies...

Getting Away...Finally...Part 4!

Day four and the sun was shining, wind was blowing and the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail was awaiting.

I was up relatively early but in no rush. Instead of my Aeropress I just took along some of those latte coffee sticks on this trip. I put aside my coffee snobbery for a short time and just went light. As most who know me know, I'm strictly a black coffee man, but I was a little different on this trip. Yes, morning stops at a coffee shop or cafe was the normal long black, but throughout the day I absolutely enjoy a flat white. The latte coffee sticks were enough to get me started of a morning, but I had to look for more during the day.

Breakfast on this day was not an issue as my plan was to head into Blackbutt, stop at a bakery and fill up there. This I did.

Now on my way and heading for Blackbutt I was onto the BVRT once again. It has been eighteen months since I rode it last and was probably just as excited this time around. This time was different, new bike, different set up and a new section from Moore to Toogoolawah. The trail memories flooded back as I pedalled off in bliss.

It's a reasonably short ride from the trail head at Yarraman to Blackbutt. I swiftly found a bakery and settled in for some tasty morsels. A bacon and egg roll is always a favourite of mine, coupled with a sausage roll and a long black, the morning was coming together perfectly.

Leaving Blackbutt behind I continued onto Benarkin. Benarkin is a beautiful little spot boasting a small store and a free camp. The free camp here has showers and for two dollars one can enjoy a very long hot shower. Of course if cold showers are your thing, they're free. The free camp is rather large but does lend itself to many caravaners.

The next section, Benarkin to Linville is a fantastic ride. For one, it is all down hill. Not massive drops, but a continual - 1.0% decline, this makes for swift travelling. I got caught out along this section last time. Being on the Kona and fully loaded I ended up with a pinch flat. Not this time, no way...now on the Cube with much bigger tyres it was like flying without wings.

The day was another cool one and the shade of this section made it easy to deal with. Sights such as The Fetters Rest, and stopping to listen to the Benarkin Bellbirds chime out their call was not just entertaining, but restful.

As the trail flattens out I rode into Linville and stopped for lunch. Linville is another small stop with free camp, store and a pub. It also has on display the old station and a line of rail cars from the days when the line was open. Some of the cars are open so it was easy to stick my head in for a look see.

After lunch I was onto the next section, to Moore. It is here where the newest section takes you on more of the trail. Previously this section was closed and you had to wandered through back roads and along power line access trails. But now it was all rail trail. I hadn't been on this section before so I was keen to try it out.

My aim was to make Harlin, a small township just south of the intersection of the D'Agular and Brisbane Valley Highways. The sights were fresh and unfamiliar, which is always a good thing. In open and undulating farm land again the legs were kept working. The views of the valley were spectacular, and again ever changing. The addition of flow through grids through gates was a much welcomed improvement from last time. Especially running at the Yarraman end, the ever stopping required to open and close gates was more tiring than the ride itself. But now, that was all gone with the exception of a couple.

Not far out of Harlin now, and I climbed my last steep and long hill. At the top is a lookout that overlooked the small township and surrounding area. It was a must to stop here and take it in. Looking back to the north views of the river shone, to the east, mountains and to the west farm land, and of course to the south, the small village of Harlin.

At Harlin there is a small free camp. It is on the Brisbane Valley Hwy and is open to some road noise. But being small and plenty of grass, coupled with a large shady tree, it made for a more than adequate stop over. Plus the price was perfect...free. It had toilets and water and a roadhouse across the road for conveniences if needed. Also, what else the campsite had opposite it put a rather large smile on my face, a pub. What do you know? I couldn't have planned this any better if I tried.

Unloading the bike and setting the tent up under the shady tree was a speedy task done and dusted. I entered the men's toilet and with washer in hand began washing the remnants of the day's trail from my rather dirty self. I am one who loves my showers and it is not uncommon for me to have at least three a day. But when travelling and free camping showers are a luxury that just aren't always readily available.

I use a Norwex Body Clothe. They are made by one of those "natural everything" companies. I don't always go in for that sort of hype but I have to say, the body clothe works. After a long and dusty day's ride it makes for a refreshing wash and you can get away with using minimal water. Water wasn't my concern here, so a great wash I had.

Now set up, cleaned and changed out of my sweaty riding gear there was only one thing left to do...yes, visit the pub. My intention was simple, just enter the pub and buy two long necks (tallies, or 750 ml bottles), and return directly to the campsite to enjoy a beer in the shade. It's amazing how even the simplest plans can go horribly wrong.

On entering the pub the first thing I noticed was that with all the windows open and large fans oscillating, how cool it was. OK, just one for the road, so I order my long necks and a schooner as a whistle wetter. But...I just hate it when the publican gives you a glass of beer with a big hole in it. It just had to have had a hole in it, a bloody big hole. It dissipated way too fast, it was like it evaporated right before my eyes. True story...lol.

OK, that went down way too well, so why not one more, I was on holidays after all and I needed re-hydrating. So after yet another "one more" I staggered, I mean wandered back to my campsite clutching my take away's tightly in my grip, protecting them with all my being.

Once back at the site I started to enjoy a little time on social media and then thinking about dinner. In the time I was over at the pub a couple had pulled up in their camper to set up for the night. After a hello, and a pat of their dog, the lady mentioned the pub doing meals. WHAT...I'd died and gone to heaven for sure. I decided to finish what I was doing, drink my remaining beer and head across to find out if the information I had been given was correct. Yes it was, it was also Friday so the little pub was much more alive than when I had departed earlier. Raffles, chatter and lot's of laughter were abundant.

I ordered my meal and settled in for another beer. I ordered a mixed grill and when it arrived it was so big I had trouble seeing around it. A plate full of meat, a vegan's nightmare was now sitting before me and I wasted no time tucking in.

I managed to get through the mountain of meat and had a little desert, a Dark and Stormy. This is a can of my favourite rum, Bundaberg Rum premixed with delicious ginger beer. Now that I'd had my fill I wandered, no staggered, back across to the campsite. It was about 9:00 PM by now and the eyelids were heavy. It didn't take long to nod off.

But the night was not as pleasant as I had hoped...

Cheers guys.

Embarking onto The Brisbane Valley Trail

A mixture of surfaces and terrain, but all gravel

Photo opp at the old Nukku Station site

Plenty of old relics in the form of bridges

Magnificent views all round

Linville Station, still standing proudly

Camping and beer, the perfect match

Getting Away...Finally...Part 3!

Day three was much cooler. A south easterly change brought cooler weather with it. Along with the cool change it also supplied a hefty headwind. Headwinds are something you grow accustomed to cycling around Bundaberg.

Leaving the motel I headed back into town before leaving. I wanted to find a coffee shop, cafe or the ilk. Unable to do so, I had to call into a particular family restaurant that I visited the previous afternoon. Yes, the Golden Arches. It was much quieter now, just the local running and walking groups that were out early of a morning.

Breakfast had, coffee downed it was time to hit the road. Today's ride was to Yarraman and camp at Yarraman Weir at the head of The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. The day's ride was an unofficial connection route between the South Burnett and the Brisbane Valley Rail Trails. It had been mapped, and it was also the way I had travelled before.

Oddly enough, this is one of my favourite parts of the ride. Lovely quiet roads, a mixture of bitumen, gravel and forestry, and so much serenity. You are unlikely to catch up with another soul on this section, although it does pass by homes and farms. I did, however, get a wave from the local Garbo doing the rounds.

One has to be prepared along the connection route. There is nothing between Kingaroy and Yarraman, no shops and no parks. There is nowhere for water or supplies if any are needed. Make sure, which ever way you are travelling that you are stocked up on the essentials. Although, mobile service is pretty well covered all through the route.

I headed out via the aerodrome and Kingaroy Observatory. Along here there is the Kingaroy Vintage Machinery Society. I think I have that right. In their grounds is a museum of machinery ranging from ploughs to tractors, Well worth the stop.

Continuing out along Peterson Drive the heart rate started to get a work out, it's not long before some decent hills appear. It is on top of these hills you can look back over your shoulder and see an amazing view of Kingaroy and surrounding area. The Peanut Factory and silos are a constant sight around Kingaroy. But the scenery all around is spectacular to say the least. The mixture of grazing land, crops and rolling hills, and of red and black soils make a checker board of beauty as I heaved the bike over the top.

The landscape continued to change as I moved away from Kingaroy towards the back of Tarong. Grazing land become more prevalent, and the squeak and rattle of  rusting windmills accompanied my somewhat heavy breathing and pedal stroke. Listening to them, it was though they were speaking to me in some weird and wonderful language. Either that, or they were declaring my arrival to the lazing cattle that populated the surrounding fields.

Tarong is also home of The Torong Power Station. I caught glimpses of it as I rose up and down the  more than undulating land. Snippets of the steam stacks rose above like a modern equivalent of a medieval castle. Coupled with the black landscape from the surrounding coal mines, it had a resemblance to scenes straight out of Lord of the Rings. Seeing the machinery drive around from the distance reminded me of Morgoth's minions readying for war in the battle over Middle Earth.

Switching between bitumen and gravel roads, up hills and down hills the ride never gets boring. The roads remain quiet and extremely safe for riding. Tucked in between Maidenwell, Nanago and Yarraman the bitumen roads eventually disappear and I entered the State Forest, that will in time open up into Yarramn's small township.

Now in the forest the sound of Bellbirds replace the eerie sounds of the windmills that once echoed out. Shade was more common helping cool me down. Also the persistent headwind was now blocked by the towering hoop pines. It was now lunch time, the legs were feeling heavy and the stomach empty. I was reminded on day one how not eating would effect me, so I had made it a point to stop regularly to eat and drink.

I eventually found a narrow forestry road that lead to nowhere. It was the ideal location to travel a few hundred meters off the main road, not that the main road was anything much more. Nestled in under the pines, out of the wind and in the shade, lunch was brought out and the billy put on.

I had made good time and didn't have that far to go. The wind through the tree tops and the sounds of the forest was rather hypnotising. I was in no hurry so I laid out my seating pad, and laid down on a soft bed of pine needles. It wasn't long before I nodded off for a short time. This is what bicycle touring is all about, just taking it slow. So far the trip was working out just fine.

After my midday siesta, it was time to drag myself from the quiet and tranquillity of the State Forest. The worst was behind me with the two hills I have dubbed, "The Heartbreak Hills" now being at my back. These two hills start off credible. But not far into them they climb up at a decent rate. Now, I'm not suggesting that they are unrideable. but being loaded, and not overly fit, walking was the only option for me. The worst thing about them is that are reasonably close together. You think one is over, start to decline and...BANG...onto number two.

The Heartbreaks gone it was now just a steady two percent upward run. I'd had plenty of practice of this over the past few days. Not long now, my memory kept reminding me. The problem was, that my memory wasn't all that accurate.

Now near the end, this is probably my favourite section of any of the ride I had embarked on. It is a down hill run through towering pines onto the Burnett Highway just north of Yarraman's township. It is like a tunnel made of trees, no sun, and almost needing a headlight. One push on the pedals and it is a coast, all the way down to the road.

Now on the Burnett Hwy, it is a downhill run into town. It is only a short distance from leaving the forest's enclosure to the caravan park at the top of town, that has very little shoulder to ride on. But then it opens out and there is more than ample room.

Once in town I first visited the local supermarket. I just wanted to stock up on some canned food items, flatbread and some juice for the following days. After the store I rode down to the park and filled all my water bottle, hydration pack, and water filter bladder. This was to give me enough water for the night's camp and following day into Blackbutt.

Water topped up, food stuffed into my bag temporarily I was off to the night's campsite. It was only a six minute trip out of town by bike. Arriving at Yarraman Weir was quite surprising. The weir has just been renovated into park lands and a free campsite for those using the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. I have to say, it is one of the best campsites I have camped in. It is clean, well maintained with toilets and has a large amount of grassed area. It also has horse yards for those traversing the trail on horseback.

One thing it doesn't have, and this is by far it's best feature, is a lot of room for caravans. It is fantastic to see a campsite that focuses on campers rather caravans. It doesn't happen enough.

The weir is the site of the very first pulp mill that operated in Queensland. Remnants of the old steam engine that was used to pump water from the river to the mill is still standing. The weir is also a home to a menagerie of bird life, and over time will be a display of a variety of water flora.

I was the only one there, and had pick of the park. I chose the middle at the only covered table and quickly got set up. It was handy. there was enough room under the covered area to set up my tent as well as park the bike and spread my gear out. It was also only a stone's throw to the toilet, which actually had a tap. Nestled in amongst the river gums there was plenty of shade to kick back and enjoy the evening's sunset.

What an exceptionally peaceful way to end a beautiful day's ride, the sun setting, the stars appearing and a cool breeze reminiscent of the air conditioning I was pampered by the night before. Again it was just wonderful to lay in the tent with no fly and watch the millions of stars wander slowly across our southern sky.

Cheers guys.

Breakfast before heading off

Kingaroy Observatory

Kingaroy Vintage Machinery Society

The sights from the hill

We got to the top in the end

Yarraman Weir

Campsite for the night

Who needs 5 star accommodation