Canungra to O’Reillys is a different sort of climb.Prydey wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 10:04 amI've ridden to O'reillys from canungra. Approx 30km climb and 900vm. Last time was back in 2019. Best to go real early as its very narrow in parts. There is a lookout towards the top too with some awesome views but the name escapes me.elantra wrote: ↑Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:50 am
The peaks of Springbrook, Wollumbin, and Lamington are all slightly over a thousand meters above sea level.
There are some good road cycling opportunities in these mountains, weather permitting. (But seek local knowledge (and Strava) about which roads are best avoided)
On paper looks big, according to Strava it is 34 km and 825 metres of climbing, which sounds it should be a tough ride in subtropical climate.
In reality it is not as intimidating as it should be, the climb has a lot of flat sections, the scenery is breathtaking, and it is mostly in the shade of the forest, which tends to neutralise the heat.
The lookout that you refer to is probably Kamerun Lookout, which is a small but worthwhile detour.
I think that it is an Indigenous derived place name, unlike O’Reillys which is of course named after the pioneering family who established the popular Guest house up there approximately 100 years ago.
Their history is a fascinating one and is recorded in the book “Green Mountains and Cullenbenbong” by the late Bernard O’Reilly.
The downside to the O’Reillys ride is that the road is as you say, quite narrow, which tends to make descent a bit scary as there must be about a hundred narrow corners
As it is a tourist destination, the normal patterns of traffic density do not apply, traffic is light most of the time, especially on weekdays and at night!
But if all that does not sound challenging enough, the “alternative” route to or from O’Reillys is the famous Duck Creek Road, which is a 4WD road with some very steep sections, and very rough surfaces which require gravel bike or mountain bike..