I don't have panniers/racks so it was my commuting backpack and 2 water bottles approach. I tried to keep things light (didn't even pack undies haha) so the bag wasn't too heavy on my back. Tried to keep it to a change of clothes, basic spares/tools, toiletries and food. Also the mandatory charging cables, chamois cream etc.
I stayed the first night in the Fernvale Motel (around $90/night) and the second night at the Harlin Motel ($55/night including breakfast!). I originally wanted to stay the second night in Kilcoy but it was booked out for the Labor Day long weekend. (FYI - Harlin has only 3 buildings in the 'town', whereas Kilcoy is much larger with plenty of shops). I don't stay in motels much but they were fine to me. Obviously going by the price the Harlin Motel is very basic, but the pub next door did a great value steak dinner. I only needed a shower and bed really.
The weekend weather was fine & sunny, but got pretty hot on the second day. At least i didn't need to worry about rain gear. The peculiar Spring weather meant i saw 5 degrees in the morning down in the valleys (glad i had thrown in arm-warmers) moving to 37 degrees in the daytime (glad i had packed sunscreen).
UPS:
- Motels are easy. No need to worry about tents and sleeping gear. Showers feel amazing after a hard ride.
- Plenty of towns on the way so ample opportunity for drink refills and food.
- Plenty of houses too, and the people are friendly. I did stop at one for an emergency bottle refill and was rewarded with ice water and a banana.
- Amazing scenery in that part of the world. Early morning is magic hour. Gregorys Creek Road was a standout for me...just serene and no cars.
- Train home from Elimbah was easy, but they are about 1 hour apart. You can always have lunch at the Roadhouse while you wait.
DOWNS:
- Once it gets hot, there is no shade. Wide open paddocks with not much wind can make it tough.
- With a backpack and CX bike, its steady going. You wont set any speed records. 2 water bottles is a must.
- A million magpies. And the bush ones don't give up easy, most following me for more than a kilometer! I actually wished for zipties on my helmet *shock horror*
- Plan your route carefully and take a hardcopy map. I did get lost leaving Toogoolawah and my Garmin 800 was unhelpfully blank. It didn't show the level of dirt roads i was on at the time. In the end i only added 20kms to my route. Likely that heat stress was a contributor to my bad decisions.
Roads/traffic:
- Pine Mountain Road was fine on a Friday. There's no real shoulder but the traffic was light.
- The Brisbane Valley Highway has been resurfaced leading into Fernvale. Rough open chip, but it has a wide 1m shoulder.
- Wivenhoe-Somerset Road is fine too. Lumpy, but you can hear any cars coming a long way off. If you are on there early AM, you will see alot of cars + boats heading out for fishing. Bright rear light is a must.
- Definitely avoid the Brisbane Valley Highway from Esk northwards. The shoulder comes and goes and the traffic sped is very high. There are also roadworks in a few places at the moment. I only used it from Harlin to Gregorys Creek Road. Check for road closures: http://131940.qld.gov.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
- Twin View Road is part asphalt, part 4x4 track. MTN or CX bike only on that part (fun!), unless you want to walk for abit.
My route:
Day 1 - https://www.strava.com/activities/404545970" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Day 2 - https://www.strava.com/activities/405083817" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Day 3 - https://www.strava.com/activities/405743509" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Misc photos from the trip:
https://picasaweb.google.com/1065417040 ... directlink" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Happy exploring. Love to see other places you guys have gone to...
