Location - Sth-east Queensland, Australia
Ride - Moore through Linville and then toward Blackbutt
Distance - 34.2 km
Terrain - Combined cycling, hiking, horse riding track
Difficulty - Mostly flat and fairly easy.
Highlights - The 'off the beaten track' charm of Linville
Day 3 of our Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT) ride. See the previous post for Day 2 and the first post in this blog for Day 1.
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Plan A turned into plan Z again. We intended to drive to Esk and ride north from there. According to the BVRT website there is a 19 km section of the trail open from Esk to Toogoolawah. However it turns out that the BVRT website is no longer being updated and is happily misleading anyone who has the presumption to rely on it. The only parts of the trail actually open are Fernvale to Lowood and Moore to Blackbutt. There seems to be no plan to re-open the rest of the trail or to maintain those bits still navigable. As time goes on it seems that other sections of the trail will, sadly, also be closed through disrepair.
We drove on to Moore, unloaded the bikes and set out for Linville. The 7 kms from Moore to Linville is by far the prettiest, most interesting section of the trail. An easy round trip, there is a charming old pub in Linville for lunch as well as picnic tables near the old Linville Railway Station. Arriving at Linville, especially by bike, has that 'you have just stepped back in time' feel. There is nothing modern or rushed about this little town. The old Linville Railway Station has been lovingly restored and several old rail carriages have been left to die, adding to the bucolic charm.
After a picnic lunch in Linville it was a slow grind uphill for 9 kms or so until we made the decision to turn around. With all the mucking around in Esk at the beginning of the day we were never going to have enough daylight to make it to Blackbutt and back but we went far enough to take in the magnificent views from this section of the trail. The downhill ride back into Linville was punctuated only by the regular stops required to open and close cattle gates.
From Linville we took the quick way back to Moore, cycling along the road adjacent to the trail. A combination of the sealed surface and flatter terrain got us back to the car in plenty of time before dark.
For all my posts on the BVRT click - here
Ride - Moore through Linville and then toward Blackbutt
Distance - 34.2 km
Terrain - Combined cycling, hiking, horse riding track
Difficulty - Mostly flat and fairly easy.
Highlights - The 'off the beaten track' charm of Linville
View Larger Map
 |
| The old Linville Railway Station |
After a picnic lunch in Linville it was a slow grind uphill for 9 kms or so until we made the decision to turn around. With all the mucking around in Esk at the beginning of the day we were never going to have enough daylight to make it to Blackbutt and back but we went far enough to take in the magnificent views from this section of the trail. The downhill ride back into Linville was punctuated only by the regular stops required to open and close cattle gates.
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| One of the locals |
From Linville we took the quick way back to Moore, cycling along the road adjacent to the trail. A combination of the sealed surface and flatter terrain got us back to the car in plenty of time before dark.
For all my posts on the BVRT click - here
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