Cycling the Brisbane Valley rail trail.
Brisbane Valley rail trail "At 161km, this is Australia’s longest rail trail.Gently undulating through mostly farming land in the southern section, with steeper sections and bushland in the north." ref https://www.railtrails.org.au/trails/brisbane-valley-rail-trail/
I spent a day on this trail cycling from Esk to Moore return covering a total distance of almost 100km on my mountain bike (a big ride !). Unfortunately I wasn't able to spend longer on the trail as I was committed to meeting my daughter in Brisbane the next day.
I camped overnight near the Esk trail head and left early. Almost straight away I felt that this trail was going to be a great ride. There are plenty of rail artefacts, the trail is mostly gravel and in good condition and the scenery never got boring.
Despite the warning about the magpies, the ones I saw were benign. They are mainly a problem in breeding season and I was outside that.
Country Queensland has many cotton farms. The seeds blow around and so the plants crop up as weeds. The rail trail had a few cotton plants alongside it, but not to the extent of an infestation and they added a somewhat colourful break to the muted colours of the outback terrain.
Railway infrastructure in general is an eyesore, however by keeping a few items here and there they offer a view of a past gone by and do have an artistic presence.
Some of the undulations require a bit of work on the climb up, especially when the wind is not in your favour. However they are none too long and the effort is soon forgotten on the descent and when a breather is taken to admire the scenery.
Moore was my end destination. I was pushing it going this far, as the the end of the day closes in quickly up here, especially at this time of the year. I considered staying overnight on the trail, but the time constraints meant I would have missed my rendezvous with my daughter tomorrow.
There was a nice cafe at Moore serving up all sorts of foods which met my culinary desires. The chai latte was good too.
Murals on the bridge abutments, rails and trail artworks are sporadic and in good taste .
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