An escape to the country doesn’t always have to be road trips that turn into hours! Just 45 minutes out of Brisbane and you could be putting two wheels to this stretch of rail line from the 1800s… also known as the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail.
The trail famously takes in beautiful towns like Yarraman and Esk… but let us tell you, all the fun begins a whole lot closer to home! Wulkuraka is the start of this 161km ride… located just 10 minutes from the City of Ipswich. It then continues to Fernvale, before looping westwards to Lowood and then continuing north to Coominya, Esk, Toogoolawah, Moore, Linville, Benarkin, and Blackbutt before finally arriving in Yarraman.
But don’t think that you have to own a bike to take on this experience. Ben Forbes, from Forbes MTB, has you covered! His mountain bike service specialises in coaching and tours… he’ll even pick you up from your home and take you straight to the trail, or anywhere along it, with the bikes in tow.
The Wulkaraka to Fernvale leg covers about 1/7th of the entire Brisbane Valley Rail Trail, which is about 22kms. Most of the towns along the trail have a variety of pubs, bakeries, shops and cafes that offer excellent food and drink.
The legendary Old Fernvale Bakery is an award-winning bakery and café… it’s conveniently also the first food stop you’ll find on the trail! Being at the end of the first leg makes it the point where you can either decide to continue and complete the next leg, or the full trail, or turn back towards Ipswich and make it a day trip instead!
If this has unleashed your inner mountain biker, why not take it up a notch and check out Hidden Vale Adventure Park:
The Discover Ipswich website has more details and other tracks and trails around the region just waiting to be uncovered.
