Ride Report: Brisbane Valley Rail Trail

[Kat]

Hi everyone, 

This weekend my partner, me, and two friends of ours went on an overnight trip on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. I took my beloved Appaloosa of course!

Here's a link to the full album of photos: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QptT8m9RuBBvqVGa6

The story of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail goes way back to 1989 when the Brisbane Valley Rail line was closed. Over several decades different sections of the trail were progressively redeveloped and opened until the entire 161km length was finally completed in August 2018, making it Australia's longest continuous rail trail. 

I've ridden the entire trail or sections several times, first in 2018, again in 2019, on a family holiday in 2021, and several day trips, so it was nice to be back. 

We left our car at Esk and took the shuttle to Yarraman, which is the northern end of the trail. The shuttle is a popular service on the BVRT which will take you and your bikes so that you can do a one-way trip. This is especially popular because riding north to south is mostly downhill!

This was our friend's first bicycle tour and they hired bikes. I had Jo and my partner had their steel touring bike. Our beautiful steel bikes got a lot of admiration from other passengers on the shuttle! These types of bikes are still not as popular in Australia as the US. Most people ride mountain bikes on the BVRT. 

We stopped for lunch at Blackbutt, which has an excellent bakery - there was a line around the block! 

The BVRT is a great first bicycle tour route. There are towns along the way every 20km or less, which makes it easy to get food and water and have a rest stop. No need to carry food or cooking equipment. 

After Blackbutt it was all downhill to Linville, our destination for the night. The trail winds gently down over 20km, losing 400m of elevation. This section is great fun and is in the beautiful state forest. It's shady, green, and full of bell birds. 

We camped for the night at Linville. This is a free camp across the road from the Linville Hotel where we had dinner. There's free showers and toilets and a display of the old railway carriages to explore. 

The Linville Hotel and Linville itself is one of the great success stories of the BVRT. Since the BVRT opened in its entirety, life and economy has been brought back to small towns which were struggling since the rail line closed. 

Linville, which is not on the highway, has a population of about 100 people. When I first rode the rail trail it was September 2018, just months after the whole trail was officially opened. 

I had intended to camp but it was raining. I went into the pub to see if I could stay in a room. Inside was the proprietor and one other patron. "No worries, that will be $40". I was the only person staying there! It was quite spooky overnight. I don't think they even served food at that stage. 

The pub has changed hands several time since then but the last couple of owners have put a huge effort into renovating and revitalising the old place. When we stayed now, the pub was pumping. There were probably 70-80 people there for dinner. There was live music, fire pits, and probably upwards of 10 staff working. I had an amazing beef & Guinness pie - it was delicious. The pub's accommodation was booked out and there is another bunkhouse in town, which was also booked out. 

A huge success story for the rail trail and cycle tourism!

[Kat]

Day 2: 

We had breakfast at the cafe at Linville and then kept heading south. After a quick break at Moore, we were looking forward to a cold soft drink at Harlin, especially because the only real hill of the trail is just before Harlin! Due to a dispute with the landowners, the trail deviates from the original rail corridor here and is quite steep!

There was nearly a disaster when we realised the petrol station was closed - I thought I might have a mutiny on my hands if I didn't get something cold and sugary into everyone quickly! Fortunately the pub across the road was open so we were able to get a Coke there. 

We continued on to Toogoolawah for lunch. It was quite hot so we put our heads down and pedalled to get out of the sun. 

At lunch (at the pub of course!) we unexpectedly bumped into some other bicycle-loving friends of mine who were also out on a weekend bike tour! They were doing a longer loop incorporating some sections of the trail. Earlier, those same friends had crossed paths with another mutual biking friend! It seems everyone had the same idea about what to do on the weekend. 

The final section from Toogoolawah back to Esk was probably the nicest section of the whole trip. The afternoon sun was warm without being harsh. The surface was smooth hard clay - as nice as concrete. The landscape opened up into rolling hills and glorious Australian gum trees. It was a beautiful way to finish the trip. 

The bikes performed admirably. None of the group had any flats, which was a good test of my Hatcher Pass Tyres over some often quite rough gravel. I had new WTB TBU tubes in - I can't say I have noticed much of an appreciable difference from rubber, but a little weight saving doesn't hurt. 

One thing I have decided or noticed is that I would prefer to carry more weight on the back of the bike in future. My last bike was a porteur style, designed for a front rack. I always rode it that way and preferred it. With the Appaloosa being more high trail I am finding that putting all the weight into the front basket makes it a bit less nimble and lively than when the front end is unloaded. I'm holding out until the next run of HappiSacks and will probably grab a Nitto R10 to go with it. 

I have done several other tweaks on Jo since she was first built which I will make a separate thread about, but safe to say Jo is nearing her "final form" and I am very happy with her!

Thanks,

Kathryn

[Steve]

Kathryn, I like your 'This Machine Kills Traffic'  sticker.  Inspired perhaps by the phrase Woody Guthrie painted on his guitar?  Nice ride report & photos.  Thanks for sharing!    

Steve in AVL

[Kat]

Thanks Steve. Yes, an ode to Woody of course, although also inspired by the Riv-specific "This Hillibike Kills Fascists" sticker that popped up a little while ago on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrlNXDiLsLm/?img_index=1

In the comments of that post someone mentions a "This Machine Kills Traffic" shirt. I copied their idea and got a few stickers printed. 

Thanks,

Kat

[Dan]

Great to read this report Kat. Your bike is looking wonderful, and the BVRT sounds like my kind of tour! I like your photos too. 

If you’re reconsidering the loading of your Appaloosa, maybe also consider a frame bag. The triangle is so big that you can fit quite a decent size frame bag in there even with your two large water bottles. I was given a Huuungry custom frame bag for Christmas and I use it all the time. On day rides that’s the only bag I use (I still have a basket). My lock always goes in there. 

Having said that, the Appaloosa carries heavy loads in the rear like nobody’s business. Highly recommend that too. 

[Kat]

Hi Dan, sorry for the late reply! Yes, I'm keen on a framebag as part of a touring setup. I'm thinking a half one + Cranktank would be a nice way to carry water. I wish I'd bought a Cranktank while they were still in Australia!

Hungry is awesome, I love his stuff. I loved the panniers he did for Kumo Cycles recently!