Home via Moree, a lovely town, Milmerran, then the new 2nd Range Crossing road that by-passes Toowoomba, to join the peak hour traffic in Brisbane. Thank goodness we are all calm, rational, family men!! From Lightning Ridge we drove the dirt road we were intending to ride- it became very apparent that it would have been a difficult ride on a convention bike, impossible on my recumbent- so we really dodged a bullet there. We decided it was probably a good idea just to head for home. Matt went out early for a walk, but returned after only a couple of minutes, finding it all too much for his lungs. The next morning we awoke to dust, smoke and strong winds. That evening we dined in airconditioned comfort at Piccolos, a great italian restaurant, with great food, atmosphere and service- 5 stars highly recommended! I think we only saw 3 cars and 2 trucks on the whole journey! Same as the previous days, lots of roos both dead on the road and hopping here, there and everywhere when they heard us. We left the highway after about 20km, onto a secondary bitumen road all the way to Thallon.
We left early, little wind and a clear sunny day was ahead of us. I think we were all relieved to review our options, we decided to ride Thallon, 65km due east of Dirran, then return to St George, 80km, the next day. A mechanical problem could delay us to the point of real danger. But the 41C day coincided with a 90km gravel road of unknown quality, with little shade. The temps were forecast to get hotter (41C, Min 38C) for the rest of the ride.We were confident we could get to Lightning Ridge safely as it only required a 70 and 60km days, if you start early enough you can cover that distance before the heat gets too much. Shame about all the camping gear we hauled around with us!Īfter our experiences the day before, we had to think seriously about the future route of the ride.
We stayed here at a local motel with aircon. We had intentions pre trip of camping, but the camping areas here ( and everywhere else) were rock solid earth without a blade of grass or on 2 inches of pebbles. Kudos must be given to Matt for not giving the tour away after the first day on the trail, he completed the tour with 1 puncture and dodgy rear derailleur that was easily fixed when he got home.Īll in all, it was a great tour, perfect weather, good company and a first for recumbents! In contrast, the trike, with its 16in wheel was a struggle for it's rider, 2 of the 3 wheels where mostly in the rough, low clearances and it was difficult to push uphills when required. The level of concentration required was probably higher that a normal bike, but they completed the trip with no punctures or mechanical faults. The recumbent bikes handled the conditions with little problem. Consequently limited numbers ride this section, it is rough and hilly and difficult to access except by car. The Gympie Council are responsible for the Kilkivin to Murgon section and have presumably chosen not to invest to the same degree. the South Burnett Council have invested in their part of the trail, the Murgon to Kingaroy section, it is sealed and attracts numerous riders of all abilities to the trail. The South Burnett Rail trail is a story in 2 halves. The BVRT has been a great success for the small towns along its length, the popularity of the trail has had quite an affect on the local economies. Minimal wait for the train to Ipswich, change platforms to the train to Brisbane- who should we find on board? Josh, reunited we enjoyed our journey back to Brisbane again. Matt and I continued on and finally hit the tarmac with 8km to ride to the station. Josh left us here and made a beeline for the station at Wulkuraka.
Into Lowood, had some lunch, then onto Fernvale. From Murgon on, the trail is sealed, yes!! After a rest and drinks break we continued on to our overnight stop at Wondai. It wasn't long before the track deteriorated with larger rocks making the going difficult for my 20 inch wheels on the Grasshopper and at a road crossing, I headed for the highway as well, caught up with Matt and we rode into Murgon together, leaving Josh on the rail trail. At this point Matt, sick of being pummelled on the trike, elected to ride via the highway to Wondai, our stop for the night. We rolled into Goomeri for lunch at the local bakery. Occasional patches of sand or larger rock, made it more difficult and required concentration to avoid losing the front wheel from under the bike. For the 2 wheeled crew, we were able to follow the single track ok and were rolling quite well. Again Matt on the trike now had the additional difficulty of uphill and rough track to contend with. Quite a bit of climbing ensued, at least it was at railway gradients, 2- 2.5%, so wasn't too bad.
0 kommentar(er)
