7 minute read
a CENTRal Qld adVENTURE
By Kate Farrar, Member #4448
Wednesday night was set aside to pack the bags, kit out the motorcycle, and get an early night so we could get an early start. We had 11 days of great adventures in front of us, only our second longest motorcycle trip together. The first day was to be a long ride to Bargara – well, long by the standards of a desk jockey like myself – and we had to get there in time to join our friends watching the turtles lay that night.
First fuel stop of the journey – look at the nice clean bike!
We decided to take the scenic route through the Sunshine Coast hinterland, which gave me plenty of opportunity to try out my exciting new ‘pillion cam’ on the gorgeous scenery coming into Kilkivan. After taking the Mary Valley Way to Gympie, we headed towards Kin Kin taking a lovely deviation through Woolooga to avoid the snarls of the Bruce Highway. In the end, though, a tricky route from near Tiaro to the back blocks of Maryborough was abruptly halted by a closed road unknown even to Navigator Google. After lunch at Portside cafe Maryborough (first encountered during the last Back to the Bush), we finished the day with a slow and very blowy trip across the Bundaberg outskirts. The turtles at Mon Repos are an amazing natural drama. They return to the same place they themselves hatched to lay their eggs 30 years later (they must be better at navigation than me!). Our turtle arrived on the beach at nearly midnight and then very quickly and efficiently laid 130 eggs, much to the admiration of all the mums there
watching her.
‘Pillion cam’ – Obi Obi Rd just before a grading (this was the nice bit of road)
Only a short ride the next day to 1770, but a stop at Agnes Waters had Don meeting a soul mate on an old 1100 RT which he had swapped for his trail bike and some cash. Whilst I gazed at the tranquil beachscape, Don and he discussed the local real estate activity, Volkswagen Combis and hot up tips for Beetles, and the scenic route into Rosslyn Bay. When we ultimately reached 1770, the sea was a very inviting watercolour blue, and a heavenly dip left us ready for dinner at the now voguish fish and chip shop at the marina.
The view from the 1770 Fish and Chip shop
The ride to Rosslyn Bay via Emu Park didn’t disappoint with great views out over the Keppels as you hug the coast. On the way, we picked up a sweet Rocky pineapple from an entrepreneurial farmer and his boys, and enjoyed it before setting off to Rosslyn Bay marina for a sundowner and a
critical review of the yachts moored there.
The road from Emu Park up to Rosslyn Bay
Next day was the ride the trip was designed around – through the Pioneer Valley up the range to Eungella National Park. But first we had to get to Mackay. We set off early and stopped in at Marlborough for brekkie with Grandma Sue who entertained us greatly with her stories about the Willie Wagtails nesting and the woman who was walking from the top of the Cape to Tasmania. We can definitely recommend a stop at the Marlborough General Store for coffee, a yak with locals, and the best bacon going around. Alternatively, you can stop at Flaggy Rock – about an hour further on – which has awesome baked goods and fine coffee.
Don at Flaggy Rock Cafe
The ride up Eungella Range was recommended by the Hema atlas of Australia’s best motorcycle roads (recommended by Cameron Crawford, a strong club tour guide prospect), so was much anticipated. Starting with lovely winding roads through the canefields, it then gets very
41 technical as you ride up the range across steel grids near waterfalls with very tight U-bends. The views are extraordinary – but are easier for a pillion to
enjoy than the rider.
The ride up Eungella Range
Eungella National Park – including Finch Hatton Gorge – is an incredible sub-tropical oasis in the hinterland of Mackay. Replete with water crossings, platypus, ferns, waterfalls, and the best swimming holes ever, we can recommend a couple of days there. Make sure you try out the Eungella Chalet which has amazing views to the east and is
a real riders’ destination.
Leaving Eungella via Kinchant Dam – another great recommendation from Cameron Crawford – we turned off the bike to check the map and found it wouldn’t start again. A friendly local helped us jump-start the bike, but discovering that our next destination Dysart would not be likely to carry motorcycle batteries, we went back into Mackay. Colin at Mackay Yamaha Motorcycles was very helpful, but unfortunately the first two batteries his mechanic tried on the bike failed to crank the engine. Luckily, Don had started the bike prior to when we arrived at the shop to check battery viability, so he knew it wasn’t a faulty starter motor as the team were suggesting. Don convinced them to try a third battery, which started well and has done so since. Thank goodness for that first check or we might still be in Mackay having the starter motor replaced! The road through Central Queensland to Carnarvan Gorge via Dysart is hot and barren and very straight indeed. Fortunately, features like the Peak Downs mine tower up beside the road, adding real interest. The road also makes you notice the little things – the birds’ nests in those amazing skeletal trees along the highway; the suicidal butterflies; the kites and eagles hovering above the road; the way every herd has at least one cow that turns to stare at you as you ride by. At one stage we were excited to be rescued by a farm chopper whose colleague on a motorbike mustering cattle near the road lost two of his cows onto the highway just in front of us! The road trip to Carnarvon Gorge the next day was also hot and dry so we were very happy to arrive at the cool haven of Carnarvon Gorge. It had been hard to get into – only Takarakka resort is operating and the visitor centre isn’t even manned because of the bushfires last year and now COVID-19. We spent the first afternoon in a small gorge near the camp, and were lucky enough to see an echidna feeding on some ants. Who knew they sound like a happy baby when they are nuzzling around in the dirt! Carnarvon Gorge doesn’t really need a recommendation from us, because the stunning beauty speaks for itself. We took ourselves on a 24 km hike the first day – probably longer than we were ready for, but it was worth it to see the incredible Aboriginal rock art and endless gorge at the end of our path.
The incredible Carnarvon Gorge (there had to be at least one non-motorbike shot!)
43 Leaving Carnarvon, just for something different we decided to take some of Duncan’s famous ‘farm roads’ from Carnarvon to Miles. Blithely ignoring a friend’s comment that ‘Duck Creek Road might get a bit sandy sometimes mate’, we ventured forth on what became quite a terrifying combination of arms and legs everywhere to keep the bike upright. Relieved to be back on the bitumen, we then discovered that some councils (Banana) have great roads, whilst others (Maranoa) apparently don’t use much gravel in the roadbase so the tar turns into a terrifying slippery mess in the midday sun. We were pretty pleased to get to Miles and the world famous Windsor Hotel parmy and a Kilkenny ale because Guinness was off the taps that week. Last day home was another hot and dry one, but with the landscape changing to the familiar wheat and range combination we all know and love. Brekky at Sharpys Café on the creek at Chinchilla was a standout, as was the ride down Upper Flagstone Creek Rd past Scotty’s Garage and into Brisbane through the beautiful Gatton backroads. All in all a fabulous trip, full of great roads and a heap of other activities, which we can highly recommend!
