Calendar


Trip Diary

08-2012 Peel Island (An Ekka tradition)
08-2012 Moreton Island
07-2012 Rocky Point
06-2012 Blakesleys
06-2012 The Bedroom
05-2012 Breakfast on Karragarra
05-2012 St Helena
05-2012 Perigee Bedroom
02-2012 Queen Mary II
02-2012 Mud Island
11-2011 St Helena
11-2011 Shorncliffe to Redcliffe
10-2011 Weinam Ck to Dunwich
10-2011 Peel Island
10-2011 Breakfast on Karragarra
10-2011 St Helena and Green Island
09-2011 Wivenhoe Dam
08-2011 Fraser Island
08-2011 Canaipa Passage
08-2011 Karragarra
08-2011 Stradbroke Island
07-2011 St Helena
07-2011 So long, and thanks for all the fish.
05-2011 Green Island
05-2011 Wivenhoe Dam
04-2011 Upper Noosa River Weekend
04-2011 Easter at Woodgate
04-2011 Mud Island
04-2011 Karragarra for Breakfast
02-2011 Bongaree
02-2011 St Helena
01-2011 Weinam Ck to Blakesleys
10-2010 Moore to Blackbutt Rail Trail
10-2010 Whitsundays
09-2010 Mud Island
09-2010 Redcliffe
09-2010 Girraween
08-2010 Upper Noosa River
08-2010 Potts Point
08-2010 Peel Island
08-2010 Gateway to City Bike Ride
08-2010 Mud Island
07-2010 Blakesleys Afternoon Paddle
07-2010 Kedron Brook to Scaborough (and return)
04-2010 Colmslie Beach
04-2010 Brighton Park
01-2010 Nundah Creek
01-2010 Blakesleys
01-2010 Upper Noosa River (with a difference)
01-2010 New Year Paddle
12-2009 Potts Point
08-2009 Raby Bay to Peel Island
08-2009 Wynnum Creek to King Island
07-2009 Sandgate to Redcliffe
05-2009 St Helena
04-2009 Wellington Point to Peel
04-2009 Breakfast on Karragarra
03-2009 King Island
03-2009 Mission Point
03-2009 Mud Island
01-2009 Morning Tea at The Pin
01-2009 Circumnavigate Macleay Island
01-2009 New Year Recovery Paddle
12-2008 Caniapa
12-2008 Pine Rivers
11-2008 Coochie Night Paddle
10-2008 Breakfast at Karragarra
10-2008 Girraween
10-2008 Coomera Falls Circuit
09-2008 Hinchinbrook Island
09-2008 Manly Harbour Festival
09-2008 Linville to Blackbutt Rail Trail
08-2008 Weekend at Blakesleys
08-2008 Old Woman Island
08-2008 Circumnavigate Macleay Island
07-2008 Upper Noosa River
07-2008 Weinam Creek to Dunwich
06-2008 Scarborough to Bongaree
06-2008 Wellington Pt to St Helena
06-2008 North Stradbroke Jazz Weekend
05-2008 Point O'Halloran to Blakesleys
04-2008 Upper Noosa River
04-2008 Aquatic Paradise to St Helena Is
04-2008 Eprapah Creek
03-2008 Paradise Point to Moreton Island
03-2008 Wynnum Ck to Tangalooma Point
03-2008 Amity Point weekend
03-2008 Bremer River
03-2008 Brisbane River - Gregors Ck to Barneys Rocks
02-2008 Play Day - Coochie Mudlo
02-2008 World Wetlands Day Paddle
02-2008 Brisbane River night paddle
01-2008 Australia Day Week
01-2008 Blakesleys 3/4 Moon Paddle
01-2008 Shorncliffe to Nudgee
01-2008 Brisbane River - Barneys Rocks to O'Sheas Crossing
12-2007 Raby Bay to One Mile via Blakesleys and Potts Point
12-2007 Diamond Head to Tipplers
12-2007 Wynnum Ck to Green and St Helena Islands
11-2007 Bike Ride Bay Islands
11-2007 Tingalpa Creek
10-2007 Potts Point Night Paddle
10-2007 Return to Gilligans Island
10-2007 Salt Water Creek and Coomera River
09-2007 Elimbah Creek
09-2007 Scarborough to Caboolture River
09-2007 Fraser Island Whale Watching
09-2007 Circumnavigate Russell Island
08-2007 Pine Rivers Night Paddle
08-2007 Linville to Blackbutt Rail Trail
08-2007 Brisbane River City Reach
08-2007 Peel Island
08-2007 Brisbane River
08-2007 Green Island Day Trip
07-2007 Pine Rivers Night Paddle
07-2007 Mooloolah River
07-2007 USS Kitty Hawk in Brisbane River
06-2007 Black Tie on Peel Island
05-2007 Harrys Hut Camping Weekend
04-2007 Theodolite Creek
04-2007 Upper Burrum River
04-2007 Circumnavigate Big Woody
04-2007 Walkers Point to Toogum
03-2007 Boat Passage to Big Sandhills
12-2006 Woodgate to Mon Repos
10-2006 Fraser Island Whale Watching
04-2005 Keppel Islands
12-2004 Fraser Island
10-2004 Munna Point Camping Weekend
10-2004 Mooloolaba to Maroochydore
09-2004 Coochie Mudlo Island
08-2004 Karragarra Island
07-2004 Wellington Point to St Helena Island
06-2004 Noosa River Camping Weekend
05-2004 Brisbane River Night Paddle
04-2004 Budds Beach to Moreton Island
10-2003 Bulwer to Tangalooma
05-2003 Eatonsville to Harwood Island

Links

SEQSK Discussion Group
SEQSK Newsletters
Adventurer Anthony Malloch

Moore to Blackbutt Rail Trail
Date: 31-10-2010
Launch: Moore
Distance: 60km return
It was Mark who wanted to ride the Moore to Blackbutt Rail Trail so late in the year. I wasn't so interested as I thought it a recipe for an unforgiving hot grind. Instead we had a brilliant ride full of surprises, some most unwelcome and potentially deadly.

The Brisbane Valley was lush and the greenest I have seen it in a decade. Gum trees aside, you could think you were in NZ. The jacarandas held their shocking head of purple and the creeks were running. A colourful band of 11 riders set out from the park in Moore just before 9am. The sign foretold of the 30Km ride to Blackbutt, but the start of the trail was obscured by grass. After a few hundred metres on the road it was back onto the trail which ran uphill and down dale. At one of the gates we suggested Dave take the lead given his mountain biking experience. He fessed he had been quite happy at the back and it turned out maybe we should have left him there. Dave peddled on his merry way and soon had the lead pack riding across a creek. I was taking the action photos when the tail end charlies rocked up and wondered what was going on. The track didn't go down there, it went up to where a sign asked for the gate to be closed. Saved by photography and being being unable to convince Dean to piggy back me across the creek I gleefully retreated to the grandstand view at the top of the hill with the others and watched with much mirth as we had a demo on how to ride across what was now a very muddy creek.

There were no cattle along corridor from Moore to Linville, the main traps on this part of the trail were ant mounds. Some of them were quite large and skittery, something Alan discovered while chatting on his phone. He managed a very quick thinking step off the back of the bike and walked his way out of trouble. At Linville the mud and stones emptied out of the shoes of the lead peleton and the warm up was complete.

There has been a lot of work done on the trail. Beautiful sturdy bench seats are found at regular intervals from Moore to Linville. Impressive entrance gates mark the start and conclusion of the Linville to Blackbutt section which now has push open galvanised gates along the way, culverts with concrete pads over at the bottom of each creek crossing, a brand new loo about half way together with picnic areas under construction, hitching posts, horse pens, signs indicating distances, a grave and memorial to people who died in the making of the rail corridor and in places a chain wire barrier.

Soon after leaving Linville the group split with me optimistically giving chase to Dave and Dean. Along the way a juvenile eastern brown covered in ants lay in the middle of the track. It looked like it had been squished in a couple of places. Gibbers that would have you a goner at speed lay in wait for the return journey. By the time we got to the old tin shed with the mango my legs were feeling the pace so I decided to take a pew and wait for the others. Brian was next, he pulled up and kindly shared his morning tea - a homemade Anzac biscuit which I was only too happy to munch before anyone else showed. Next were Peter and Jane, then Brian and Leonie followed by Allan, Paul and Mark as tail end charlies.

Paul was not having the most comfortable ride and felt like he had a Blackbutt in the making. We puddled on up the hill at a pace which revealed the beauty of the flowers and the myriads of butterflies. Ephemeral clouds of a delicate blue, purple and pink haze dusted the edge of the trail and were studded by brilliant yellow straw daisies and dandelions. The colour combinations and the flowers themselves were exquisite. Lush growth overhanging the track made it look like a green glade, a world away from the dusty brown of the trail after a drought. The gidgee wafted, bellbirds chimed while goannas basked. One goanna was most reluctant to move, maybe he had had enough of getting out of the way of cyclists. He held his ground right up until the last foot.

On the outskirts of Blackbutt Dave was heading our way all tooled up coming back to check out whether we had had a mechanical failure. No, just a butt failure, one which felt every bump on the hard granite path, paths which I found also give a nice graze as the bike slid out from under me. A spectacular meadow of golden coreopsis and royal purple viburnum heralded the town Blackbutt. A mass of bikies had pulled into town while the rest of the group had had their lunch. Alison had been Dean's support crew and had carried some of the lunch gear and gave the option for some to take the sag wagon back. No way Paul was giving up his hard earned downhill run - he was up for the return journey.

The return journey was a joy. A slight breeze, the warm afternoon sun coming from behind, you would think that the biggest danger might be the unexpected gibber, stray cow or sloppy cow pat. No. That squished brown snake had been a portent reminder. It came down to unfortunate timing and good luck. As we cruised down the trail, there were parts where it was covered in long grass. I was on the left hand side of the trail and didn't even see the 5 foot brown snake. I rode right in front of it and startled it while Mark a split moment later on the right hand side of the trail had no choice but to run over it. It did not take to this too kindly, reared up and struck in the direction of Mark. By this stage he says he had his feet up around his ears and was concerned about going bush and canning off right in front of one very pissed off large brown snake. He managed to keep going. I am not sure I would have had the presence to swing my legs up, and even if I had, the stirrups would have held my feet in. By the time Paul and Alan came through about 30 seconds later the snake had disappeared. It is worth knowing that only mobile phones on Next G worked in this area.

At Linville Paul and Alan decided to go back via the road. By now it was after 4pm, the skies were clear and the light was changing to a beautiful soft golden haze. We were shaded by the hillside and the return peddle to Moore was both cool and picturesque. It was a great day out, it was not too hot and made all the more beautiful by Springs flowers at their best.
In the beginning
And they're off
Today's crew
Follow the leader
Peter lining himself up
But this is the trail
Not down there
Crossing number two
Getting very muddy
Spectator sport
Beautiful flowers
Delicate campunulas
Here's Brian
Followed by Peter and Jane
Then Brian and Leonie
With Mark, Paul and Alan at the end
The new loo
Plenty of fresh undergrowth
Scotch thistle
Coreopsis
Beautiful meadows
And return
 
Moore to Blackbutt Rail Trail Map
GPS Trackfile (OziExplorer .plt)