After a mere 4hrs sleep, I dragged myself out of bed at an ungodly hour on Sunday to head to the official opening of the Kilkivan-Kingaroy Rail Trail. After stopping in Gympie to pick up Chris (an old workmate), we reached Kilkivan around 6am.
I hadn't realised until the night before that the "event" of the opening was starting in Kingaroy and only going as far as Murgon, so we had the old station complex pretty much to ourselves.
I hadn't realised until the night before that the "event" of the opening was starting in Kingaroy and only going as far as Murgon, so we had the old station complex pretty much to ourselves.
Photo by Chris Brock.
In the bike department, Chris was on his "Russian Tank", a Polygon tourer with 700x38s and a truly terrifying weight, while I had my LDR Trailblazer gravel bike. This started off as a Big W Diamondback XR1 flat bar road bike I found on roadside collection earlier this year, thrown together with mostly scrap parts and some Bunnings rattlecan paint (I figure if big bike brands can put their name on off the shelf frames, so can I). I had managed 25kms on the road since I finished building it on Wednesday, and considering the heavy wheels and 42mm tyres it hooked along very nicely.
Heading out of Kilkivan, the beautifully smooth packed dirt at the station ended within a hundred metres and we encountered the first of approximately ONE MILLION gates. In hindsight this was an omen, but we weren't to know any better, after all the trail is OFFICIALLY OPEN.
In the bike department, Chris was on his "Russian Tank", a Polygon tourer with 700x38s and a truly terrifying weight, while I had my LDR Trailblazer gravel bike. This started off as a Big W Diamondback XR1 flat bar road bike I found on roadside collection earlier this year, thrown together with mostly scrap parts and some Bunnings rattlecan paint (I figure if big bike brands can put their name on off the shelf frames, so can I). I had managed 25kms on the road since I finished building it on Wednesday, and considering the heavy wheels and 42mm tyres it hooked along very nicely.
Heading out of Kilkivan, the beautifully smooth packed dirt at the station ended within a hundred metres and we encountered the first of approximately ONE MILLION gates. In hindsight this was an omen, but we weren't to know any better, after all the trail is OFFICIALLY OPEN.
Photo by Chris Brock.
The first 6kms was rough but reasonable, and we soon came across the first creek crossing. There was a beautiful old iron and concrete railway bridge seemingly in perfect condition, but rather than putting down a new deck and perhaps some additional barriers on the side, the council had opted to fence it off and run a dangerously steep loose gravel track down into the creekbed.
The first 6kms was rough but reasonable, and we soon came across the first creek crossing. There was a beautiful old iron and concrete railway bridge seemingly in perfect condition, but rather than putting down a new deck and perhaps some additional barriers on the side, the council had opted to fence it off and run a dangerously steep loose gravel track down into the creekbed.
Photo by Chris Brock.
Another 6kms brought us to the next creek crossing, this time there was no bridge (a shame as it would have been an impressive size) and another steep, loose embankment to the creekbed.
Another 6kms brought us to the next creek crossing, this time there was no bridge (a shame as it would have been an impressive size) and another steep, loose embankment to the creekbed.
Photo by Chris Brock.
As we arrived a bunch of cows scattered, and as one calf went through the crossing we noticed it was at least 3 feet deep. This was the only water for quite some distance, and no attempt had been made to improve the crossing, even dumping some rocks in there. But just a few metres to the right...
As we arrived a bunch of cows scattered, and as one calf went through the crossing we noticed it was at least 3 feet deep. This was the only water for quite some distance, and no attempt had been made to improve the crossing, even dumping some rocks in there. But just a few metres to the right...
Yes, a bone dry crossing point. Common sense would suggest that Gympie Council could have either improved the existing crossing point, or had a chat to the adjacent landowner about utilising the spot just outside the rail corridor, but as we were to find out, common sense is seemingly in short supply there.
I won't say that we deviated from the rail corridor, but neither of us got wet feet, and I'll leave it to you to guess how...
With that obstacle out of the way, there was another 3kms of rough track (our best guess is the sleepers were removed and the hollows left behind) before starting the climb up to Kinbombi. At nearly 5kms, an average grade of 2%, and numerous beautiful cuttings, this is a stunning climb. Or it would be if not for Gympie Council...
While it looks pretty good in the photo, and in sections it was ok, the "construction" consisted of a single pass by a grader with no additional material, meaning the surface left behind was both hard and soft, scattered with large rocks and holes. At least it was merely uncomfortable and unpleasant rather than dangerous.
That changed past Kinbombi Rd however, as the track got terribly rocky and we were reduced to walking long sections. It was somewhere around here that Chris enjoyed his first magpie encounter. Swooping black and white bastards would become something of a theme for the day, although there was no damage besides a small puncture in my new helmet.
Photo by Chris Brock.
As we rolled into Goomeri, all we could think about was counting down the kilometres to Murgon and blessed bitumen. With our average speed sitting at just 12kmh, that was going to take some time...
As we rolled into Goomeri, all we could think about was counting down the kilometres to Murgon and blessed bitumen. With our average speed sitting at just 12kmh, that was going to take some time...
Photo by Chris Brock.
Gympie Council weren't finished with us yet though, and they left the best of their incompetence til last. We were only a short way out of Goomeri when we were confronted with this-
Gympie Council weren't finished with us yet though, and they left the best of their incompetence til last. We were only a short way out of Goomeri when we were confronted with this-
Chris managed to ride the lot of it but with all those sharp edges I was concerned about punctures (and the prospect of falling onto them!) and walked. There was lots of this, and when it finally finished we were presented with ludicrously deep sandy sections.
Photo by Chris Brock.
There were also a couple of very substandard creek crossings to contend with.
There were also a couple of very substandard creek crossings to contend with.
Photo by Chris Brock.
The first photo doesn't show too well, but the rocks in the creekbed were huge, damn near the size of my head (ie unrideable). Chris found himself stuck in too tall a gear on the other side and accidentally dismounted onto his top tube. I remarked that it was about the "Fifty-fiveth time" he had done that, to his very great amusement. Yes only 40kms in, and delirium was starting to take hold. After hours of pain, we finally rolled into Murgon, where markets, SES volunteers, and billycart races were underway.
The first photo doesn't show too well, but the rocks in the creekbed were huge, damn near the size of my head (ie unrideable). Chris found himself stuck in too tall a gear on the other side and accidentally dismounted onto his top tube. I remarked that it was about the "Fifty-fiveth time" he had done that, to his very great amusement. Yes only 40kms in, and delirium was starting to take hold. After hours of pain, we finally rolled into Murgon, where markets, SES volunteers, and billycart races were underway.
There were no water taps apparent, but we reckoned on having enough water left to reach Wondai about 13km further on. So we moved onto the sealed section of the trail, and what a wonderful feeling it was. For the first time we got over 30kmh and we floated along as happy as pigs in mud.
The very gradual climb soon took the edge off our enthusiasm and we settled to a steady 20-25kmh through the scrub. We were soon presented with the rather unnerving remains of the Wondai butter factory, hidden in the trees on the outskirts of town. It's a shame to see such a magnificent old building slowly deteriorating.
Wondai itself offered a nice welcome, with a well presented station complex and trail opening entertainment. This is the town that time well and truly forgot, the only sign it isn't the 60s is how many of the businesses are closed. After finding the nearest drinking fountain unusable, we filled our water bottles from a toilet sink, only to be presented on the other side of town with a table of volunteers handing out bottled water.
We were ticking along ok at this point, but the torturous terrain in the first 40kms had taken a lot out of us (especially myself) and even with a short stop near Tingoora, by the time we reached Wooroolin I was in a bad way and talking about pulling the pin. When my vision blacked out after standing up, Chris volunteered to get some Coke from the cafe. As is so often the case, it had a miraculous effect, and while it didn't turn me into Cancellara, it was easily enough to get me the rest of the way. Having the motivation of catching up to an attractive lady cyclist who had passed us at Wooroolin helped as well!
As we neared Kingaroy Chris had a brief cramp, so when he pulled to the side a few kms later I assumed it was for another cramp and went round him to see the trail blocked by a massive 6ft Brown Snake (cue much swearing and panicked braking). Luckily the snake just carried on his way, and we did the same (a bit shakily in my case!)
After 88kms we rolled into the Kingaroy station, having taken a whopping 6 hours for the journey. The finish was a little underwhelming, as we were the only people there, and aside from O'Neill Square the area is somewhat bare, but South Burnett Council have apparently budgeted to do more work there in the near future.
Chris' dad had driven out to Kingaroy to pick us up, and after a stop for some Vitamin M (aka Maccas), I fell asleep somewhere between Murgon and Kilkivan, waking up as we pulled into the car park at Kilkivan station.
While it was a great day, and a great ride, the big story here is how two councils can take a dramatically different approach to a project. South Burnett Council have really shown enthusiasm for attracting tourism with a fantastic asset supported by good facilities, whereas Gympie Council have seemingly been dragged kicking and screaming into begrudgingly doing as little as possible.
The overwhelming impression is that Gympie Council have tried to save money, and in doing so, killed (or at least badly wounded) the golden goose. The ONLY thing that would get me back on to their section of the trail in the foreseeable future is the prospect of taking the KOM on the Kinbombi climb. On the other hand, I will be back out spending time and money in Kingaroy as soon as possible and will definitely be visiting regularly.
It will be interesting to see what (if anything) Gympie Council does to unlock the potential of their end of the trail. In the meantime, I'll be calling it the South Burnett Rail Trail, as they are the ones taking it seriously.
Fair Winds,
LDR.