Why this ride
344 km from Babinda to Babinda, about 7 h 35 of riding. On the way it passes Main component, Component around Russell River, Component around Moresby Range and back through Component around Russell River.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha and Component around Moresby Range
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 344 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 35
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Atherton Tablelands Loop
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 60 km this is Atherton Tablelands Loop, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 60 km
- Named road
- Atherton Tablelands Loop
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha
South of Cairns, the coastal plain narrows between the sea and a wall of mountains that includes Bartle Frere, at 1,622 metres the highest peak in Queensland, and its neighbour Bellenden Ker. The ranges here are covered in dense rainforest, among the oldest on earth, and they form part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland, listed by UNESCO in 1988.
Read the complete Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha is where the day begins. Next is Main component.
2. Main component
Inland from the cane fields south of Cairns, the land rears up into a wall of rainforest so dense that the ridgelines seem to steam after every shower. Gordonvale lies about fourteen kilometres to the north, Babinda a little further south, and the tableland town of Yungaburra up over the range to the west.
Read the complete Main component write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Main component comes up about 45 km into the recorded legs. Next is Component around Russell River.
3. Component around Russell River
Rain is the first fact of life along the Russell River. The river drains the eastern slopes of the Bellenden Ker Range, south of Cairns in far north Queensland, and these mountains, including Bartle Frere, at 1,622 metres the highest peak in the state, catch the moist trade winds off the Coral Sea and wring out some of the heaviest rainfall in Australia. The result is a dense, steaming tropical rainforest that tumbles down the mountains to the coastal plain, part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area, listed in 1988. It is one of the oldest continuously surviving rainforests on earth.
Read the complete Component around Russell River write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 111 km into the recorded legs you reach Component around Russell River. Next is Component around Moresby Range.
4. Component around Moresby Range
Innisfail had to rebuild itself after a cyclone flattened much of the town in 1918, and it chose to do so in the latest style. As a result, this sugar town on the Johnstone River has one of the finest collections of Art Deco buildings in Australia, with colourful façades, geometric patterns and elegant shopfronts lining the main streets. Just to the east, the Moresby Range runs down to the coast in a band of steep, rainforest-covered hills, part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage area, one of the oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforests on earth.
Read the complete Component around Moresby Range write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Component around Moresby Range, about halfway. Next is back through Component around Russell River.
5. back through Component around Russell River
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Component around Russell River write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Component around Russell River sits at 127 km, about halfway. Next is back through Main component.
6. back through Main component
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Main component write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Main component comes up about 299 km into the recorded legs. Next is Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha.
7. Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha closes the day.
Leg by leg
Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha to Main component
Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha → Main component is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Main component to Component around Russell River
Main component → Component around Russell River is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Component around Russell River to Component around Moresby Range
Component around Russell River → Component around Moresby Range is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Component around Moresby Range to back through Component around Russell River
Component around Moresby Range → back through Component around Russell River is 56 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Component around Russell River to back through Main component
back through Component around Russell River → back through Main component is 72 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Main component to Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha
back through Main component → Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.