Why this ride
344 km from Babinda to Babinda, about 7 h 49 of riding. It goes by way of Main component, Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha, Component around Lake Barrine and back through Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Component around Russell River and Component around Lake Barrine
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 344 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 49
- 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
Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha → Component around Lake Bar
Slow enough to look. The surface follows the shoreline, so the corners arrive where the water decided, not where an engineer did. Water arrives beside the road and stays for 45 km. The line follows the shore because there is nowhere else for it to go.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 61 km
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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
Component around Russell River 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 66 km into the recorded legs. Next is Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha.
3. 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
about 111 km into the recorded legs you reach Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha. Next is Component around Lake Barrine.
4. Component around Lake Barrine
Lake Barrine fills a volcanic crater on the Atherton Tablelands, a deep round lake fringed by dense rainforest, formed by a violent volcanic explosion many thousands of years ago when rising magma met groundwater. Its sister lake, Lake Eacham, lies a few kilometres away, and both are part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Site. The water is clear and deep, and the rainforest around it is home to some remarkable creatures: Lumholtz's tree kangaroos, musky rat-kangaroos, Boyd's forest dragons and many birds.
Read the complete Component around Lake Barrine write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Component around Lake Barrine, about halfway. Next is back through Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha.
5. back through 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
back through Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha 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 278 km into the recorded legs. Next is Component around Russell River.
7. 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
Component around Russell River closes the day.
Leg by leg
Component around Russell River to Main component
Component around Russell River → Main component is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Main component to Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha
Main component → Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha to Component around Lake Barrine
Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha → Component around Lake Barrine is 61 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Component around Lake Barrine to back through Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha
Component around Lake Barrine → back through Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha to back through Main component
back through Component around Malbon Thompson and Graha → back through Main component is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Main component to Component around Russell River
back through Main component → Component around Russell River is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.