Why this ride
It goes by way of Gambubal State Forest, Spicers Gap State Forest, Wilsons Peak Flora Reserve and back through Spicers Gap State Forest.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Goomburra State Forest and Wilsons Peak Flora Reserve
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 528 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 06
- 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: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Goomburra State Forest
Goomburra is the northern gateway to Main Range National Park, a section of the Great Dividing Range west of Brisbane where the mountains rise steeply from the Darling Downs and the Fassifern valley. Like its neighbours on the range it belongs to the Gondwana Rainforests, and it is a place of mountain forest, rainforest gullies and dramatic lookouts. Dalrymple Creek flows through the valley, lined with tall eucalypts and rainforest, and the camping area beside it is a favourite of families and walkers.
Read the complete Goomburra State Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Goomburra State Forest is where the day begins. Next is Gambubal State Forest.
2. Gambubal State Forest
Gambubal State Forest clings to the western side of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, close to the New South Wales border, in country that drops from rainforest-clad ridges down to the grazing land around Killarney and Warwick. The forest adjoins Main Range National Park and belongs to the wider belt of subtropical and temperate rainforest protected as part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. Hoop pine, ancient Antarctic beech on the highest ridges, tree ferns and strangler figs give it a feel of deep time, and it is one of the cooler corners of Queensland in summer.
Read the complete Gambubal State Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gambubal State Forest comes up about 111 km into the recorded legs. Next is Spicers Gap State Forest.
3. Spicers Gap State Forest
Allan Cunningham, the botanist and explorer, found a way through the Main Range in 1827, and the gap that bears his name now carries the busy highway from Brisbane to the Darling Downs. A few kilometres to the south, Spicers Gap was the route that early drays and coaches used instead, because it offered an easier climb up the escarpment. The old road, built in the mid nineteenth century with stone retaining walls and drains that can still be seen, is now part of the Main Range National Park and the neighbouring state forest, and it is a fascinating relic of the pioneer days, with a historic cemetery and the remains of an old camping ground for teamsters.
Read the complete Spicers Gap State Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 528 km into the recorded legs you reach Spicers Gap State Forest. Next is Wilsons Peak Flora Reserve.
4. Wilsons Peak Flora Reserve
The Border Ranges are where Queensland leans against New South Wales, and Wilsons Peak, a rocky summit on the line between the two states, is part of that tumbled wall. The flora reserve around it protects a patch of high, cool forest on the old volcanic ranges, and it is one of those places that the wider world mostly forgets. The land here was shaped by the huge Tweed volcano, which erupted for millions of years, leaving behind a circle of mountains and deep valleys.
Read the complete Wilsons Peak Flora Reserve write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Wilsons Peak Flora Reserve, about halfway. Next is back through Spicers Gap State Forest.
5. back through Spicers Gap State Forest
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Spicers Gap State Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Spicers Gap State Forest sits at 353 km, about halfway. Next is back through Gambubal State Forest.
6. back through Gambubal State Forest
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Gambubal State Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Gambubal State Forest comes up about 414 km into the recorded legs. Next is Goomburra State Forest.
7. Goomburra State Forest
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Goomburra State Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Goomburra State Forest closes the day.
Leg by leg
Goomburra State Forest to Gambubal State Forest
Goomburra State Forest → Gambubal State Forest is 111 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gambubal State Forest to Spicers Gap State Forest
Gambubal State Forest → Spicers Gap State Forest is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Spicers Gap State Forest to Wilsons Peak Flora Reserve
Spicers Gap State Forest → Wilsons Peak Flora Reserve is 82 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Wilsons Peak Flora Reserve to back through Spicers Gap State Forest
Wilsons Peak Flora Reserve → back through Spicers Gap State Forest is 82 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Spicers Gap State Forest to back through Gambubal State Forest
back through Spicers Gap State Forest → back through Gambubal State Forest is 70 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gambubal State Forest to Goomburra State Forest
back through Gambubal State Forest → Goomburra State Forest is 111 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.