Why this ride
A 589 km round trip from Canungra - roughly 9 h 37 in the saddle. It goes by way of Nightcap National Park, 'Palen Creek' State Forest and back through Nightcap National Park. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Lamington National Park and 'Palen Creek' State Forest
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 589 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 9 h 37
- 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Lamington National Park
Ask anyone in Brisbane about Lamington and they will probably mention one of two roads, and both of them will make you work. The national park covers the high plateau of the McPherson Range on the Queensland side of the border, a huge expanse of rainforest, waterfalls and cliff-edged lookouts at the heart of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage area. It was named after Lord Lamington, a governor of Queensland at the end of the nineteenth century, who is said to have been less than thrilled to have a park, and later a cake, named after him.
Read the complete Lamington National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Lamington National Park is where the day begins. Next is Nightcap National Park.
2. Nightcap National Park
Nightcap National Park covers a high, wet plateau and escarpment north of Lismore in New South Wales, the remains of the rim of an ancient volcano centred on Wollumbin, Mount Warning, whose eroded caldera forms one of the largest in the world. The plateau receives some of the highest rainfall in the state, and it is covered in subtropical rainforest, tall eucalypt forest and dramatic waterfalls, including Minyon Falls, which drops about a hundred metres over a cliff of volcanic rock. Nightcap is one of the Gondwana Rainforests reserves, and in 2000 it made headlines when scientists found a previously unknown tree, the Nightcap oak, surviving in only a few small populations here.
Read the complete Nightcap National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nightcap National Park comes up about 167 km into the recorded legs. Next is 'Palen Creek' State Forest.
3. 'Palen Creek' State Forest
State forests in Queensland do not always sound romantic, but Palen Creek earns a second look. It sits in the hills south of Rathdowney in the Scenic Rim, between the Logan River country and the border ranges, a mix of eucalypt forest, old timber land and gullies of rainforest that run up toward the New South Wales border. The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, which are listed by UNESCO, begin a few ridges away, and the wildlife does not care much about the boundary.
Read the complete 'Palen Creek' State Forest write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 292 km into the recorded legs you reach 'Palen Creek' State Forest. Next is back through Nightcap National Park.
4. back through Nightcap National Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Nightcap National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Nightcap National Park, late in the day. Next is Lamington National Park.
5. Lamington National Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Lamington National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Lamington National Park. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Lamington National Park to Nightcap National Park
Lamington National Park → Nightcap National Park is 167 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Nightcap National Park to 'Palen Creek' State Forest
Nightcap National Park → 'Palen Creek' State Forest is 125 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
'Palen Creek' State Forest to back through Nightcap National Park
'Palen Creek' State Forest → back through Nightcap National Park is 129 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Nightcap National Park to Lamington National Park
back through Nightcap National Park → Lamington National Park is 167 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.