Why this ride
The stops in between: Goomburra State Forest, Mount Mistake National Park and back through Goomburra State Forest.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Spicers Gap State Forest and Mount Mistake National Park
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 503 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 38
- 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. 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
Spicers Gap State Forest is where the day begins. Next is Goomburra State Forest.
2. 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 comes up about 126 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mount Mistake National Park.
3. Mount Mistake National Park
Mount Mistake has a name that sounds like an apology. It stands in the Great Dividing Range in south-east Queensland, in rugged country west of Brisbane, and the national park around it protects steep slopes of dry eucalypt forest and a handful of rocky ridgelines. The mountain is not a famous summit, and the park is not set up for casual visitors: this is the kind of bush where the main facilities are the road, the sky and your own sense of direction.
Read the complete Mount Mistake National Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 252 km into the recorded legs you reach Mount Mistake National Park. Next is back through Goomburra State Forest.
4. back through 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
back through Goomburra State Forest, late in the day. Next is Spicers Gap State Forest.
5. 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 at Spicers Gap State Forest. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Spicers Gap State Forest to Goomburra State Forest
Spicers Gap State Forest → Goomburra State Forest is 126 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Goomburra State Forest to Mount Mistake National Park
Goomburra State Forest → Mount Mistake National Park is 126 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Mount Mistake National Park to back through Goomburra State Forest
Mount Mistake National Park → back through Goomburra State Forest is 126 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Goomburra State Forest to Spicers Gap State Forest
back through Goomburra State Forest → Spicers Gap State Forest is 126 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.