Mountain Bikes On The
Bicentennial National Trail.

After having received sufficient feedback from cyclists who have used the National Trail we are able now to provide some guidelines to those intending to take their mountain bikes out on the Trail. Users of these notes and the Trail are invited to offer their own opinions and suggestions for updating of this information. The best parts of the National Trail for walkers and horseriders are the untracked sections through wilderness. The Trail has been designed to provide a balance between these rugged remote areas and easier more accessible parts along quiet roads and tracks through the countryside. Unless you are especially masochistic, you will find it necessary to detour around the particularly difficult sections. This has left some cyclists with the impression that The Bicentennial National Trail is much less challenging than it really is.

Through easy terrain touring cyclists travel about 50 to 60kms per day, so a trip from one end of the National Trail to the other (5,330km) will take about 6 months. The tropical heat of central and northern Queensland makes cycling unpleasant between September and March, especially for Europeans unaccustomed to hot weather. Bike riding through these parts is best from April through to August. The alpine areas south of Canberra can be difficult through winter (May to September). Outside of these extremes the climate is quite pleasant for bike riding.

Mountain bike riding is a relatively new sport in Australia, more popular in the south than in Queensland. Availability and range of equipment and spare parts is best in Sydney and Melbourne, okay in Canberra and Brisbane, but may be limited in other areas. Buses and trains will carry bikes as luggage if the front wheel is removed. Riders using non-Australian equipment have experienced breakages due to the roughness of the stony roads. When selecting equipment, choose the strongest you can find. In the National Trail guidebooks there is some information for cyclists, eg type of road surface, but this information is not yet complete throughout all of the guidebooks.

The following information provides suggestions for detours around the parts of the National Trail that are too difficult for most cyclists. The detours are as short as practicable to allow cyclists to experience most of the Trail. Placenames referred to are taken from Sunmap's Tourist Maps of Queensland and South East Queensland, Shell road map of New South Wales, Shell road map of Victoria. Cyclists should obtain these or similar maps to plan their route. If you have little time, these maps will show you bigger detours along better roads so that you can travel faster. The National Trail guidebooks are still necessary.

Section 1 Cooktown to Gunnawarra

Cooktown to Ayton OK. Follow the road from Ayton to Mossman via Cape Tribulation. Leave Mossman along the Captain Cook Highway, turning right onto the Mossman-Mt Molloy Road (Rex Range Highway) and use this route up the range picking up the Trail again at the top of the range. Follow the National Trail into Mt Molloy. The next part of the National Trail is quite unsuitable for bike riding, so follow the road from Mt Molloy to Mareeba then west to Mutchilba. Follow the Trail now to Innot Hot Springs then follow the Kennedy Highway west to Mt Garnet and turn south on the Gunnawarra Road regaining the Trail just north of Gunnawarra.

Section 2 Gunnawarra to Collinsville

All traversable by mountain bike and recommended.

Section 3 Collinsville to Kabra

Just south of Collinsville the Trail crosses the Bowen River at a minor obstacle to bicycles when the water level is low. For an easier route follow the road just to the west of the National Trail route on the map. There is then another long section of pleasant riding through to the top of Connors Range, west of St Lawrence, where cyclists should follow the road rather than the very rough track down the range. The rest of this section is again ideal for mountain bikes.

Section 4 Kabra to Biggenden

Take the main road from Bouldercombe through Mt Morgan to the point just north of Dululu where the Trail leaves the Burnett Highway. Now follow the Trail through to the Dawson Highway (a particularly pleasant section) then leave the Trail and follow the highway south-west to Biloela then south-east to Cania Gorge National Park where the Trail can be rejoined. The balance of this section through to Biggenden is quite suitable for bikes with the exception of a very short part just outside of Mt Perry which can be easily avoided by staying to the roads.

Section 5 Biggenden to Blackbutt

Mostly excellent for mountain bikes. There is a steep climb at 8.3km on Map 9 of Guidebook No.5 and again at 27.3km on Map 10. If required these can be avoided by heading west from Kilkivan towards Goomeri then turning south along the first road signposted to Manumbar where you can rejoin the Trail.

Section 6 Blackbutt to Killarney

This guidebook suggests some alternative routes that avoid unnecessary climbing. For cyclists one suitable alternative is to leave the National Trail at the Brisbane River and follow that river downstream along a road passing through Moore, Harlin, Toogoolawah to Esk then turning west to Ravensbourne where the Trail can again be more easily followed. Another alternative is to follow the road south from Blackbutt to Crow's Nest to Hampton then east to Ravensbourne to rejoin the Trail which can be followed through to Toowoomba. Both of these detours avoid Emu Creek Gorge (Map 2) which is impassable by bike. Other difficult slow parts of this section are Ma Ma Creek on Maps 8 & 9, Laidley Gap (Map 10), and Cunninghams Gap highway crossing (Map 12). These difficult parts are best avoided by following the New England Highway south from Toowoomba to Warwick then by heading east from Warwick towards Killarney before turning south to the border crossing at Cullendore.

Section 7 Killarney to Ebor

The Trail through this part traverses wild country half way between the New England Highway and the coast. It is clear from looking at the Shell road map that there are no roads heading north-south through this part of the country and those with little time may prefer to avoid this whole section by following the New England Highway from Tenterfield through Glen Innes to Armidale on the western side of the Trail. An off-highway route which is reasonably direct and fast goes from Killarney south to Legume, Taloom, Paddy Flat, Pretty Gully, Tabulum, Alice, Baryugil, Fine Flower, Copmanhurst into Grafton, then south-west from Grafton to Nymboida, Clouds Creek, Tyringham, Hernani, Ebor. Most of this is on dirt roads. The mountainous terrain makes almost all of Section 7 difficult for mountain bikes. If you are very determined and prepared for much carrying and pushing of your bike it is possible to follow it all but most will find the Timbarra (Rocky) River and the Guy Fawkes River far too difficult and time consuming. The alternative via Tenterfield to Glen Elgin, given in the guidebook, is quite suitable for bikes and the Trail can be followed from Glen Elgin to the Gwydir Highway then down the old Grafton Road to Dalmorton where a forest road (not shown on the Shell map) links Dalmorton with Marengo and onto Ebor.

Section 8 Ebor to Barrington Tops

The same comments apply as for Section 7. It is possible but very difficult. The recommended alternative route for cyclists is Ebor south-west to Wollomombi and Armidale, south to Gostwyck, Woodburn, Walcha south-west to Aberbaldie, then south to Nyangla, Hanging Rock and Nundle, south-west to Crawney Pass, south to Timor, Gundy, Segenhoe, Aberdeen. The National Trail is rejoined at Aberdeen in Section 9. Another interesting route is to go from Walcha south through Nowendoc to Gloucester then west to Scone.

Section 9 Barrington Tops to Jenolan Caves

The first part of this section from Mt Barrington to Stewarts Brook is almost impossible for mountain bikes and not recommended. On Map 6 23.8km Bells Gap is also difficult for bikes but easily gone around. There are some challenges in the rest of Section 9 but these are well worth the effort. To avoid these challenges however, go west from Denman (Sandy Hollow) to Bylong then south-west through Rylstone, Kandos, Cullen Bullen to Wallerawang. Leave the Trail at Hampton and follow the road directly to Jenolan Caves where there is a campsite just below the caves.

Section 10 Jenolan Caves to Kosciusko

There is a very short track on Map 2 that is easily avoided by using the nearby road. Apart from that this entire section has been enjoyed by many cyclists and is considered ideal for mountain bike touring.

Section 11 Kosciusko to Omeo & Section 12 Omeo to Healesville

If you are capable of covering any of the Trail in Victoria you are capable of covering all of it for it is nearly all a series of long steep stony climbs either up or down. After visiting the alpine areas of Kosciusko National Park take either the Barry Way south-west from Jindabyne through to Buchan or go to Corryong on the western side of Kosciusko National Park and follow the road south from there through Benambra to Omeo and on to Bruthen. It is probably acceptable to most cyclists to follow the Trail from Omeo over Mt Phipps and Mt Birregun to Dargo, then ride south from Dargo down to Maffra. From these towns on the southern coast, it is flat fast travelling west to Melbourne. The southern end of The Bicentennial National Trail is at Healesville, in the mountains about 60km north-east of Melbourne.

Mar 97