Brisbane Valley Rail Trail - Trail Description

Descending the range between Benarkin and Linville. AM - 2007

Location: Ipswich City, Somerset Regional and South Burnett Regional Councils, South East Queensland, 70km from Brisbane

Start/end: Fernvale to Lowood, Gutteridge Road – Coominya – Cooragook Bridge, Moore to Blackbutt and the Yarraman Weir Rail Trail

Region: Queensland

Length open: 64km

Surface: Gravel

Description

The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail is Queensland's first major rural rail trail. A total of 142km of trail between Wulkuraka (Ipswich) and Blackbutt is being developed by the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail Steering Committee and the Department of Infrastructure and Planning, building on two sections previously developed by local councils. When complete it will be the longest rail trail in Australia to date.

The current development started in 2007 with a 6km section north of Moore to Linville. The steering committee hopes to complete the Lowood to Toogoolawah section in 2009. Opening dates will be put in the news section as they come to hand. The entire trail is scheduled for completion in 2012.

Toowoomba Regional Council, South Burnett Regional Council and local community groups are considering developing the line between Blackbutt and Yarraman.

Motorised vehicles of any type (except personal mobility vehicles) are prohibited on the trail.

The trail follows the former Brisbane Valley railway line, which ran north from Wulkuraka 157km to Yarraman. The railway was built in stages reaching Esk in 1886 and Yarraman in 1913. At one time, Linville station was the largest loading point for cattle in south east Queensland. Passenger services operated until 1967 and freight services were reduced from 1988, with closure of the last section occuring in 1993.

Fernvale to Lowood (9km)

The then Shire of Esk developed this section in 2002. Bridges have been removed and are diverted around with low level crossings. The trail access points at the stations are easy to locate and Fernvale has quite a few facilities, including the Fernvale Futures Visitor Information Centre, bakery, café, ATM and accommodation. A significant feature of the area is Lake Wivenhoe which holds twice the capacity of Sydney Harbour and the major water source for South East Queensland.

A fun run is held on the trail every July. Somerset Regional Council contact is Sport, Recreation & Planning Officer Scott Aurisch. (refer below)

Coominya toToogoolawah (31km)

This section of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail is approximately 50 km north west of Ipswich and 80 km from Brisbane. The trail head in Coominya is at the old Coominya train station, a 60 minute drive from Brisbane. The trail head at the major regional centre of Esk is at the station on the west side of the highway. The station has been restored by the local Lions Club.

This section of the trail extends north to Esk (23km) and south to Gutteridge Road (2km) through native bushland and farms. Part of this section was first opened in November 2008 and extended to Esk in July 2009. Home to historical Bellevue Homestead, Coominya is close to Wivenhoe Dam and approx 5km from Atkinson’s Dam.

As at August 2009 the sections are

Coominya Station grounds - Cooragook Bridge 10 km.
Cooragook Bridge - Mt Hallen 2.5 km
Mt Hallen - Boons Road 8 km Note this section opening in 2010
Boons Road - Esk Station grounds 4km
Esk - Ottaba Not Yet Open
Ottaba - Toogoolawah Station grounds 8km

The trail features a compacted gravel road base suited to people with a low to moderate fitness level. This particular section is especially suited to families. The 10km length north to Cooragook Bridge is a comfortable 45 minute bike ride and a moderate 2 hour walk. Horses must be shod. The surface is not suitable for road/racing bicycles, personal mobility vehicles or horse drawn vehicles.

Heritage—Indigenous The name Coominya means a view of water, and is a adaption of the Yugarabul Aboriginal name Kung-i-nya from Kung meaning water, and nya meaning to see. The Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul peoples are the Traditional Owners of the Fernvale–Lowood district. Prior to European settlement in 1824, the landscape of South–East Queensland (as elsewhere is Australia) was influenced and protected by millennia of Aboriginal stewardship. Indigenous use and management of the landscape (e.g. moving camp when resources depleted, closures of areas and for particular species) maintained a balance between the land and human needs. South East Queensland Traditional Owners Alliance (SEQTOA) is currently managing some archaeological research projects into the indigenous heritage of the Brisbane Valley.

Moore to Blackbutt (30km)

This section was developed by the then Nanango Shire and local community groups with a further 7km developed by the Queensland Office of Urban Management in 2007.

Moore to Linville (6km) This is the first section of trail developed by the Department of Infrastructure and Planning. It was used as a pilot to gauge construction costs for the remainder of the trail. It is suitable for walking, hybrid bikes and horses. While the surface is suitable for hybrid bikes, there are some steep descents/ascents where railway bridges have been removed and the trail dips in and out of creek beds. Horses must be shod.

From Stanley Gates Park in Moore, take Eskdale Street and then cross the footbridge that you will see on the right. The trail then heads north beside Linville Road.
Linville to Benarkin (18km) From Linville the trail climbs the rugged and picturesque Blackbutt Range.

For bike riders, at present this section is only suitable for bikes with thick walled tyres, such as mountain bikes. Front suspension and gloves are recommended due to the rough surface. Horses must be shod.

Access to the trail is quite restricted requiring keys to unlock gates and permission forms to be signed. The gates are required to keep out 4WD vehicles and trail bikes. Keys and forms can be obtained at:
- The Linville General Store (07 5424 7124).
- Benarklin General Store (07 4163 0206). The Benarkin General store is a member of the QICA and displays local tourist information.
- Blackbutt Information Centre, Hart street (07 4163 0633), between the hours of 9am and 3pm.
There are a limited number of keys so visitors are advised to contact the store or information centre to ensure availability, although walkers could climb gates if necessary. A $10 deposit is required. When the key is returned the deposit will be returned.

The trail starts in the small town of Linville. The Linville Pioneer, Charity and Sporting Club have restored the station and obtained some old carriages. They plan to restore the carriages for the use of future rail trail users.

From Linville the trail climbs around 300 metres in elevation to Benarkin however the grades on the railway alignment are relatively easy. From the station, the trail heads out through grazing land. The surface is gravely and rocky for most of the journey with predominantly grass trees and many cuttings through the rock. The old bridges have been removed but a trail is cut through each gully below each bridge site. These are a bit steep, but are rideable or walkable. There are several gates along the way that need to be left as you find them for stock control. In a few places there may be cattle grazing on the trail.

Closer to the small village of Benarkin (which has a general store) the flora changes into eucalypt and scrub. Benarkin sits at the highest point of the rail trail.

Distances are marked along the trail every 2km.
Benarkin to Blackbutt (5km) From Benarkin the trail has a smoother surface and can be ridden comfortably by hybrid bikes.

At Backbutt the trail ends at the showgrounds. Blackbutt is the largest town on this section of the trail and offers bakeries, cafes, post office, accommodation and a visitor information centre.

The trail would be great for the family ride. A downhill ride from Blackbutt is obviously easier going. A family should allow 2 hours in this direction and double heading up. If doing a return trip, starting at Linville is recommended.

There is accommodation in Blackbutt (try the old country style pub or the B&B’s close to the Trail). The pub in Linville also has accommodation with a B&B at Moore.

Yarraman Weir Rail Trail (2km)

Developed by the local progress association, the Yarraman Weir Rail Trail will be officially opened in December 2008. It is anticipated that this trail will become part of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail making the entire Trail 150km between Wulkuraka and Yarraman.

The last rail motor travelled to Yarraman on the 6 October 1988.

The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail has been developed by The Department of Infrastructure and Planning in association with the cooperative efforts of communities in the Brisbane Valley, Ipswich City Council, South Burnett Regional Council and Somerset Regional Council and is proudly supported by the SEQ Regional Recreation Trails Program.

Queensland Transport has banned access to the undeveloped sections of the railway.

News Items

July 2010 Completion of 100km of trail
November 2009 Opening of the Toogoolawah section
October 2009 Community Information Session Esk to Toogoolawah
August 2009 Coominya to Esk section opening & Website Update
June 2009 7th Anuual Rail Trail Fun Run
December 2008 Coominya Section Opened.
May 2008 Closed sections re-open and Linville horse yards unveiled.
January 2008 Trail Plan open for public comment until end of January
November 2007 Moore - Linville Section Opens
January 2007 State Government announces $3.6 MILLION funding.
November 2006 Linville - Blackbutt Section Wins Award
June 2006 Opening of Linville - Blackbutt Section
November 2007 Opening of Moore - Linville Section: announcement, report.

Trail Map

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