Striking it Lucky

[Cormanus]

Friday 27 February, was the Ride for Eric. As I set out on that ride, my wife also headed off to do some work for an NGO of which she’s a board member.

The following morning, Saturday 28 February, I was lining up for some tedious yard work on the last day of the hot summer. It involved running the Honda motor on my chipper and making a lot of noise. The phone rang. My wife suggested I join her for lunch and a swim at Moffats Beach, Caloundra at the southern end of the Sunshine Coast. Just under an hour’s boring ride on what the US guys call ‘the slab’.

But it was early and I could abandon the yard work, leave soon and do all or some of the ride my mate Peter had mentioned when I was at Bellbird Creek Tea House the day before. So I had a quick look at the map, grabbed my swimmers, geared up and took to the road.

Here’s the map. As usual it contains a link.
[url=https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=ztJTN0r4qT88.k3exj7iPL6sQ]

I apologise for the map. It’s a bit confusing due to limitations on the number of way points I could use. I started at Point A and made my way south to the Point B west of Eumundi. From there I kept on going south inland from the highway. The two points I was aiming to visit were Bell’s Creek (Point F) and Coochin Creek (Point G). For the record, Point F on the map is further inland than I ended up, but for some reason Google keeps telling me I can’t go any further. Well, I did!

Just to confuse the issue, I actually rode through the second Point B at Kenilworth after Point J. Play with the map at the end of the link and it might make sense.

I decided to do 10 minutes on the slab, turn off towards Kenilworth and then ride back along the Browns Creek-Golden Creek Road.

The road takes you around the base of Mt Eerwah


It’s a pretty road with enough twists and turns to make it interesting

Rejoining the much travelled Bunya Road, I rode through Yandina and, for the very first time, turned right onto the Wappa Falls Road.


It too is a pretty road leading to the Wappa Dam and a short stretch of good quality gravel road.


It leads eventually to the Nambour-Mapleton Road which has two short but fantastic sets of steep twisties. Of course getting stuck behind this lot is not auspicious.


But, in the first twisty section there’s a slow-vehicle turn out and the truck took it leaving me free to go for it to the top of the section where I turned south onto Dulong Road.



The CB at a lookout at the turn onto the Dulong Road looking east over Nambour towards the Pacific Ocean

I’d not ridden the Dulong Road before and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s pretty and not over-used, although the speed limit at 80 kph is, perhaps, a little low for the quality of road. Although, to be fair to the much maligned authorities, there’s a fair bit of residential property.



On the Eudlo Road

My next aim was to work my way south and ride Tunnel Ridge Rd which I’d spotted on the map but not ridden. It too was pretty; fun but not hard. On the Old Gympie Road that I’d ridden south to north recently, I passed another milestone.



A quick cup of coffee at Beerwah and I was off again towards the highway which I would pass under on my way to the coast.

Pineapple country


Plantation forest west of the highway

The road out to Bell’s Creek was a bit messy as there’s lots of construction going on, but once you get on the old road it’s fun and flat with a couple of good corners. The final bit before you come to Bell’s Creek is gravel.




Much of it will soon be overrun by an enormous planned community. A pity but necessary I suppose.

On the way back out of Bells Creek with the Glasshouse Mountains in the background


This is for Pterodactyl who has previously indicated an interest in bovine motorbike watchers

It’s a fun road into Coochin Creek, just south of Bells Creek. It’s narrow with enough corners to be interesting and next to no traffic. Here you can get to the mouth of the creek and look over the Pumicestone Passage to Bribie Island. There are some houses, but not many.

Pumicestone Passage. The land on the right of the picture is Bribie Island

Having taken this picture, I sent my wife a text to say I was running a bit late and hightailed it to Moffat Beach (Point H) where we had a pleasant lunch and a damned good swim. It ws merely a coincidence that being a bit late meant I needed to make a bit of an effort to get there quickly.

It seems very hot here this summer and a good dousing in the ocean is always welcome. My wife says ‘You never regret a swim’. Don’t tell anyone, but she’s right.

After lunch, we headed towards home but the hinterland called so I set out back across the highway to Mooloolah where I would join the spectacular, but partly dirt, Brandenburg Road.

At the lower end of Brandenburg Road. Over my top case, you can see the higher part of the road before it rejoins the main road to Maleny

Passing through Maleny, I rode down the western side of the range through another favourite bit of road before deciding on a random turn onto the Eastern Mary Rive Road just to the west of Conondale.



The Mary River

This was a good enough back road which bought me back onto the main Maleny-Kenilworth Road in time for the spectacular twisties that contain the Bellbird Creek Tea House (which was closed). From there I persisted with some favourite roads that took me on a northerly circle home.

A lovely day with 296 kilometres of riding.

I didn’t know it then, but my luck was to continue in the morning with a leisurely ride to Brisbane. That story will have to wait.

 

[Rocky_imp]

I always enjoy your ride reports.
Great job

 

[14CharlieBravo11_imp]

Great report as always, beautiful country you have!

 

[metallyguitarded_imp]

Fantastic report! Those tall, thin trees in the Plantation Forest are something else. And I can't get over how green it is there, even at the end of summer. Beautiful country. I hope to visit one day.

 

[the Ferret]

Love your ride reports Cormanus ... they always contain some beautiful pics of roads, scenery, places of interest, and motorbikes, and complimented with fascinatingly descriptive narration, and a map.

Have you ever thought about submitting an article to Road Runner or Rider Magazines? If not, you really should.

 

[gary_imp]

Great report Cormanus! Thanks for taking the time to put it together.

 

[flynrider]

What a beautiful ride. Loved the pics. Made me wish I was there! You've got some great back roads to roam. Even the unpaved roads seem to be in excellent shape. Great ride~

 

[DAC]

A fun read as always. Really getting anxious to get back on the bike this spring!

 

[Inline4_imp]

As always, a great report and outstanding pics!!
I certainly hope to make it to Australia someday. Beautiful country and people.

 

[redbirds_imp]

Wonderful photos and report. A visit to Oz is a must on my wish list.

 

[Cormanus]

We like visitors in Oz and there are motorcycle rental companies. Indeed I think EagleRider may have offices here.

MG if it's not green here at the end of summer we're in deep sh... er trouble. Summer's when we get most of our rain. By about November/December—the end of our spring/start of summer—it can be very dry.