Wide Bay Burnett Tour
1st September 2026 to 8th September 2026.
This tour was organised by Paul Glennon and incorporated the parts of the Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail that were open.
As Paul was under doctor's orders, he was unable to come and lead the ride but none of the 5 riders who attended were novices, so the Tour preceded without him.
Unfortunately for the team, the week of the tour was when Winter decided it was over and Summer should begin. Most days were 35 degrees, and my Garmin was saying it was 46 degrees on the tarmac. So, we quickly changed the start times to....can we see the road?....and were off before dawn. After 10am and you just baked.
Camping was behind the pub in most locations, and they were either free or $5 or $10 each. While on paper it looked like we would need to carry food enroute, we did not need this (because of the early starts) and so I carried my cooking gear and some food when I didn't need to.
The country was very parched and most of the creeks/rivers were either dry or just a string of pools.
The Boyne Burnett trail is a work in progress and when complete will be longer than the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. They have built some new bridges near Many Peaks, and a new 20k stretch is almost complete from Monto to Mulgildie. I think we were the first cyclists on it. (they were still grading it and completing the culverts when we were there). The base is still large ballast but is doable on a loaded touring bike if you take it easy. There are 6 tunnels, one with a bend in it and another with the tracks still in it so a torch is required for safety.
There is still much work to be done for the whole of the rail trail to be complete, but it is progressing. Anyone looking for somewhere new please consider it.
The days were so hot that we took rooms at the Mulgildie Pub for 2 nights to relax in the air-conditioning. We were scheduled to have a rest day in Mulgildie anyway. At $50 a room per night (and there was a room with 5 beds, so $10 each, but apparently I snore so no) it was an easy decision. Food and beer were extremely well priced, breakfast was supplied and use of the washing machine was also free. It is an unusual pub, and the interiors need to be seen to be believed but they were very nice to us and with the rail trail opening just near the pub, I hope they get more custom.
Only 365km over 6 riding days so distances were not an issue, but the heat was a real issue. We were just unfortunate as it was only 20 degrees the week following our ride.
There were no hospitalisations and only one flat tyre over the 5 riders.
Click here for photo album
Lawrence Ferrari
The Bearded Cyclist
