Day 1 - Beaudesert to Yeppoon
A big day to tread some old (and new) ground quickly. The plan for the day was to get to Yeppoon to stay with friends.
Quick Stats
- 8 hours on bike
- 745 km
- 745 km total
Setting off from Kerry at around 8 am, I had an initial false returning for earplugs. Finally actually leaving at 8.45, I turned onto Duck Creek Road and the journey begun.
A brief stop in Beaudesert showed the morning traffic through Brisbane would slow me down enough to justify a detour via an inland route I hadn't done before. So I turned left and headed towards Wyralong Dam, planning to head through Peak Crossing, Rosewood and up passed Wivenhoe.
A quick pitstop at the Fernvale Old Bakery for a pie and coffee, I continued on toward the D'Aguilar Highway.
A few excellent S bends, albeit shortlived through the Benarkin State Foresy, and I was into the Timber Towns - Benarkin (aboriginal name for the local Eucalyptus), Blackbutt (slang name for the local Eucalyptus) and Yarraman (.. pidgin for Horse).
Having experienced these towns previously on a much slower journey (cycling the Valley Rail Trail), I powered on towards Nanango, where my Uncle and his family had just recently set down some roots on new acreage.
A quick stop for a look around and some water, it was closing in on 1 pm, and with another 6 hours of riding to do, I hit the road again, where the D'Aguilar Highway transforms into the Burnett Highway.
The Burnett was in surprisingly good condition and the scenery isn't too bad. I powered through till I reached Ban Ban Springs. Ban Ban is local Wakka Wakka for "grass", the springs are usually dry, and we accidentally bulldozed them in 2006 and replaced it with a mural of some springs. Anyway, I took a sharp right onto the Isis Highway and headed for Gin Gin to get some fuel.
Another couple of hours and I was in Rockhampton for the Rockhampton River Festival.
I had some food, watched a bit of live music, and headed off for Yeppoon to get some sleep.
Tomorrow will be a relaxation day by the beach.