These trails were made for walking

We followed the now familiar river path to Tewantin then took a bike path to the turnoff to Lake Coorobah where it suddenly stopped.  Fortunately, the road was quiet and we soon turned off onto an even quieter road.  

As we pushed the bikes past the National Park sign, the trail narrowed considerably.  Before long the trail was little more than a track and required us to dismount to cross narrow streams and push the bikes up steep hills.  It was not pleasant.  About 20 minutes of frequent hike-a-bike, Simon turned around and advised that we were heading the wrong way and needed to retrace our steps. Whilst I was pleased not to continue along the disappearing trail, I was concerned about the time lost, given that we had a train to catch.  

Before long we were back at the dirt road and this time found the correct trail, just 90 degrees to the one we had picked up.  This was clearly signposted as Noosa Trail 4, so we were confident we were on the right route.  

However, it was soon very apparent that this was a route for hikers or experienced mountain bikers and it took two of us to manoeuvre the loaded bikes across the creek and up the first part of the steep, narrow track. Very little of the track was cyclable and it was a long 500 metres as we struggled to push the bikes up the rutted route. I was very relieved to reach the road and needed a few minutes to regain my breath due to my extensive cursing.  

Fortunately, the road was sealed and we were making good time as we passed Lake MacDonald.  We arrived at the Cooroy station about 20 minutes before the Gympie train and I went in search of coffees.  The town centre was busy and it was apparent that I would need to wait a while for a coffee.  Not wanting to miss the train, I returned empty handed. 

The train pulled in right on time and we boarded the almost empty first carriage with our bikes, for the 40 minute trip which cost us 50 cents each.  The station was a few kilometres outside of town, and it was an undulating ride to the Mary River Rattler station.  We stopped at the nearby SoMa SoMa café for a belated coffee and a nice lunch.

I had been struggling with the new bike seat, despite my confidence that it was better than the last and I had neglected to bring the gel cover with me.  We detoured to the Gympie Bicycle Centre on the outskirts of town to buy another one.  The store was near the River to Rail trail which seemed like a good option to explore the town surrounds.  The trail started well, with a nice surface, manageable undulations and some scenic river views.

Unfortunately we didn’t read the fine print in the brochure, which said that the trail was suitable for off-road cycling incorporating some steep inclines and steps.  Initially, the stairs had a ramp for bikes which was manageable. An unexpected closed sign required us to detour up some particularly steep steps. It took two of us to push the bikes up and we had to carry the panniers up separately. 

We persevered and took the trail through to Mary Street in the town centre, passing a statue of “The lady of the Mary”, which depicted Lady Mary FitzRoy dipping her toe into water.  The wife of Sir Charles Fitzroy, the first Governor-General of Australia, she was tragically killed in a carriage accident and never visited the area. Governor Fitzroy later toured Queensland and named landmarks in memory of his wife.  

A few more hills later and we finally reached our accommodation at the Mary River Motel.  The receptionist assured us that Gympie was not the hilliest town in Queensland and suggested we try the nearby Sports Club for dinner – a good recommendation as it was only five minutes walk away.

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