Brisbane Valley Rail Trail

Horse riders on the trail, 2010

The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT) is a 161 kilometre recreation trail from Wulkuraka to Yarraman. The trail follows the old Brisbane Valley railway line and is open to walkers, touring cyclists and horse riders. The trail details the history and landscape of the Brisbane Valley. It was planned to be the longest rail trail in Queensland, however there are two incomplete sections.[1]

Route

Harlin Rail Bridge, 2011

The top end of the trail is located on top of Australia’s Great Dividing Range - north-west of Brisbane and directly west of the Sunshine Coast. The Moore to Blackbutt (Nukku Road) section of the trail includes Linville and Benarkin and is located in the upper reaches of the Brisbane River valley and crosses the Blackbutt Range. The trail head at Moore is located opposite the Moore Memorial Hall in Stanley Gates Park and is approximately 51 kilometres north of Esk. Moore is 144 kilometres from Brisbane (via the Bruce and D'Aguilar Highways or the Warrego, Brisbane Valley and D’Aguilar Highways). Benarkin and Blackbutt are located on the D’Aguilar Highway.

Rail Trail and National Trail at Pine Mountain, 2014

The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail forms part of the larger Bicentennial National Trail.[2]

Use

The trail is for walking, cycling and horse riding only. The surface is not suitable for road/racing bicycles, personal mobility vehicles or horse-drawn vehicles. Motorised vehicles of any type are prohibited.[3] The trail surface between Moore and Linville is compact gravel with concrete causeways. The section from Linville to Benarkin is rough gravel with some rocky sections. The trail from Benarkin to Blackbutt features a compact gravel road. There are a number of crossings at Boundary, Greenhide and Blackbutt creeks that are moderately steep (up to 30 per cent) with slopes up to 40 metres in length. There are gradually rising grades up the range to Blackbutt.

Wildlife

A great variety of wildlife can be seen in Blackbutt and Ironbark forests, hoop pine plantations, dense vine scrub, open woodlands and rural landscapes of Benarkin State Forest and the upper reaches of the Brisbane River. Three signature features of the Moore to Blackbutt district are the upper reaches of the Brisbane River, the pine forests and the colonies of bellbirds that are found there. Clear melodic notes of bellbirds can be heard in various locations within the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. All plants, animals, natural and cultural features of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail and the Benarkin State Forest are protected. Do not remove living or dead plant material (including fallen timber), animals, rocks or other material.

Plants

In the Benarkin State Forest section of the trail, impressive hoop pine plantations grow next to native eucalypt forests, woodlands and rainforest communities. The Benarkin State produces timber, but also provides the habitats of many plants and animals.

Tall open forests of blackbutt, tallowwood, stringybark and great gum grow on volcanic soils on higher slopes in Benarkin State Forest. Elsewhere several species of ironbark dominate the forest including silver-leaved ironbark in open woodland. Blue gums (forest red gums) are common at lower elevations. Vine scrub with a thick prickly understory occurs here and there, sometimes under tall eucalypt trees. In places, hoop pine and other tall rainforest trees rise above the canopy.

Animals

Vine scrub along the trail hosts many animals. Green catbirds, paradise riflebirds and noisy pitta are species of significance locally. Patches of grass adjacent to rainforest are visited at night by red-necked pademelons. Rufous bettongs also emerge from their grassy nests to feed on tubers and fungi at night. Dense vine scrub and thickets of lantana make some sections of the trail an important habitat for the shy and vulnerable black-breasted button-quail. Dish-shaped scrapes in the dirt are tell-tale signs that these secretive birds have been searching for food on the forest floor. Ducks, darters and other waterbirds may visit the Brisbane River that runs adjacent to the trail between Moore and Linville. There are often sightings of wedge tail eagles and brown goshawks gliding on the wind searching for their prey in the rural landscapes below. Glossy black cockatoos, brush, regent bowerbirds and the sulphur-crested cockatoos. On the hills adjacent to Blackbutt Creek and in the Benarkin State Forest, you may see the ancestors of deer given to the region in 1873 by Queen Victoria as a gift after Queensland was named in her honour. Pretty faced or whip tail wallabies are often seen at dusk in and around Blackbutt and Benarkin. Numerous frogs, skinks and lizards live in the area, including the vulnerable and secretive collared delma (a small legless lizard). There are often, sightings of yellow face whip snakes, spotted pythons, goannas and water dragons near Benarkin and Blackbutt Creek.

References

  1. ↑ Chris Owen (31 July 2014). "Push is on for big rail trail". The Queensland Times. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Section Six – Blackbutt to the Border". The Bicentennial National Trail. The Bicentennial National Trail Ltd. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Steaming ahead on the Brisbane Valley rail trail". 612 ABC Brisbane. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 29 July 2007. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
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