We decided to have a long weekend break up at Coolum on the Sunshine Coast.
As usual, I pondered over maps of the area to see if I could discover any new places nearby that I could ride to.
I had my eye on a few dirt roads that meandered around the back of Mount Ninderry, especially a couple that seemed to disappear into forest on the map, because that meant there was a possibility of exploring some fire trails.
Eventually a came across the familiar “Forest Reserve” sign and disappeared down a dirt track gleefully, like a child with a new toy…
I saw a forest trail I’d never ridden before and thought “Why not?”
Rainforest, trails, steep hills… The Eumundi Forest Reserve at Verrierdale, in the hills west of Coolum, has everything including a few km of muddy swamps.
The tracks are delightful – mostly fire-trails. They wind through some lush green rainforest, with some challenging hill climbs in one or two places.
Recent rain has made some of the clay soil quite sticky, which makes it a bit tough around creeks. But I suppose the most surprising bit was the swamps – I didn’ count on having to drag the bike through a few kilometres of wet muddy creek beds. From the look of it I think these large wet patches are a permanent fixture. If they’re like this in dry weather, imagine what it’s like in the rainy season 🙂
But it was great to get out on the bike and explore some new places!
Total climbing: 802 m
Average temperature: NAN
Total time: 04:51:10
More data
One can only hope the bulldozed paths will eventually be safe enough to ride run and cycle on. At the moment they are unusable for the first time in seven years, and what purpose do all those rocks serve except to cripple horses and runners I also hope the Glossy Black parrots find another water hole as the one I often watched them use use has been ruined. That is if they haven’t been scared off permanently. I don’t know why this park has to be changed it was fine for all activities it is to be used for .Until now that is Why not leave something wild and rugged for once. Myself and my friends are no spring chickens and yet we found no issue with the paths in fact they were a lot of fun just as they were. We ran, walked, cycled and rode horses with no problems until now that is.The quad bikers are going to love the wide paths, and there have been more dog walkers in the last six months, than in the last seven years. Still they do less damage to the fauna than the wild dogs that live in the forest.