Get the convertible out of the shed, put the top down or drag out your preferred two-wheel death machine, because today we are going for a most audacious and epic Road Trip.
Let’s go!!
We started our trip in Yamanto today and pointed Scooter towards Boonah and we weren’t tempted to stop at maccas because this morning we’re having breakfast in the country! One of our followers put us onto this place and we’re so glad they did, because it prompted us to map out this spectacular day trip. We entered Yowie country, cattle country, big cat country and we even spent a little time in NSW!! I should also tell you that we plan to write this article from two perspectives; one from me as the rider and another from Sharon, my wife, as the pillion passenger (risky, I know, and we’re doing it without Annette 😉)
Breakfast was booked for 8am and even though we were running late we couldn’t help but admire the scenery along the way. To further spice things up, instead of going all the way into Beaudesert, we took a turn to the right off of Boonah Beaudesert Road onto Sandy Creek Road and found ourselves in a very rural area and whilst at some points the roads were narrow and rough, they were certainly not impassable. In fact, I really feel it heightened the adventure. The occasional bovine on the road, the odd tractor and a flock of bloody galahs!! That’s right, we actually had a bird strike incident! Collateral damage, after evasive manoeuvres, was one unhappy bird, a couple of feathers in my helmet, the accelerated heart rate of two adventurers and a motorcycle that is now going to need a bath.
After we emerged from the fragrant (sometimes rather pungent) aroma of our stint in the scenic rim farmland, we ended up on Mt Lindsay Highway for a short distance before taking a left to get to that breakfast I keep promising you. For breakfast we went to the Harvest Cafe at Oakey Creek Farm. They are motorcycle friendly and only relatively new to the scene and are keen to make their mark. I was definitely impressed and very much look forward to going back on a day when I have more time. I had the Farmers Breakfast, which was basically their version of a big breakfast and Sharon went for mince on toast and I’m pleased to say that everything on my plate was supplied locally.
With breakfast out of the way it was time to search for Ugly Creek, a search which saw us chased by a rather enthusiastic and/or territorial Brahman bull. Although he was young and had beautiful eyelashes, Scooter just wasn’t interested, so we hightailed it out of there. With no sight of a creek and with the deteriorating road surfaces and the increasing frequency of cattle grids, we decided to abandon our search, turn around (whilst scouting the area) and settle for heading back to the highway and crossing the bridge at Ugly Gully instead – to be honest, it didn’t really deserve its’ name.
Next stop Rathdowney and I’m disappointed to say that, once again, I was unable to stop for lunch at the pub as we had a tight schedule to keep to. I will definitely make a point of going back soon though since I’m somewhat intrigued about the history of the place and it looked like an interesting little town.
Continuing on the Mount Lindsay Highway, our adventure continued as we looked for another place I had found on the map called Yowie Crossing! Of course we couldn’t come this way without checking this out. Now pay attention to the road because if you blink you’ll miss it. I’ve included photos to help you find it because the paint on the road has now faded and unless you know what you’re looking for it is difficult to spot. I recognised it from a photo I had seen and due to what looks like a 4WD track that peels off to the left and into the scrub.
There is a wide shoulder on the left hand side where you can stop, do a yowie call or a tree knock or whatever it is that the cool kids do these days. However, for me I was happy to breathe the country air and tick this location off my bucket list. I don’t know much about the significance of the place, except to say that some locals decided to paint a rather professional looking sign on the road to imply that the big guy may crossed the road here at some point.
Next stop – Woodenbong, where, despite my insanely high hopes, I did not find an exceedingly large wooden bong. I’ve seen the big pineapple etc. and had hoped to get some rather awesome selfies but alas, it was not to be. I was, however, able to ascertain from viewing some local artwork, that I was, in fact, in yowie country. I can only assume that this was once a timber town and I’ve no doubt that it’s steeped in history and for that reason alone I’ll definitely back (oh, and I might also be tempted to stop at the pub, just possibly …. Maybe…).
Our next planned stop was Yangan, but, as per usual, we found a few things on the way that we had to stop and have a look at. We found rusty relics mounted on some rocks at Koreelah
and of course I had to stop and get photos, but it was the sculptures at Tannymorel that caused me to get most excited. Somebody there is very talented! Whilst checking to see if there were any more hidden around the town, we also found a fantastic town mural, depicting the town’s history and an old farm ute on display. I’m not sure what kind of Ute it was so by all means let me know in the comments if you do know.
Yangan itself delivered a couple of neat surprises for us and one might speculate that, based on the wide streets of this little town, it was once a thriving community. We had been told to look out for the Masonic Lodge in the town as it was somewhat unique. I must admit that if we hadn’t been looking for it we probably would have missed it (despite its’ colourful façade). It sits high above the road on your right hand side and is accessible by a split road.
Speaking of high, the building itself is an imposing timber structure that sits at the top of some steep concrete stairs. The recent rains had left cut grass hanging over the lip of the stairs which gave me the opportunity to do a photo in black and white in an effort to make it look a bit creepy. (I might have had better luck at a different time of day - I’ll let you decide if I pulled it off or not).
Now with my backside getting a little numb and my bones needing a rest, we decided to stop at this rather old fashion looking cafe/corner store. Time for a coffee and a good old fashioned hamburger. No flashy gimmicks, just the “beetroot running down your elbow”, corner store hamburger and a side of chips. Notice I said chips and not fries. There were a few old photos hung on the wall and it’s obvious that there’s some history here as well but today was all about the discovery. We managed to take in a half dozen places I had never been before and I loved it.
The roads were long and winding and it was the most beautiful day I’d seen in a very long time save for the wind. The farmscapes and valleys, the rock formations and the dense forest lead my mind to wonder as to what stories are kept hidden in places such as this. I’ve heard stories of big cats and some kind of huge wild man roaming the area and I kept my eyes peeled in the hope of capturing such a thing on camera or even just the sight of something to add to my curiosity. It wasn’t to be unfortunately, but perhaps I’ll get lucky on future adventures.
On to Killarney via Legume – did you know they had a cyclone in Killarney, by the way? And from there we meandered our way back to the Cunningham highway via Freestone. This brings you out near the old driver reviver on the south side of Cunninghams Gap. Make a right and head for Aratula and you’re headed for home again, which, with the dappled sunlight on the road and the shadows growing long, is precisely what we did.
I really hope you’ve enjoyed this article and, just to mix it up a little, next week we will be releasing another article about this epic ride from the point of view of a pillion passenger. See you next week - I’m off to write about a sensational meal we had at a recently revived hotel.
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