If you are looking for a ride or drive that has a little bit of everything (and I mean everything – rural settings, “blink and you’ll miss it towns”, mountain cuttings, cities, winding roads, old pubs and quaint coffee shops) then this is the one for you. How did it come about, you may ask? Well, we were invited out to the Get Chopped pub at Greenmount to try their special “Jamies Massive Meat” burger, which they put up as a Friday special, and then on the same day got an invite to Esk for a late afternoon event.
Of course, we decided to take the road less travelled and see what we could find. We did a little map research of the area and discovered a town called Bugee that wasn’t too far away from Greenmount and, ever curious as we are, we decided to head that way first. So, we plotted a course to suit and hit the highway.
Having blown the cobwebs out on the highway ride from Ipswich to the Gatton exit, we rode thorough Gatton, taking the Gatton-Clifton Road heading for Ma Ma Creek and the Darling Downs Zoo, though if you do happen to get to the zoo, you missed the turn off I’m afraid 😉. On this road there is a well signposted piece of road with a speed limit of 40kms per hour due to the bitumen being buckled after a land slip. I highly recommend this speed limit of 40 or less. The consequences of ignoring this advice, I leave to your imagination. It is only for a short piece of road and there is no reason for this to spoil a perfectly good day out. In fact we found it quite impressive to see just how powerful mother- nature can be.
Along this route you will find old trains, churches, rustic outdoor dunnies, a V8 mailbox and even a conquered pile of dirt (you’ll understand when you see it haha). Along Macginleys Road, coming up over the rise, we were lucky enough to see the sorghum/milo fields just before harvest. It was a quite magnificent sea of rusty coloured grains rustling quietly as we rode by and you really do appreciate that you are in the food bowl of our local area.
Finally arriving at Greenmount, we were ready for a cold beer and some lunch and spent a couple of hours enjoying the hospitality of the Get Chopped owners and patrons alike. This is a great country pub and you are even greeted by Penny the pub dog as you enter – what more could you want?
Not wanting to arrive in Esk too early, we thought we would head towards Crows Nest and stop for an afternoon cuppa somewhere on the way. This took us through the centre of historic Toowomba, where you can admire some amazing architecture, and out through Highfields. We stopped at Hampton (which is where you turn off to Esk) for our coffee break and visited the Hampton store (located opposite the Tourist Information Centre). A beautiful coffee shop doubling as a local store – we even bought a bottle of locally made port to take home (and yes, it is good!).
One thing I really want to mention about the Tourist Information Centre at Hampton, aside from the fact that it is will stocked with information covering a wide area and locally made jams and sauces, is the amenities. Being bold, I must say that the rest stop there has to have the best toilet paper and wash facilities that I’ve seen at a public stop. The only disappointment was not having anywhere to dry your hands. Fortunately, as a seasoned traveler, I am well equipped to deal with such an issue, regardless of whether I am riding or driving.
The final leg of the trip towards Esk was through Ravensbourne. A lovely, mountain ride through national park land with lots of road-side stops for produce and sunflowers or just for a look around. We did notice a few blue tree stumps as we travelled and found that these are part of the R U OK movement. Visual reminders to all that sometimes you need to seek out that someone to talk to. My previous blog about the importance of the local pub relates to this also.
So here’s a day of burgers, beers, risottos, affogatos and so much more for a great day out for competent riders or people who are seeking a scenic driving adventure. I had so much fun putting this story together and there is a lot of content to enjoy on our various social media pages relating to it. Have a look, plot your course and follow along with our 2 Hour Circle adventures and please let us know when you do, especially if you find anything else we might be interested in. We’d love to see your photos!
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