Distance: 60kms (40kms to Herberton + 20kms to Atherton) (approximately 5 hours)
Description
This section possibly has the most turns on the whole trail. Either print out these instructions or look carefully for our direction stickers.
Take the bitumen Road towards Tomoulin for approximately 5kms. Turn left onto Racecourse Road. Turn right after 1km and almost immediately left onto Condon Road. This intersection is marked with our stickers. Go 1.2kms on Condon Road and take the left road onto Polette Road past Perrot Road. Perrot Road leads to the windfarm. Look for the Trail stickers again. After another 3kms Polette road becomes Kaban Road. This turns here from dirt to sealed.This is a nice easy ride. Cross Station Creek on the new bridge and eventually cross the disused railway line where there is a number of signs. Ravenshoe and Herberton are clearly marked. The road again turns from sealed to dirt and the fun begins. This is a wonderful, mainly downhill ride. You can get up a lot of speed along here on a good surface. There are various side roads but it is very obvious where the main road is. Follow the yellow and black markers.
Cross Flaggy Creek itself on a raised causeway and continue along Flaggy Creek Road that is now sealed, until you meet Longlands Gap Road at Wondecla at the rural fire shed. There is drinking water behind this shed. Turn left and follow the bitumen into Herberton. There is a serious hill here to welcome you to Herberton using the adjacent bike path.
If you are staying in Herberton you have a small supermarket to source dinner from or the Wild River Caravan Park, who can provide BBQ packs for your dinner. If you are going to stay at the Wild River Caravan Park, it is 1.5kms out of town. You may want to pick up a bag of salad at the IGA to go with your BBQ pack that you can purchase at the Caravan Park.
You can now elect to stay another night in Herberton or follow the bitumen down the Herberton Range. Or go back onto the railway line to return to Atherton.
Accommodation in Atherton
- Atherton Motel (T: 07 40 911 500) – located at 102 Maunds Road, Atherton.
- NRMA Atherton Tablelands Holiday Park (formerly Woodlands). Located at 141 Herberton Road. This is 1.4kms from the town centre. They have a bike wash-down and maintenance facility.
- Atherton Hinterland Motel (T: 07 40 913 311). Located close to Woolworths.