Day 1

We did this loop in October 2021 and loved it.  The maps show the starting point as Beaudesert but Boonah is also a perfect place to launch this ride. So, I will start from there.

Ride south out of Boonah past the airfield on Boonah-Rathdowney Road to Carney’s Creek Road and turn right. Carney’s Creek Road is a nice open country road with great scenery. At Head Road, turn right. Head Road is quite a narrow, bitumen road with several concrete crossings and is also very popular with 4WD’s - so take care and try to stay to the left at all times.

At Puds Rock, you will start a very steep climb up to Taylor’s lookout, which is always worth a stop for a photo. During the summer months the huge waterfall is quite spectacular. At this point, Head Road becomes Spring Creek Road and immediately enters one of the most picturesque valleys you’re likely to see.

Only a couple of kilometres on, you will notice “The Rabbit Proof Fence” on your left as you ride down this beautiful valley.  The rabbit proof fence is also the QLD/NSW border at this point, although this is not the case when you encounter fence on other parts of this ride.

At the Condamine River Road intersection, Spring Creek Road has us gaining altitude yet again.  As you ride closer to Carrs Lookout, you will see a corrugated dome hut on your right, with the most amazing views down the Condamine River valley. This hut is known as “The Dingo Lady’s House”.  Take the time to stop when you’re near it and Google “The Dingo Lady” – sit on your bike and have a read (thank me later).

Spring Creek Road continues on and down the western side of the range passing some awesome places to stop like Queen Mary Falls and Daggs Falls.  My advice is to stop and check them out – this is a beautiful part of the world, don’t miss anything!  At Border Road, turn right and head into Killarney for a break.

Take Warwick-Killarney Road west out of town until you get to the Golf Club and turn left onto Bourke Road. This is your first gravel road of the ride.

A kilometre or so south and you need to take a right onto Noble Road and continue to Bellingham Road, then turn left. Bellingham Road seems to go on and on, but it’s a pretty nice ride on a nice gravel backroad. These roads have plenty of potential for water crossings in the summer and some of them sneak up on you when you least expect them to, so keep your wits about you. 

At this point, I will start mentioning kangaroos or more often wallabies.  Big fat, dark coloured ones that have the potential to ruin your day.  This is not “keeping it pinned” country.

Bellingham Road meets a junction where you need to turn right onto Barlows Gate Road for a very short period until you see O’deas Road on your left.

Follow O’deas Road to Old Stanthorpe Road and turn left again. Continue to the tiny village of Dalveen.  At this point you are approximately 20 kms north of Stanthorpe with a vast choice of petrol stations, pubs, shops etc.  There is nothing from here to Texas, so I suggest you duck into Stanthorpe!

At Dalveen, you need to get yourself on the western side of Cunningham Hwy, so as you come through town and come to the end of Old Stanthorpe Road, turn right, then left onto McCosker Drive.  Follow that under the highway and turn right onto Granite Belt Drive, then left onto Sorrento Road.

Right, we are out of that mess … let’s get on with it!

Sorrento Road is a great, hard packed granitic sand road that ends at a gate on the rabbit proof fence. Be very mindful of wallabies in this area, they are a dark colour and blend in well with the shrubs on the roadside. Once through the gate, turn left and you will be heading south on Rabbit Proof Fence Road. The road becomes bitumen as the orchards start to appear. This area has names from WWI battlefields and I don’t know the story behind it, but it’s interesting and a great way of respecting our fallen soldiers of WWI.  At Pozieres School Road, turn right and follow that through to Pozieres Road, then turn right again.

Follow for a short while until you get to Amiens Road and turn right again. At the point where Amiens Road becomes Bapaume Road, you can turn right and continue on Amiens Road but it appeared to be a logging road to us, so we gave that a miss. Confusingly, Bapaume Road finishes at another Amiens Road (the Postie here must be a legend) and here we turn right, and continue on Amiens Road until it becomes Goldfields Road (seriously ?!)

Goldfields Road is mainly bitumen, but turns into gravel about where it turns into Inverary Road. Continue on Inverary Road for quite some time until it meets Inglewood-Stanthorpe Road, where you will turn left.

You are on bitumen now, down to Pikedale, where you turn right on Texas Road.  AGAIN .. watch out for wallabies and roos as you head west on Texas Road.  This road is a great ride that twists and winds its way all the way to Texas. 

There is a small motel in the main street in Texas if you’ve had enough, otherwise Inglewood has a couple of motels and a pub. We chose Inglewood Motel at the west end of the main street.  They are bike friendly and the rooms are clean and comfy.

Inglewood is a pretty mundane 45 minute ride north of Texas on Inglewood-Texas Road, although there are backroads to discover, that will also take you there.  Meals are available from the pub, Olympic Motel (which has a takeaway pizza shop attached) or the petrol station is also a takeaway shop. 

Get a good nights sleep, tomorrow is another reasonably big day, but not as long a ride as today.

Click here for Route Map.