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Brisbane Valley Guides

Up the Brisbane Valley, one station at a time

The trail
161 km, the longest rail trail in Australia; walking, mountain biking and horse riding
Start
163 Grace Street, Wulkuraka
Finish
the old train station at the end of Millar Street, Yarraman
Grade
  • Easy grade
  • Moderate grade
  • Moderate to high fitness level required
  • Advanced grade
The rail trail drawn to scale: the year the rails reached each stretch, over the trail’s sections and towns1884188619041910191119131886 to 19042381224191413717519Wulkuraka0Fernvale23Lowood31Coominya43Esk67Toogoolawah86Harlin100Moore113Linville120Benarkin137Blackbutt142Yarraman161on top of Australia’s Great Dividing RangeGradeEasy gradeModerate gradeModerate to high fitness level requiredAdvanced grade
Wulkurakakm 0 Fernvalekm 23 Lowoodkm 31 Coominyakm 43 Eskkm 67 Toogoolawahkm 86 Harlinkm 100 Moorekm 113 Linvillekm 120 Benarkinkm 137 Blackbuttkm 142 Yarramankm 161 Start, finish and every section Horses and dogs How the line was built The easiest stretches The two lakes Esk to Toogoolawah

Guides along the trail

  1. Start, finish and every sectionWhere does the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail start and finish, and how long is each section?
  2. Horses and dogsCan you ride a horse or bring a dog on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail?
  3. How the line was builtHow the railway was built up the Brisbane Valley, and how it became a trail
  4. The easiest stretchesWhich part of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail is easiest?
  5. The two lakesWhere can you swim, boat and camp on Lake Wivenhoe and Lake Somerset?
  6. Esk to ToogoolawahWhat the railway built between Esk and Toogoolawah

The sections

Somerset Regional Council grades each of the trail’s eleven sections in its own four levels, and the Grade column in the table carries the council’s wording for each one. The section lengths, the water stops and the horse facilities are from TMR’s rail trail map and the department’s trail brochure. The kilometre beside each town is worked, not printed: it is the running total of the section distances before that town, and the section distances add up to the 161 km TMR gives as the trail’s length.

The distances and facilities were checked against the department’s pages on .

SectionDistance, kmGradeWaterHorse facilities
Wulkuraka to Fernvale 23 Moderate grade, surface may be rough John Murphy Park; Fernvale a horse water trough and hitching rails at Borallon
Fernvale to Lowood 8 Low to moderate, easy grade and easy surface Fernvale and Lowood horse holding yards at Lowood
Lowood to Coominya 12 Moderate grade, surface may be rough Lowood horse holding yards at Lowood
Coominya to Esk 24 Moderate to high fitness level required Esk horse holding yards in Esk
Esk to Toogoolawah 19 Moderate to high fitness level required Esk and Toogoolawah horse holding yards in Esk
Toogoolawah to Harlin 14 Easy grade, easy surface Toogoolawah a horse watering trough and shade shelter at the old Yimbun Station site; horse holding yards in Toogoolawah
Harlin to Moore 13 Easy grade, easy surface Moore a horse watering trough on the southern side of Emu Creek; horse holding yards at Moore
Moore to Linville 7 Moderate grade, surface may be rough Linville a horse holding yard and an outdoor shower at Linville; horse holding yards at Moore
Linville to Benarkin 17 Advanced grade, rough surface, uphill gradient Linville and Benarkin a horse holding yard at Linville; a horse holding yard at MacNamara’s Camp
Benarkin to Blackbutt 5 Moderate grade, rough surface Benarkin and Blackbutt good horse facilities at Benarkin and Blackbutt
Blackbutt to Yarraman 19 Moderate grade, surface may be rough Blackbutt and Yarraman a horse holding yard at Harland Park

Trail conditions

TMR is the state agency responsible for the trail’s day-to-day management and maintenance, with the councils it runs through.

Before you set out, check TMR’s Brisbane Valley Rail Trail page for the current updates, warnings and upcoming works.

The trail is a multi-use non-motorised trail for walking, mountain biking and horse riding. Its surface is not suitable for road or racing bicycles, personal mobility vehicles or horse-drawn vehicles, and motorised vehicles of any type are prohibited. Both come from TMR’s own brochure, checked on .

There are separate rules for horses and for dogs along the trail, and they are set out in the horses and dogs guide.