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Where does the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail start and finish, and how long is each section?
Marked on the line: the whole trail, from the trailhead at Wulkuraka to the trailhead at Yarraman.
The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail follows the disused Brisbane Valley rail line from Wulkuraka, west of Ipswich, to Yarraman, west of Kilcoy. It runs 161 km, and Transport and Main Roads calls it the longest rail trail in Australia.
Where it starts
The southern end is Wulkuraka, west of Ipswich, where the department's new start-of-trip facility at 163 Grace Street is open to trail users. Transport and Main Roads lists what the trailhead includes:
- off-road monitored car parking for up to 36 vehicles
- a bus layover area for safe loading and unloading of bikes and equipment
- toilet facilities
- shade shelters with picnic tables and bench seats
The trailhead also opens onto Ipswich: the department says it connects to the Brassall Bikeway network and the historical city of Ipswich, so visitors can explore attractions before or after their journey.
Arriving without a car is possible. The department's trail guide notes that Queensland Rail permits bikes on trains, and that a train runs from Brisbane Central Station to Wulkuraka Station, close to the trailhead.
Where it finishes
The northern end is Yarraman, on top of Australia's Great Dividing Range and next to the Bunya Mountains National Park.
The trailhead there is at the old train station, at the end of Millar Street; Transport and Main Roads' trail map names the spot as Yarraman Station Park.
The department suggests this end for an easier trip: begin in Yarraman and take the downhill gradient down the Brisbane Valley.
The last section climbs gently through the Blackbutt Range: from Linville to Blackbutt the trail gradually rises, with a number of creek crossings that are moderately steep.
Near the finish, the map places a shade shelter at Nukku Station and a horse holding yard with amenities at Harland Park on Cooyar Creek; Blackbutt and Yarraman have food, toilets and water stations, with nothing in between.
Every section, end to end
The department's trail map sets the trail out in eleven sections, each with its distance and its difficulty in the department's own words, and lists each stretch's water and horse facilities the same way. Somerset Regional Council grades the same eleven stretches in its own four levels, and the Grade column in the table below carries the council's wording for each one.
The trail links twelve towns: Wulkuraka, Fernvale, Lowood, Coominya, Esk, Toogoolawah, Harlin, Moore, Linville, Benarkin, Blackbutt and Yarraman.
The final link, Toogoolawah to Moore, was completed in 2018; the Queensland Government's statement of 7 August 2018 marks the completed trail.
For planning a day, the map puts the average walking pace at about 5 km/h and the average riding pace at about 20 km/h, and suggests planning stops around the distance you can cover in five or six hours. The trail brochure adds its own practical note: carry drinking water and light snacks, because water along the trail is limited.
Counting the trail map's eleven sections, the shortest is Benarkin to Blackbutt at 5 km and the longest is Coominya to Esk at 24 km.
| Section | Distance, km | Grade | Water | Horse 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 |
Each town’s kilometre
No official page prints a kilometre for each town. The numbers below are a running total, added section by section from the trail map's distances: a town's kilometre is the distance of everything before it.
The sum checks out: the eleven section lengths come to exactly 161 km, the length Transport and Main Roads states for the trail.
Read the table beside the drawing: each tick on the rule stands at a town's running total, and the stretch between two ticks is the section between those towns.
| Town | Kilometre from the start |
|---|---|
| Wulkuraka | 0 |
| Fernvale | 23 |
| Lowood | 31 |
| Coominya | 43 |
| Esk | 67 |
| Toogoolawah | 86 |
| Harlin | 100 |
| Moore | 113 |
| Linville | 120 |
| Benarkin | 137 |
| Blackbutt | 142 |
| Yarraman | 161 |
Who can use it
The trail is a shared-use recreational trail for walking, bike riding and horse riding, and for nothing else. It is closed to motor vehicles of every kind, motorbikes included, with motorised wheelchairs the one exception the department names. This is its guidance as checked on 12 October 2026.
Most of the trail has an excellent compounded gravel grading that gives a relatively smooth run, the department says, with the odd rocky section to stay alert on. Its advice for bikes: hybrid or mountain bikes are most suitable, and road bikes are not recommended.
The section brochures put it plainly: the surface is not suitable for road or racing bicycles, personal mobility vehicles or horse-drawn vehicles, and motorised vehicles of any type are prohibited.
The department describes sections that are perfect for individuals, groups and families, with wheelchair accessibility where assistance may be required.
Transport and Main Roads takes repairs and questions at bvrt@tmr.qld.gov.au, and its trail brochure gives the BVRT ranger's number, 0467 729 409, for trail conditions or issues.
One paragraph from the trail brochure, kept whole for the day it matters: "Safety markers are located every kilometre along the BVRT. In the event of an emergency, call 000 or 112 (from mobile services) and quote the marker location ID found on the safety marker (for example, BVRT-023)."
For the trail's current state, including any closures and works, the department's live trail pages are the place to check. The rules for horses and dogs have a guide of their own: the guide to riding a horse or walking a dog on the trail.