Maidenwell

This entry is part 7 of 18 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #52

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There were no big objectives or hallmark destinations set for this ride. It was all about getting away for a couple of days and enjoying some old-fashioned freedom.

One of the best things about the ride was, if there was a good view, everyone took the time to stop and enjoy it.

Queensland’s Bunya Mountains National Park is a lazy riding paradise. Small towns and villages are scattered through majestic pine plantations and primeval rainforest, and with a tank of fuel and some camping gear the whole region offers superb scenery and a brilliant weekend escape.

Steve Douglas of AMX Superstores set up a couple of loops and four riders set out to forget about work and the pressures of life for a couple of days.

Most of the weekend’s water crossings were smashed with no hesitation whatsoever. Ride leader Steve Douglas kept his eye on the camera.
Chris Walter eased the Ténéré 660 into a murky crossing.

Best-laid plans

The rendezvous was set for Dayboro in the Moreton Bay Region of Queensland, gateway to Mount Mee and a network of winding mountain roads and trails. The terrain ranges from tough enduro to scenic forestry and is a popular destination for riders on bikes of all kinds.

The group’s three KLRs and one Ténéré 660 sat comfortably against the kerb as everything from Himalayans to Super Duke Rs came and went. Coffees and meet ups obviously accounted for a huge percentage of bakery trade on a sunny Saturday morning.

Adventure Rider Magazine’s inclusion came about because Damien Irwin,brand manager for Shoei, Dainese and Sidi at McLeod Accessories, had just taken delivery of a Gen 3 KLR and ride leader Steve Douglas was thought to be on a Gen 1. With the editor’s Gen 2 Touratech KLR it was a great opportunity to put the three generations head-to-head and see how far things had developed.

But when Steve rolled in he was on a schmick-looking Gen 2.

The ’generation gap’ idea was abandoned in and orgy of coffee and breakfast treats, and everyone agreed it was such a perfect morning and such a fabulous place, things like stories not going to plan shouldn’t bother anyone.

It certainly didn’t seem to bother Adventure Rider Magazine’s editor, and Ténéré rider Christian Walter, a free spirit if ever there was one, peered out between locks of long, unruly hair and seemed to be wondering what the hell the Kawasaki riders were talking about.

Damos made short work of the sandy riverbank. His Gen 3 KLR roosted through like a good’n.
$68.02 and the tank wasn’t even on reserve.

No problem

With introductions made Steve gave a very thorough rundown – complete with extravagant, but very descriptive, hand and arm gestures – of the day’s planned route, and the crew set off at a sedate, two-coffee pace to cover a stretch of bitumen through places like Woodford and Kilcoy “ An absolutely glorious run through beautifully lush rainforest and some devastatingly sparse, flood-ruined lowlands. ”

After a quick fuel stop it was onto the dirt for an absolutely glorious run through beautifully lush rainforest and some devastatingly sparse, flood-ruined lowlands.

As the forestry road wound its way through the gently sloping foothills there were a few small causeways and creek crossings, but nothing to cause any alarm or slow progress. There was one murky, rutted approach which gave pause for thought, but it was dealt with out of hand and the ride continued.

The first ‘road closed’ sign appeared early in the piece, but it didn’t slow anyone up, either. Steve had his navigation well sorted and all three Queenslanders seemed to know where they were and what alternatives were available.

That was a comfort to Adventure Rider Magazine’s editor, who, after being slugged $68 to fill the 32-litre Safari Tank on the Touratech KLR, wasn’t quite sure where he was or what his name was.

Kindly enquiries from the other riders all received the same whimpering reply as he peered into his empty wallet: “It wasn’t even on reserve.”

There were a few closed roads after recent heavy weather, but the Queenslanders took it all in their stride.
Maidenwell offered fuel and a very friendly pub with huge chicken schnitties. Nobody went hungry.

To pub, or not to pub

The day continued its very pleasant way to an afternoon stop when the sidestands went down at the Maidenwell pub. A few stories were shared as dehydration was manfully fought off and controlled, and it emerged the pub had free camping.

Steve’s original choice of campsite was Burtons Well, about 30 minutes up Bunya Mountains Road.

While Steve did make Burtons Well seem like an attractive proposition, there were some very enticing features which made staying at the pub seem a good idea as well. Another round of cold, frothy enticing features was organised as the pros and cons were discussed, and it was decided to mount up and stick with the plan.

It was the right choice. Burtons Well Camping Area turned out to be an absolute winner. The grass was soft, the amenities – including hot showers for anyone who wanted to cut firewood and heat the outdoor boiler – were clean and well-maintained, and, best of all, the campsite was in a hollow surrounded by tall, dense forest. It was an exceptionally comfortable and pleasant place to bunk down for the night, and it was no surprise the place was very popular.

After setting up camp the foursome rolled back down the mountain to Maidenwell pub for dinners so huge they almost needed wheelbarrows to serve the schnitties, then shivered and trembled their way back up the mountain to enjoy a cold, quiet night in absolutely idyllic surroundings.

The wind howled through the trees with cyclonic force, but in Burtons Well all was calm and sheltered.

Burtons Well Camping Area was a superb spot to snug down for the night.

Show me yours

The next morning kicked off with Steve setting up his ‘full-service’ coffee bar. He’d not only carried a tent, bedding and chair(!), he’d also brought milk, a china cup and small stove, ground coffee and what looked like an old-fashioned percolator.

Needless to say, the editor became Steve’s best mate.

Christian and Damien had also packed sensible breakfast essentials, and all three enjoyed a nutritious and pleasant start to the day while the editor wandered around with a manky cardboard cup he’d wogged from a service station and hoped some-one would share.

Top tip from Steve: a drink bottle full of water makes an excellent diffuser. Place a head torch against the bottle and it’ll light the whole camp table.

They were good blokes. TF ended up with a coffee and all went well.

Once the breakfast comparisons were over there was the checking out of each other’s camping rigs, and while Damien’s free-standing tent was given high praise, and Steve’s folding chair was considered a wonderful and amazing thing, no one could figure out how the hell Christian managed to fit a tent, mattress, sleeping gear and food in what looked like a small tail pack strapped to the rear of his Yamaha.

Everyone just politely refrained from commenting on TF’s scruffy, weather-beaten swag. It was a good match for the bike and rider.

A misty start to Sunday morning. The campsite was in a hollow and well sheltered from the howling wind.
Steve’s ‘full-service’ coffee bar.

Sad

With breakfast and packing dealt with, the whole show hit the road for smoko at McCoy’s Café at Cooyar.

Descending the mountain was a glorious pantheon of heart-stopping scenes and swooping road. As a start to a lazy Sunday morning there can’t be any better.

Unfortunately, McCoy’s Café had been vandalised the previous night, and while the star GP rider himself, Gary, was in the parking lot talking to hopeful customers, he could only wistfully explain that, until police visited and ‘processed the scene’ he was unable to touch anything and the café remained closed.

It was the only dark cloud on an other-wise fantastic morning.

Enjoying a quiet moment on the way down from Burtons Well Camping Area.

Damien impressed everyone with a free-standing tent and a very neat pack on the new Gen 3 KLR.
A very tidy pack on Steve’s KLR included a chair!
Chris’ pack on the Ténéré was like something from Doctor Who. How did he fit that tent and sleeping gear in there?
Adventure Rider Magazine’s editor rocked with a good ol’ swag and saved room by bludging food and hot water off the other riders instead of carrying his own. Pack and rider both looked a tad scruffy.

Not quite done

Undeterred, the intrepid crew set off for Blackbutt, where medicinal quantities of coffee were consumed and Damien shouted a ‘bruffin’ – a breakfast muffin – which had a surprising dose of hot sauce hidden among the egg and bacon.

The resulting boost in heart rate proved beneficial when, after the Queenslanders were sure the forecast terrifying water crossings were so much gossip to scare tourists, one ball-tearer appeared right at the end of the track. With a sandy approach, a fast-flowing watercourse, and a reasonable stretch of deep sand and big river rock on the exit side, it called for a little discussion and a vote for who should go first. While Steve sensibly checked the water depth and strength of current TF had a rush of blood and hurled himself and his mighty KLR into the maelstrom, almost causing Christian to raise an eyebrow.

With an explosion of power the KLR burst onto the far bank where TF managed to bog it deep, much to the amusement of a couple and a dog in four-wheel drive who’d stopped to survey the crossing themselves.

Steve wandered up and hefted the back of the bike out of the ditch and over the rock, then all the remaining three riders sensibly and quietly torqued their way across both water and sand with no fuss whatsoever.

Gary McCoy himself was in the carpark at McCoy’s Café in Cooyar.

Time, gentlemen

Another road closure called for the abandonment of the planned dirt-road run to Toogoolawah, and instead the four riders convoyed down a twisting mountain road to find themselves in Esk, where Adventure Rider Magazine’s editor left the group and headed back to NSW. The remaining KLRs and Ténéré set out to run along the edge of Lake Wivenhoe before separating to make their own way back to the real world.

While it wasn’t a death-or-glory adventure, it was a superb ride in excellent country and, more than anything else, easy, stress-free fun.

There can never be too many rides like that.

Chris Walter on the main street of Blackbutt. A free spirit for sure, and an example to us all.
It took the editor a couple of days to work it out. D’oh.
Not only was the road closed, it was washed away and there was no way through. The sign said so. No run to Toogoolawah on this day.
A quick game of Damienoes at Crow’s Nest.