Disappointed at not having a Rail Trail between Hivesville and Proston. Well, a small group of riders decided that they weren't going to let the bad news get them down.
For those out there who are interested.
We started our ride in Wondai, riding along next to the highway out of town towards Murgon. We took a left into Lysdales Road. We turned right off Lysdales Road into Lower Red Hill Road and then into Red Hill Road. Peer group pressure led us to climb Red Hill Road to the top. You can avoid this 110m (15%) climb by following Tingoora Chelmsford Road into Spring Road.
Once we recovered from the climb we headed out along Fairdale Road and onto Mount McEuen Road. It was here that the climbing began again. The climb to Mt McEuen overly isn't steep. However it does continue for around 5kms. Road surface changes from bitumen to red dirt as you climb and the scenery is some of the best in the South Burnett. It is well worth stopping at the right hand corner where the road changes to dirt and turning around. The views are awesome.
From Mt McEuen Rd you can choose to either head into Hivesville for a rest or continue onto Ten Chain Road. Thanks to the very kind farmer who gave us some extra directions to find the track that connects Ten Chain Road to Kinleymore School Road (distance 2kms).
NB. If you ride past a open cockies gate with some red bunting on it you have missed the turn off. Back track along Ten Chain Road around 300m and the track will be on your left.
As you can see the track was quite overgrown in parts and very sandy. During winter the grass growth wouldn't be such an issue. However if this is an issue for you, I would suggest a detour- Travel 4kms along the main road out of Hivesville towards Proston and turn into Middle Rd (This detour is also shorter). Middle Road will take you directly to Proston.
After the long grass we where very glad to see a dirt road again. We travelled along Kinleymore School Road and turned left into Dionysius Road. Be aware Dionysuis Road morphs into Back Road and there are no signposts to indicate this. Back Road is really a track with some occasional road like sections. The countryside through this part of the ride starts to open up and the views are worth the effort.
Once Back Road started to improve we new we were getting close to Proston. From the intersection of Back Rd and Middle Road it is pretty much a downhill roll into town.
We arrived into the main street of Proston. The locals in town take great pride in their main street. There is a lovely coffee shop called Jacaranda Tea Rooms and a SPAR if you are looking to resupply. We were really looking for a cold drink and some lunch so we headed to The Golden Spurs Hotel. You can't miss it as it has a bright pink roof. The food and hospitality were excellent.
Total distance for the ride was around 50kms (depending on which Garmin you trust), with around 650m of elevation (remember to detour Red Hill as save the pain and 110m of elevation).
If you are looking to stay overnight the Golden Spurs Hotel has some rooms and I believe that you can camp at the Showgrounds (by prior arrangement) or at the small camping ground in town as they both have showers.
We would highly recommend this ride. Beautiful scenery, no traffic and a great pub and coffee shop at the other end. Take plenty of water. We had phone reception the whole way, although only 1 bar at times.
Have fun.