Mount Mee – Elgin Vale Loop

This loop starts at Dayboro and finishes at Bundamba.

At certain times of year, the first half of this loop can be quite treacherous due to large sections of clay. I would strongly advise against riding Range Rd and Lovedays Rd without appropriate tyres during the wet months. The climb from the end of Laceys Creek Rd up the first part of Range Rd can also be quite a task at any time of year, as it is usually lucky to get graded once a year.

Starting at the iconic Dayboro Pub, you will ride north for a couple of kilometres on Laceys Creek Rd before it turns west and winds through beautiful lush green foothills. The road remains bitumen for roughly 10km, although it is very narrow and loaded with tight blind corners, so take care as the locals are usually not messing around when they head into town for milk and bread.

Once you reach the dirt, the ascent is very gradual to start with until you reach the open gate on Range Rd. At that point it becomes quite steep and if you start to notice ruts already, make sure you have your wits about you, as the road clearly hasn’t been graded in a while. Around half way up there is a rocky outcrop that can make things a little tricky, although if the grader has been through recently, it is barely noticeable.

There a several lookout points along Range Rd that are well worth stopping at as you will barely get to see much while riding. Range Rd is more of a fire trail as you ride the ridge line and can be quite rough and unforgiving in places. Again, keep your wits about you and stick to your side of the road on blind corners as 4WDs frequent these hills.

At the top of Mount Mee you will find The Gantry day use area. The amenities and picnic areas here, are in a spot that celebrates a long-gone timber industry that thrived on the mountain. The Gantry being the last remnant of what was a very large sawmill for over 30 years and was responsible for the timber in the original 2686 metre Hornibrook Bridge connecting Brisbane’s northern suburbs of Sandgate and Clontarf.

Continuing on from the Gantry, ride down the northern side of Mount Mee on Lovedays Rd. Parts of Lovedays Rd can be extremely slippery after rain, so take care.

This is a great ride generally that takes you down past Mount Delaney and Neurum via Rassmussen Rd and Stanton Rd. Riding west on Neurum Rd through Mount Archer you will notice “The plane on a stick” at Archerfalls Airfield. Contrary to belief that the plane is a mere mock up because of its tiny size, it was once a registered and flying aircraft.

Onto Kilcoy and a lunch break at your choice of many venues in town.

Kilcoy got its name in 1907 although its history dates back to 1841 when the Mackenzie Brothers took up land in the Stanley River Valley and named their property Kilcoy Station after their home town in Scotland. The town quickly became a hub for the timber industry which grew immensely with the opening of the Kilcoy Railway line in 1913. The railway has long gone and been replaced by “The Rail Trail”, a recreational trail for pushbikes and horse riders. 

The Exchange Hotel is very popular and serves great meals, but there a plenty of places for quick snacks as well, including the Bakery which has a fantastic range of pies and pastries. The BP has a pretty good kitchen with an excellent takeaway menu too. 

Heading north out of Kilcoy on Kilcoy Murgon Rd to the area of Sheepstation Creek, turn left onto Monsildale Rd. Monsildale Rd is a pretty well-kept gravel road that runs through yet another very picturesque SE Queensland valley, before making its way up through the southern reaches of Jimna State Forest.

There are plenty of concrete causeways along the way and most are generally dry through winter, however in the wet season (summer) a lot of them have a few inches of water. If they have any water flowing across at all, you need to approach them with extreme caution as nearly all have a thin layer of slimy green algae that will take even the most experienced rider down in a heartbeat. 

Best way to deal with this is by staying in the car tyre tracks that are very obvious, keep the bike in a straight line and take it very gently on the throttle. 

Monsildale Rd is one of my all-time favourites, but all good things must come to an end and it does when it reaches the top of the range and re-joins Kilcoy Murgon Rd. 

Turning north (left) onto Kilcoy Murgon Rd, ride for roughly 40km on a fairly well maintained and wide gravel road that in a lot of places allows for quite high speeds. At the Manumbar crossroads, turn left (west) and follow Manumbar Rd to Elgin Vale. 

On The corner of Elgin Vale Rd on your left you may want to stop and have a look at the Heritage listed Elgin Vale Sawmill, which was built in the closing years of WWII.

Continuing west on Manumbar Rd past Elgin Vale Homestead and some pretty open cattle country, you will leave the bitumen again and turn south. Leaving Manumbar Rd for Linville Forestry Rd to continue south, you will quickly find yourself at the very top of a long valley that sprawls out of site in front of you. You are now at the absolute start of the Brisbane River.  

Linville Forestry Rd becomes Western Branch Rd at this point and there are many concrete causeways between here and Linville as the Brisbane River snakes its way across the road over 20 times. These causeways are no different to the ones you’ve encountered already on Monsildale Rd and can be just as treacherous.  A few kilometres north of Linville you will return to bitumen again and you’ve just seen the last of the dirt roads for this ride.  

Linville Pub is one of my favourites and has a fantastic atmosphere especially on Sundays when there’s usually live music in the beer garden. They also brew their own beer which is very, very tasty. 

I’ve taken this ride straight down the Brisbane Valley highway to get back to the south side of Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Obviously if you are heading back to the Sunshine Coast or northern suburbs, you would continue on the D’Aguilar Hwy. I have taken it for granted that most people would’ve had enough by Linville, so I have basically made a B line for home from there.

If you have an “Iron Butt”, there are alternatives that you may want to discover like Waterhole Gully Rd that will take you from Blackbutt to Esk as shown in the BLACKBUTT LOOP. Also, Gregors Creek Rd will take you across from Harlin to Esk-Kilcoy Rd where you can head south along the side of Somerset Dam to Somerset Village then use Wivenhoe-Somerset Rd to get down to Fernvale and then the western suburbs of Brisbane.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAKE CARE ON BACKROADS AND STAY TO THE LEFT.

Everyone should come home safe and smiling.

 Click here for Route Map.