YOUR ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE
[The route has a total ascent of 4182.77 m and has a maximum elevation of 1,162.6 m. ]
The road ride involves a total of 780km of riding. As this ride involves a number of packs, it caters for all levels of riding experience – you simply select a pack that is riding at a pace that suits you!
We will travel through beautiful remote Queensland and meet some of the local families that we are fundraising for. Their kindness, generosity and openness will make you understand why we do this ride year on year.
We encourage some of the children to join us a few kilometers from the town and ride in with a pack. This is a huge event for them and they train for and look forward to for months.
Standard Minimum Equipment:
- A recently serviced, maintained road bike
- Relatively new tyres front and back
- Drink holder (2 preferred)
- Spare parts including spokes, chain, tubes, tyres, lube, rag, pump and basic tools like allen keys, tyre levers etc.
Day 1 | Cairns to Atherton
Saturday, 22nd of June 2024 [96km]
Begin your adventure from the Cairns Lagoon Car Park. All ride together for the first 7km. Road riders stop at Smithfield and those that want to tackle the Kuranda Range (5km uphill ride with a 7% gradient) head off, others may choose to be driven up the range to Karunda Village. First Stop – Kuranda. Packs of riders are formed and proceed to Mareeba Aerodrome for lunch.
Lunch stop at Mareeba is provided by the Mareeba Lions Club. After lunch, riders will proceed to Atherton, ride through the town and to Big4 NRMA Atherton Tablelands Holiday Park for the night.
[Total ascent of 1215.96 m and has a maximum elevation of 780.94 m]
Day 2 | Atherton to Mount Garnet Turf Club
Sunday, 23rd of June 2024 [101 km]
The route from Atherton to Mt Garnet follows the Herberton Range. The range is a 5km (uphill section) ride, with the town of Herberton itself also offering some hills. The first 30-40 km are very challenging. The weather here may be cool and damp. Make sure to pack some warm cycling gear. From Herberton the riders then commence the leg to Ravenshoe – the highest town above sea level in Queensland. We have lunch in Ravenshoe. Following lunch all packs reform and proceed to Mt Garnet. Overnight stay is at the Mt Garnet Turf Club about 5km past the township.
[Total ascent of 1150.12 m and has a maximum elevation of 1,162.6 m]
Day 3 | Mount Garnet to Mount Surprise
Monday, 24th June 2024 [113 km]
At the 40 Mile Scrub we have a magnificent morning tea/lunch. Please bring a donation to thank the lovely families that produce this food for us. Narrow bitumen and rough edges, coupled with increasing contact with road trains and other large road vehicles keep the need for traffic awareness at a premium, following the 40 Mile Scrub turnoff onto the Gulf Development Road. The conditions then level out and the road makes a gradual descent with improved road surface.
The nighttime stop is within the township of Mt Surprise. Camping is available at the Discovery Park Mount Surprise.
[Total ascent of 465.83 m and has a maximum elevation of 799.35 m]
Day 4 | Mount Surprise to Georgetown
Tuesday, 25th June 2024 [94 km]
Along this road care needs to be taken with narrow bitumen, rough edges, potholes, cattle grids and traffic with plenty of chances to meet a road train face to face. The countryside is now quite dry, however there is some spectacular scenery at the top of the range – this is Savannah country.
The Newcastle Range is a 15km uphill section, which has an initial steep climb and then a gentler descent on the other side.
Don’t get complacent; through the Newcastle Range there are some lovely new sections of road, but there are still some sections where the bitumen is very rough and broken. There often are cattle on the road – BEWARE!
This day usually concludes with the Rider’s Calcutta at the Wenaru Pub.
[ Total ascent of 504.09 m and has a maximum elevation of 559.54 m]
Day 5 | Georgetown to Croydon
Wednesday, 26th June 2024 [146 km]
Georgetown to Croydon has a lunch stop at the Gilbert River organised by families of the Cairns School of Distance Education. This is a hot, dry stop, so gather around some of the trees for shade.
Along the section of the ride between the Gilbert and Croydon,
there are some stretches of newer bitumen, which are wider and in reasonable condition, but only in reasonably short stretches.
The afternoon ride is long and hot through dry Savannah land. Plenty of water and electrolytes are essential to prevent dehydration.
[Total ascent of 333.82 m and has a maximum elevation of 316.22 m]
Day 6 | Croydon to Normanton
Thursday, 27th of June 2024 [151 km]
This is the day that Pack 1 race the Gulflander train to Normanton. A fun filled race. This is another long day travelling from Croydon to Normanton, with a lunch stop at approximately the 110km mark. Sun hats and sunscreen are essential as there is negligible shade available. If you have a tarp, pop up shade or even an umbrella, bring it along for this day.
Shades from our sponsors are provided, please be prepared to help putting them up and taking them down. The after-lunch leg is somewhat deceiving with a subtle and relatively negligible climb to Normanton.
[Total ascent of 97.78 m and has a maximum elevation of 131.71 m]
Day 7 | Normanton to Karumba
Friday, 28th of June 2024 [78 km]
This leg of the ride is bitumen all the way, with the road travelling across the Norman River and through open downs country. Don’t be deceived – this can be a very trying ride and as it is the seventh day, riders are tired.
This effects concentration and highlights the possibility of an accident – not wanting to be overly dramatic but it happens. Don’t be complacent as it is usually hot with a strong dry head wind once we reach the open downs. We finish the ride at Karumba Point, for some toe dipping in FNQ’s western waters… or not, CROCODILE beware!!
[Total ascent of 81.07 m and has a maximum elevation of 15.0]
