The Sunshine Coast train line allows some flexibility for starting/finishing your Jimna Escape route. By commencing your ride at Caboolture, Beerburrum, or similar, a variety of routes are possible across to Woodford. You’ll be able to find some popular routes using Strava heatmap including back roads, dirt-roads, forestry and rail trails. From Woodford onwards, two routes in particular are popular amongst cyclists. One which follows the bitumen up Bellthorpe Range Road, the other, on the dirt up Stony Creek Road.
Just on the northern edge of Woodford, you’ll find Old Cove & Cove Roads. This route passes the Woodford Folk Festival site on its way along the Kilcoy-Beerwah Rd for a handful of kms before exiting to the much quieter Nommus Rd. The road here hooks west and the climb starts up Bellthorpe Range Road, a well-engineered bitumen path cut into the hillside. The 6km climb is spectacular, averaging about 8.5% gradient, but with steeper pinches and some tight switchbacks in places. Once the main climb is completed, the route continues along the ridge (Bellthorpe West Rd) past Bellthorpe Hall. From the hall, it is still approximately 45km of undulating terrain to Jimna. Bellthorpe West Road continues another 7km beyond the hall before coming to a T-junction with Brandons Rd on the Stony Creek route. From this point, you’ll turn right and follow the dirt along Brandons Rd/West Bellthorpe Rd. The well-preserved Old Brandon’s Mill is located just beyond this junction, a historical reminder of logging operations of years past. This dirt road, marked with multiple names, as it continues to undulate all the way from here to Jimna. It is fairly well-shaded in parts due to the tall tree canopy. There are also numerous places to stop and appreciate your surrounds, including small mountain creeks and towering eucalypts. Towards the Jimna end, some additional route options become available, if riders are seeking to stay off the bitumen for the rest of the way to Jimna township. Although, by this stage of the day, the gentle 6km roll along the bitumen into town might be appreciated by some.
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