22nd March 2014
What a wonderful time on Saturday exploring our beautiful Gold Coast Hinterland on our pushies with 2 groups up Beechmont and 2 groups up Springbrook to Best of All Lookout!
As part of our GOforGOLD Cycling Bunch, we organise this ‘Ultimate Gold Ride’ 3 times per year with the idea of providing a challenge to explore parts of the Gold Coast we may have never seen, and to ride our bikes places we never thought we ever could or would!
The Gold Coast has some magnificent places and we were right in amongst it and enjoying some of the best of these on our ride!
- Beechmont – First settlers flocked to the area in the 1800s and used the white beech trees, once prolific in the area, for timber. This is where Beechmont gets its name, in reference to its majestic forests of Antarctic Beech trees. The views from the top of Beechmont have been relatively untouched since before European settlement; the outlook is stunning with crisp mountain air to rejuvenate the spirit.
- Bavarian Hut – Perched on the Scenic Rim above the Gold Coast, a vista spreads out with views of Springbrook on the Coast side of the ridge, while the Gold Coast glistens in all its sun bleached glory all the way up north.
- Wunburra lookout – just off the Gold Coast–Springbrook Road and has spectacular views over the Gold Coast hinterland, Hinze Dam, Purling Brook valley, Mount Cougal and the Little Nerang Dam.
- Best of All lookout – a 300m jaunt through cool ancient forest with a cluster of giant gnarled 3 thousand year old Antarctic Beech Trees, the only ones that survived in this section of Gondwana from millions of years ago. Just past the beech trees is the lookout and you stand on the eroded rim of the volcano to take in the extraordinary sweeping panorama of Queensland and New South Wales with Coolangatta, Kingscliff, Byron Bay, the Nightcap Range, Murwillumbah and Mt Warning, which is the lava plug centre of the erosion caldera of the extinct Tweed shield volcano. Very aptly named… best of all! Source: http://www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/springbrook/about.html
After descending back down to the Gold Coast, we then enjoyed a well-earned feast and yummy coffee at Coffee Sisters, and awarded prizes to the most improved. This time around, Raelee and Jo were well deserved recipients of our Most Improved prize with a flash new pair of Oakley Radars! Awesome effort!
Begun in 2009, the GO for GOLD Cycling Bunch has been dedicated to a collective goal—providing a positive and educational cycling bunch experience to create a safer place for cyclists and motorists on our roads. We have had some wonderful support to help make this happen with Suz & Pen at Coffee Sisters who provide a beautiful venue and yummy coffee, Oakley who keep us rolling around as the coolest looking bunch, Pavé Cyclery who help ensure everyone’s pushie is safe and running schmicko, and our all-important and ever supportive ride leaders Stevo, Cass, Renee, and Brookey. Thank you all very much.
I feel so privileged and am so grateful for all the support to help create a place for many individuals to come together to share our enthusiasm, joy for cycling and commitment to positive lifestyle choices. I love it, thank you. xo
