Rail trails are really a thing who would have known. Obviously not me! So, if you are living under a rock like me, you don’t know what a rail trail is. A rail trail is bike or hiking trail that has been put in place of a railroad that is no longer active. What is sad about a non-active railway is the small towns that use to survive off the traffic from the train tend to die. Rail trails have been popping up all over Australia making great use of old railways and bringing life to small towns that were dying a slow death with little to no traffic.

Living on the Gold Coast in QLD we have some fun trails but not many spots to let a XC or gravel bike spread its legs at speed. Just over the border in northern New South Whales in a town called Murwillumbah is the start of an all-new Rail Trail that they are calling the Northern River trail. This project has been in the works for some time but the first stage of the Northern Rivers trail Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek of 24 km is now open and running strong. I was excited to get my lightweight Intense Sniper FRO on the trail to let it spread its legs and most important I get to take my oldest son who loves to pedal on his longest ride yet that would be 50k’s return. I rallied my brother in-law Andrew and the rest of my normal riding crew, Jena, Lee, and JT for our first ride the Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail.

We didn’t do much research to be honest, so we packed for a non-supported 50k ride with food and hydration to last the entire ride. The ride starts off on pavement then goes into some nice packed in dirt base. Right away the scenery is great seeing small ponds and the rolling grass hills. It doesn’t take long to get to the first tunnel where you get to turn on your lights and hoot and holler as your voice echoes through the tunnel. As we headed south, I was just blown away with how well the trail was laid out. We left at 6am so it was really quiet but as we approached the 7:00hr it started to get a little more crowded. Over the course of the 24k section that is opened I not one complaint about the riding. We had a great scenery, virtually no climbing and a trail that was perfectly laid out for all levels.

We made it to the end of the trail and we had set a really good pace with Mason “my son” being 12 and my brother in-law Andrew that never rides hanging right in there. On the way back to Murwillumbah we played tourist and stopped by Moobal to take photos with a giant motorcycle. We stopped shortly after in Burringbar for a coffee and pastry before we started smashing the pedals back to the start of the trail. The group was still smiling but it’s now around 8am and there is a lot more people on the trail and it was honestly a breath of fresh air to see so many people out on bikes. This isn’t the trail you want to be chasing Strava segments during peak ride time. In fact, it’s the perfect ride to just relax and take in great scenery.

We wrapped up the ride and I was extremely proud of Mason for getting the 50k’s done in just over 2 hours of ride time. Mason rode his size small Intense Sniper T 120mm 29er with Maxxis Ardent tires. Jena was on a Gravel Bike and the rest of the crew were also on XC mountain bikes. I got my weekend ride fix in and the rest of the crew had a blast so we will be coming back for sure.

What Bike Should You Ride on the rail trail: The perfect bike is a Cross Country Mtb or Gravel bike when it comes to speed and efficiency, but you can ride any bike on this trail and enjoy it. I would even ride my road bike on it if I was going to pass through on a ride that could utilise the trail.

Who is the trail for: All levels and all ages. It’s a great ride to comfortably get back on your bike if you haven’t been on your bike in a while.

Do you need to pack supplies: You don’t need to pack for a unassisted ride. I would bring a bottle a snack and your tube and c02 but no need for a large hydration pack or bike packing equipment.

The trail has a great website that keeps everyone up to date with the rules, event and when more of the trail will open. For More information on the Northern Rivers trail click HERE