Coominya and Esk23km

Location

The 24.5 km Coominya and Esk sections of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail are approximately 50 km northwest of Ipswich and 80 km from Brisbane along the Warrego and Brisbane Valley Highways.

Landscape Heritage

The Rail Trail extends through native bushland and rural farms with views of Mt Hallen. Esk is located close to both Ravensbourne and Crows Nest National Parks and is home to the spectacular Mt Glen Rock.

Use

The trail features a compacted gravel road base suited to people with a moderate to high fitness level, this particular section is especially suited to families. There are no drinking water or toilet facilities on the trail. Walking shoes or light hiking boots are required and horses must be shod. Only walking, cycling and horse riding are permitted. The surface is not suitable for road/ racing bicycles, personal mobility vehicles or horse drawn vehicles. Motorised vehicles of any type are prohibited.

Indigenous Heritage

The name Coominya means a "view of water", and is an adaptation of the Yugarabul Aboriginal name Kung-i-nya from Kung meaning "water", and nya meaning "to see". The Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul peoples are the Traditional Owners of the Coominya and Esk district. Prior to European settlement in 1824, the landscape of South-East Queensland (as elsewhere in Australia) was influenced and protected by millennia of Aboriginal stewardship. Indigenous use and management of the landscape maintained a balance between the land and human needs. The South East Queensland Traditional Owners Alliance (SEQTOA) is currently managing archaeological research projects into the indigenous heritage of the Brisbane Valley.

European Heritage

The original railway line through the Brisbane Valley was built in the 1880s to transport supplies to the growing number of small farmers in the Valley and to transport milk products, timber and stock to Brisbane markets. The last rail motor service on the line was in 1989 and the railway line was finally closed later that year. Brisbane Valley Heritage Trails Inc. has a wealth of old photos from the early days of the Brisbane Valley Line as well as the stories, accurate and apocryphal, of working people including the railway men.

Distance

  • Coominya Station Grounds to Cooragook Bridge: 10km. Walking time is approximately 2 hours
  • Cooragook Bridge to Mt Hallen: 2.5km. Walking time is approximately 35 mins
  • Mt Hallen to Boons Road: 8km. Walking time is approximately 1.5 hours (to be opened in late 2009)
  • Boons Road to Esk Station Grounds: 4km. Walking time is approximately 1 hour

Sites of Interest

Bellevue Homestead, Coominya Station Grounds, Mt Hallen, Cooragook Bridge, Lyceum Hall, Esk Station and Mt Glen Rock.

Mobile phone coverage

Good!

Services

Public toilets and picnic facilities are located at Coominya and Esk. There are no other public facilities along this section of the trail.


The following sections of the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail are now open to the public: