Every once in a while I have the idea to go somewhere completely different, somewhere I haven’t been before, somewhere I know nothing about. Now that could be as far away as the other side of the world to a new country or region, or it could be simply cycling down a different street in the city as I’m cycling around. For me life is all about getting out there, trying new things, meeting new people and above all exploring.

A couple of weeks ago I was making a presentation to QTIC (Queensland Tourism Industry Council) and in the audience was one very happy chap called Ross. After I’d finished he bounded up to me looking like the cat who’d go the cream “Ben you know how love running? Well I help to organise a Fun Run not far from here and I wondered if you’d like to come and take part in it?”

Having just completed the Gold Coast marathon last weekend I made the decision to head out to the Somerset Region of Queensland a couple of days after, safe in the knowledge that my legs would just about have enough juice in them to take on the relatively short 8.3km route. I grabbed the map and had a look…now it says Fernvale…where on earth is that then?!

Situated about 40kms inland (as the crow flies) from Brisbane, the Somerset Region is also known as the Valley of the Lakes and has some beautiful rolling scenery around the shores of the huge man-made lakes that supply Brisbane’s drinking water…and they also generate some renewable energy! Leaving Brisbane just after 6.30am I hit the road east as the sun was starting to throw some light on the hills in the distance. I was driving over the edge of the Great Dividing Range leaving the city expanses far behind me and where the landscape had changed into more agricultural farm land, wide open spaces and forest parks. It felt great to be on the road again.

Brisbane Valley Rail Trail and Fun Run

My main reason for heading there was to take part in the Rail Trail Fun Run between Fernvale and neighbouring Lowood. There used to be a railway between the two towns but lack of demand closed it down many years ago leaving a strip of wasteland running parallel to the edge of the road. Somerset Regional Council decided back in 2007 that this was rather a waste of perfectly good land so instead of letting it turn back into scrub land and bush, as has happened to many old tracks. They’ve instead cleared it, removed the old rail, resurfaced it and turned it in to a rather attractive path. It’s now used by horse-riders, cyclists and walkers and for the last eight years the locals have organised this very successful run weekend along its length. So far, over 100kms have been reclaimed and the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail stretches intermittently from Ipswich to Blackbutt with ongoing work meaning that new sections are planned towards the end of this year.

Once I’d arrived in Fernvale and registered for the 8.3km run I mingled about with the other waiting runners, all up bright and early on a Sunday morning. There are two separate races, an 8.3 and 3km version that run along the same course and over 800 people had turned up, from elite runners through to Sunday morning families with the baby strollers – it really is an event for everybody. The countdown started and we we’re off! Having never run a short race like this before I had no idea how to pace myself and went out confidently fast, keeping up with the some of the front runners – come on it can’t be that bad I thought…only just over 8kms!

The scenery was excellent; past houses, down dips and along the ridge, slowly knocking off the distance until with about two kilometres to go I realised I’d gone too fast at the start (deceiving these short runs you know!) and my already ‘Gold Coast Marathon’ weakened legs didn’t have much left in them and I started to drop back finally crossing the finish line in 0:33.57 seconds. Pretty good considering the winner crossed the line just under ten minutes before me.

The route along the Rail Trail is here for you to have a look at, but there is plenty more to explore for yourself and much more off the beaten track than this section too. It’s really easy just to throw your bikes in the back of the car, head inland and find a section of the track to walk, run or cycle along.

I’d done a bit of research into other attractions in the area and headed to the Visitor Information Centre in Fernvale to grab the up-to-date opinion on the best things to be doing here! There’s nothing quite like asking the locals who have the knowledge.

Wivenhoe Dam

The first view I got of the dam was a pretty impressive one, the wall itself is over 2 kilometres long and 50 metres high…that holds a serious amount of water, in fact around 2.6 million mega-litres – a vast amount of water! The visitor centre there has loads of information about the construction, the fish and plant life found here, and fascinating pictures from the floods back in 1893 and 1974, when water levels rose so much on the Brisbane River that the city experienced nearly 8.5 metres above their normal level – Edward Street was under water!

Today the Dam stands to protect the city from these extreme water levels and the spillway which forms the back side of the dam is opened occasionally to allow flood levels to be controlled. There is also a small hydro generator on the main dam wall which produces power through a small turbine system, creating 4.3MW of green power. There is also a power station situated between Splityard Creek Dam and Lake Wivenhoe, which produces a further 250MW.

Around the banks of the dam are public park areas and at Comorant Bay the restaurant has just opened again so I stopped off for a relaxing morning coffee to take in the view and read the papers. With time racing on I had to keep moving – there’s lots to do today…

Coolana Olives – located here

Now I don’t know about you, but I have a huge liking for olives and when I saw there was a farm in the area I couldn’t resist the temptation to drop in and see what it was all about. I’ve seen the trees growing at the edges of the road in Morocco and Spain but never looked deeper at what’s involved in processing them. Ian and Dot have been running the business since 1985, what they have here is a real gem of a place and as you pull into the driveway familiar trees line the track up to the farm building.

They now have around 1000 trees and a superb little shop with a huge range of culinary delights. I was lucky enough to try virtually the entire range from baked Sicilian to Lime Chili and boy are they good. Temptation got the better of me too…I ended up buying oils, olives, balsamic reductions – the works! Will make a very good Mediterranean style lunch this week though. Tours of the production plant and groves are available and well worth a visit.

Bellevue Homestead is here

Just up the road in Coominya is a fantastic step back in time. The Bellevue Homestead dates back to the 1870′s and really is a window into another world. The main building has been decorated to evoke memories of a bygone era when cattle farming was the trade, afternoon tea was the norm and it wasn’t unusual to have a prince over to stay (Prince Edward VIII visited and stayed here). Each of the rooms has been lovingly looked after with furniture and fittings all perfectly kept and presented…even down to the wallpaper.

The outside of the buildings looked amazing in the fading evening light and the vineyard off in the distance offers some very tasty wines, shame I’m driving actually. John shows me around the site and tells me all about the history of the homestead, it’s fascinating to hear his passion for the place and it’s not difficult to imagine yourself 100 years back in time pulling clothes through the mangle or stoking the fire in the lounge room. The remainder of the house is actually lived in and tours can be taken at any time over the weekend.

Mt Glorious drive

There was one more thing I had to try and fit into my packed day, and that was the drive up through the Brisbane Forest Park, or as it’s now known D’Aquilar National Park, to Mount Glorious. The last light of the day was starting to disappear as I wound my way up what I seriously consider to be one of the most beautiful drives I’ve been on whilst here in Queensland. The park is made up from open eucalypt woodlands, scribbly gum forests and lush subtropical rainforests.

More than 800 plant species are found in these forests, some of which are rare and threatened. As the road climbs up to around 600 metres above sea level the temperature noticeably drops, and when I reach the Wivenhoe Lookout there is a distinct chill in the air as the sun has just dropped out of sight for another night.

Mount Glorious itself is the name of the small village up top here, I for some reason imagined it to be the summit of the road! There’s some beautiful little houses, cafes and shops here all offering views out over both the dam and Brisbane far off in the distance. The road continues for another 40kms until it hits the outskirts of Brisbane itself and all of a sudden the day which had started early on, was now drawing to an end.

Somerset Region isn’t one of the obvious attractions initially when you look at Queensland and what there is to do, but you should make it exactly that…one of the attractions. It’s a real part of the State that gets you away from the hustle and bustle of city life in just over an hour from the city of Brisbane, and it feels as though you’re in another world altogether.

So a great run, some more food for the fridge and a national park I want to visit again! Good job Ross, thanks for the invite!

Ben