Cyclists took to Brisbane’s western roads and trails on Sunday for Brown Snake Gravel, with the organiser’s course map listing a 107-kilometre route linking inner-city suburbs with D’Aguilar National Park and Brisbane’s outer west.
Two Courses, One Weekend Festival
Starting and finishing at The Black in Albion, the main Sunday ride on 30 August formed the centrepiece of a weekend gravel cycling program. The organiser’s course map listed two options: a 107-kilometre route with 2,500 metres of elevation gain and a 67-kilometre route with 1,200 metres.
Although organisers stressed the event was not a race, both courses included timed segments for riders who wanted to compete for segment results. Segment times were taken from Strava, with podium placings based on riders’ combined times across the designated sections.
Urban Streets to National Park Trails
The long-course map showed riders travelling from Albion through Herston, Ashgrove and The Gap before continuing west towards D’Aguilar National Park. South Boundary Road, which begins at the end of Payne Road in The Gap, is a 22-kilometre shared trail through D’Aguilar National Park to Bullockys Dam near Mount Nebo Road.
Queensland Parks describes the trail as crossing forested ridges, with several long climbs and views towards Enoggera Reservoir. Parts of the western course entered shared-use recreation areas before the mapped route continued towards Lake Manchester, Mt Crosby, Karana Downs and Pullenvale.
Aid stations marked near Bellbird Grove, Lake Manchester and Pullenvale offered sports nutrition and food before the mapped route returned east through Brookfield, Kenmore, Taringa and Milton.
Three Days of Gravel Riding
The main ride completed a three-day program that began with a Friday Curve Shakedown Ride and a Saturday Curve Demo Day at Epic Cycles. Sunday’s Brown Snake Gravel event then took riders from Albion into Brisbane’s western suburbs and bushland before returning to the inner city.
The event combined urban roads with off-road riding across Brisbane’s west, where established cycling networks include D’Aguilar National Park and Mt Coot-tha Reserve. Brown Snake Gravel’s organisers describe the event as a celebration of Brisbane’s wild spaces and places, with at least half of both routes planned on gravel.
Published 31-Aug-2026
