The best motorcycle roads near Brisbane (from an hour out to a full day)

Brisbane is one of the easiest capital cities in the country to ride out of. Within half an hour of the western suburbs the road is already climbing into the range, and within a couple of hours you can be on quiet back roads that few people use.

Half an hour out: the range roads

Mount Nebo Road climbs from The Gap and is the first half of the Brisbane range run. It is open and fast, with long sweepers and views back over the city. Most riders treat it and Mount Glorious Road as one ride, since they run into each other, and Glorious is the tighter and busier of the two.

Weekend traffic on both is heavy, cyclists use them early, and police know exactly why you are there. A weekday morning is the way to enjoy them.

North: Mount Mee

Mount Mee Road is north of the city and quieter than the Glorious circus. The climb from Dayboro is steady and open; the far side, down toward Woodford, is tighter and far less travelled. It is the one range road near Brisbane where you can still have a weekend morning largely to yourself.

A full day: the Brisbane Valley

Further out, the back roads around Esk and Kilcoy are the best kept secret in the area. Esk–Kilcoy Road is narrow and consistently twisty, and Kilcoy–Beerwah Road gives you a link toward the Sunshine Coast with a tighter middle section than it first looks. Fuel is limited between the towns, so fill up before you leave.

Link the range roads, the Valley and Mount Mee and you have a loop that fills a full day without repeating a road.

What to know before you go

• Start early. Heat and afternoon storms arrive early in Queensland.
• Gravel after storms. Washed-out corners are common on the range roads.
• Fuel. Top up before the Valley roads.

Plan it

Drop pins in the app, pick curvy routing, and it builds a loop along the twistiest roads it can find. Download the offline map pack before you head out: signal drops in the ranges.