WRC Drive 1a - Brisbane/Beaudesert/Kyogle via The Lions Road and the Border Gate
You will need an E-Toll tag to travel sections of this drive in the Brisbane Metropolitan Area.
Contact www.etoll.com.au for details.
Caravans and large trailers are not recommended on The Lions Road section of this drive.
Departing the Brisbane CBD, take the M1 or Pacific Motorway heading south.
At Eight Mile Plains, bear right onto the Gateway Motorway heading to the Logan Motorway.
Bear right onto the Logan Motorway heading west to Ipswich.
Bear left onto the Mt Lindesay Highway heading south to Jimboomba and Beaudesert.
This Highway (maximum speed 100kmh) heads south through the Logan River valley
passing Round Mountain and the Dugandan Range to the West and the Birnam Range and Mt Tamborine to the East.
Enter Beaudesert from the north and bear right at the Traffic lights in the centre of town,
signed Rathdowney (Qld) and Woodenbong (NSW).
Straight on at intersection on right signed Boonah.
Exit Beaudesert to the SSE.
Drive 1a now runs parallel to the north-south railway line and heads towards the famous Border Loop, located
in the Border Ranges National Park. Search "Border Loop" on www.NSWrail.net for the history of the tunnels and
rail line loops that enabled the railway to climb then rapidly fall down either side of the State Border.
At approximately 25km distance from Beaudesert, signed Innisplaln,
Turn Left (TL) off the Mt Lindesay Hwy into Running Creek Road and continue heading south.
This road is a secondary country road of good quality but narrow in places - drive within your limits.
The vista is more likened to the southern States mountain ranges yet has pockets of sub-tropical vegetation
as you climb rapidly to the Border Gate crossing. The Lions Road is an initiative of the Kyogle Lions Club.
At the Border Gate smile for the Govt cameras and please leave a donation for the Lions Club to support
their great work in this area.
Several kms from the Border gate is a picnic and viewing area on the right.
The entrance comes up very quickly and is on a blind section of the road.
Now you are in the Border Ranges National Park, an area set aside by our forefathers to protect and
enhance our nations forests and wildlife. Those serious rally spectators will also start to become excited
as the narrow road winds through the forest heading south to Kyogle and one of the main WRC Repco Rally
Australia spectating centres. You can almost feel the vibrations of a World Rally Car sliding through
the challenging shire roads of the Kyogle district.
Continue South for 24km through Loadstone and Mount Lion until the 'T' intersection of the
Summerland Way main road, where you turn left and travel through the northern most
WRC Repco Rally Australia stages on either side of the Highway at Wiangaree.
If you have not pre-purchased a Spectators pass then continue on into Kyogle and passes can be
purchased at the Rally Centre located in the Information Centre?? (to be confirmed) on the right hand side just after
entering the township of Kyogle.
Accomodation and camping in Kyogle is limited, however the local Show Society might be arranging a small tent city
area at the showground and Kyogle has a fully approved "home stay" system in place for visitors.
See Accomodation Section on our HOME page for details of registering and booking.
Remember, we want to support the locals and their businesses when the WRC is in town.
Drivers be warned that "0.05" is the maximum alcohol limit when driving on Australian roads.
Please leave a good impression.
You can return to Brisbane the same way, however The Lions Road is more challenging at night.
An alternative route is to remain on the Summerland Way heading north west until it intersects
the Mt Lindesay Highway @ H9, then turn right at the 'T' intersection and travel through Rathdowney
and Beaudesert. Eventhough this route is longer by approximately 66km, The Lions Road can be
enshrouded in mist and fog at night making driving challenging and slow.