Fernvale Loop (via Northbrook)

Epic Hill Ride

Type: Road
Difficulty: Medium – Advance
Distance: 178km
Elevation Gained: 3,796m
Estimated Moving Time: 7-9 hours

Summary

When the usual Fernvale Loop no longer feels like enough, this route is a great alternative. It’s longer, steeper, and offers significantly more elevation.

In our opinion, this is a better option—not just for the challenge, but also for finishing with less traffic. Plus, by the halfway point, you’ll already be closer to the city.

Ride Overview

Starting Point: Brisbane City
Route Options: Start from Go Between Bridge or Regatta
Direction: Take the Centenary Bikeway toward Ipswich

The ride out to Ipswich is mostly rolling terrain—nothing too hard. You’ll be riding mainly on bikeways and through residential areas. The earlier you start, the better, as Ipswich Road can get quite busy later in the morning.

First Segment – Pine Mountain Road & Fernvale

This section isn’t a major climb, but it features plenty of rolling hills—perfect for warming up your legs or giving them an early test.

Northbrook Parkway Climb

This is where the real climbing begins. The Northbrook climb stretches about 11 km and starts with a steady 8–12% gradient. It then ramps up to some brutally steep sections of 16–19%. When 8–12% feels like recovery, you know it’s serious.

This is considered one of Brisbane’s toughest climbs due to the minimal flat or resting sections. After you pass Wivenhoe Outlook, the terrain becomes more forgiving, with rolling sections and light descents leading toward Mt. Glorious Café.

Second Climb – Mt. Nebo

If you know, you know. Even though you’ll descend from Mt. Glorious to Mt. Nebo, it’s not a simple downhill cruise. The route features more rolling hills and surprise climbs.

With over 2,000 meters of elevation already in your legs by this point, Mt. Nebo will still challenge you.

Final Climbs – Gap Creek & Mt. Coot-tha

Like any great climbing route, this one finishes with a final sting in the tail. Gap Creek Road delivers steep pitches, and Mt. Coot-tha offers a more consistent but taxing gradient.

The descent from Mt. Coot-tha into the city is the perfect way to end a tough ride on a high note.

Conclusion

If you haven’t ridden the standard Fernvale Loop yet, try that first. Once it starts to feel too easy, this route is your next step up.

It’s a challenging Brisbane loop packed with steep climbs and tough segments. As mentioned earlier, doing it this way (finishing closer to the city) generally makes for a safer experience with less traffic toward the end.

Tips:

-. Start early to avoid busy traffic at ipswich & fernvale

-. Stop before Northbrook climb as there won’t be any other option once you started the climb.

Fernvale Loop (via Nebo)