ADVENTURE AND ADRENALINE Somerset Event Calendar Adventure lovers are assured an adrenaline rush in the Somerset region with skydiving, four-wheel-driving, trail riding, and water sports all options. Toogoolawah Kilcoy Agricultural Campdraft, Show, Hold on to your hat Toogoolawah Kilcoy Showground Showground APRIL Thrill seekers can opt to take in the views from a bird’s perspective MARCH with Skydive Ramblers in Toogoolawah. The fun begins long before the jump. The 15-minute flight to exit altitude reveals all of South Lake Wivenhoe East Queensland, from the peaks of the Great Dividing Range to the Pacific Ocean. Then, it’s go time. As the aeroplane door opens, there’s Lowood Esk Agricultural Toogoolawah Somerset Valley’s Wine Trail suddenly nothing between you and the ground but a whole lot of EXPLORE THE GREAT OUTDOORS Agricultural Show, Agricultural exhilaration. Lowood Esk Showground Show, Toogoolawah MAY Showground JUNE With the wind buffeting your face, swallow hard and then … jump. Discover delightful country spaces and waterways where Showground TREAT YOUR PALATE you can hike, bike, canoe, camp or take a leisurely drive with Make a splash captivating mountain and lake views. Seek out boutique cellar doors with their own distinctive offerings and then end your day at cosy country retreats set in If you prefer your thrills with a splash, head to Lake Somerset or Lake Head off the beaten track Kilcoy Classics beautiful natural surrounds. Atkinson. Jump aboard a boat and admire the surrounding bushland Somerset Rail on Wheels, from the water. Take it in now, because once you mount a tube or don Fill your lungs with clean country air on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. Trail Fun Run, Kilcoy a wakeboard or pair of water skis, that bushland will soon become a Pack your bike or hiking boots and trek along the pathway that traces Fernvale/Lowood JULY Showground Somerset Wine Trail blur. Your heart will race as you slice through the water, turning your the former train corridor from Fernvale to Yarraman. Bask in the face from the inevitable splash that will brush your cheeks. When sunlight and enjoy the quiet freedom of the countryside as you amble OCTOBER Wine lovers, prepare to charge your glasses as you set forth on you’ve had enough water for one day, dry off on the shore and fire up through valleys and beneath old rail bridges, stopping to admire new the Somerset Valleys Wine Trail. Several cellar doors scattered a barbecue for a well-earned picnic lunch. vistas along your way. Hikers can access the path at any of the well- through the valley each present their own expertly pressed offering. preserved old railway stations along the trail, choosing longer treks or Woongooroo Estate offers a tasting experience and lessons in Off-road-fun short strolls. appreciation as you sample a range of estate wines and local cheeses ______________ under the guidance of your host and vintner. Talk with the man who On solid ground, Landcruiser Mountain Park near Jimna provides On the water grows the vines, makes the wine and washes the glasses. A little 4000ha of four-wheel-driving adventure at its best. This working Somerset Markets further along the wine trail is Winya Wines, where Angus cattle roam cattle property is a muddy Mecca for off-road drivers. Put your driving Experience the scenery from a different angle entirely, paddling Esk Market | Every Saturday the hills. Pick up a bottle of shiraz and some prime Angus beef to skills – and your car’s suspension – to the test manoeuvring over one of the pretty reaches of the Brisbane River Canoe Trail from Pipeliner Park, Highland St transform into a perfectly matched meal back at home. gullies, washouts and creek crossings. The day doesn’t have to end Wivenhoe Dam to Kholo Bridge. Camp overnight by the river to enjoy Be sure to try a drop of vibrant fortified red or sparkling wines made the full 56km odyssey or enjoy a short day paddle at any of the local there. Pitch a tent, build a campfire and stay the night so you can give Fernvale Market | Every Sunday the traditional way at Mount England Estate near Fernvale. If you launch points such as Savages Crossing or the Spillway Common. those mudguards another workout tomorrow. Fernvale State School, Brisbane Valley Highway start to feel a bit peckish, make your way to Coolana Olives – famous Admire native greenery and wildlife as you glide along the calm for Sicilian-style roast olives and tapenades from its very own grove. waters, dipping your paddle, quietly at one with nature. Moore Hall Market | Third Saturday of the month A home away from home Hit the road Jack Main St, North More than simply a winery, Hunting Lodge Estate is a true South Those who would prefer to explore Somerset’s natural pleasures Coominya Market | First Sunday of the month African safari outpost hidden in South East Queensland. From the from the comfort of a car still have plenty to discover. The Bellevue Homestead, 1 West Rd wall-mounted deer and taxidermy over the Kalahari bar, it is a hunter’s Wivenhoe-Somerset Road’s winding route along the edge of Lake paradise. Finish the day with a glass or two of the estate’s smooth Wivenhoe is a series of delights, with farmland, forest and lake muscat at the rough-hewn wooden table and put up your feet in all uniting in glorious views. For an even more spectacular drive, Kilcoy Market | Second and last Saturday of the month your African-style rondavel safari cabin. Other wine-trail visitors may make for Esk-Kilcoy Road, which hugs the edge of Lake Somerset. Yowie Park, Hope St choose to take their lodgings at the cosy Hollow Log Country Retreat Rounding each corner presents the majestic lake from a new angle. and Koala Sanctuary after a long day of wine sampling. Hidden within You might spot the regal red deer that freely roam in the area. Toogoolawah Markets | Second Saturday of the month the natural bushland, enjoy the seclusion of your private verandah. Whether you spy the mythical “yowie”, rumoured to inhabit the Skydive Ramblers Railway Reserve, Cressbrook Street wilds of Somerset, is another matter altogether. Come twilight, the resident wallabies emerge to graze, and the ______________ ______________ melody of birdsong fills the surrounding forest. ______________ Welcome to Somerset Getting to Somerset With expansive lakes, mountain forests and hidden valleys, Somerset is just north-west of Brisbane and less than a Somerset is the ideal country escape for relaxation and outdoor Lake Wivenhoe is the home to 90-minute drive away. Known for its major lakes, scenery Explore the adventure. Did you the unique air-breathing Lung Fish – a rare prehistoric wonder and adventure recreation, Somerset consists of towns with dating back 380 million years! quaint names such as Coominya, Esk, Jimna, Kilcoy, Lowood, know? Toogoolawah, Fernvale, and the Somerset Dam village. Brisbane Region Give me Somerset Any Day TRAIN Somerset is home to four big walks within an hour’s drive of Queensland Rail runs regular train services to Ipswich. From Brisbane; Brisbane Valley Rail Ipswich, take bus route 529, which covers Esk, Coominya, TAKE Trail, Conondale Range Great Lowood, Fernvale and Toogoolawah. Contact TransLink on 13 Walk, Wivenhoe Hill Trails and 12 30, or visit translink.com.au ME the Bicentennial National Trail Somerset running 5330km from Victoria I’M FREE to Cooktown. ROAD A TASTE OF SOMERSET Travel west on the Warrego Highway, taking the off-ramp at Blacksoil onto the Brisbane Valley Highway, then north to As you begin your excursion into the country, you’ll In November of 2014, Lake Fernvale, Wivenhoe and Esk. pass through a rural landscape of patchwork farmland Wivenhoe was transformed into Travel north via the D’Aguilar Highway to Kilcoy and then and expansive lakes set against picturesque encircling The Yowie is a mystical creature a ‘dam for the damned’ during south via the Esk-Kilcoy Road to Somerset Dam, Toogoolawah mountains. It seems impossible that such iconic reported to wander the forests filming for Australian zombie around Kilcoy. and Esk. countryside could exist so close to Brisbane. film, Bullets for the Dead. Stretch your legs in one of the villages dotted along the Alternatively, the Northbrook Parkway offers scenic access to countryside. Refuel at a local cafe or poke through one the centre of Somerset via Mount Glorious. MORNING of the many antique stores and emporiums. Collectibles and curios beckon wondrous exploration with many gifts to tempt you. Land Cruiser Mountain Park is a 4000ha Wilderness Camping Travel a little further along the winding valley roads to and four-wheel-drive adventure the jewels of the region: lakes Wivenhoe and Somerset. park less than two hours from Unpack a picnic on the shores of the lake and settle in for Brisbane. Test your driving the afternoon, relishing the gentle breeze and basking skills on 200km of tracks while in the sunshine. Sit back and take in the native flora and having fun camping with the fauna, dancing together to put on an aural and visual show. family. Esk Visitor Information Centre AFTERNOON As shadows lengthen, reluctantly tear yourself away from 82 Ipswich St, Esk the serene landscape, with a promise to return soon. 07 5424 2923 [email protected] Those who wish to stay a night or two can choose between The Brisbane Valley was a hub Fernvale Futures Complex numerous bed and breakfasts, farmstays and campsites. Try The 1960 Australian of activity during WWII, with 1483 Brisbane Valley Highway, Fernvale Kilcoy Farmstay, a century-old farmstead nestled on the Grand Prix was held at the American and Australian air 07 5427 0200 northern end of Lake Somerset.