Comments on: Mary to Bay Rail Trail

By: Wolter K.

Wolter K. — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 10:15:56 +0000

50/70 Only 20 left in my quest to ride 70 rail trails in my 70th year. This was a nice one for a wet day with all that smooth hot-mix asphalt. I started at Aalborg Rd South in Nikenbah and rode to Urangan for lunch and then back. Rode as far as Takara Station site in the other direction, on what was predominantly deco limestone with a single rut emerging down the middle. One of the hand-built, low-level crossings is very rocky.

By: Ivan B.

Ivan B. — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 21:30:47 +0000

As the description states; this ride consists of various surfaces with parts to the Western end best suited for wide tyres. Trail is not completed however I was able to push on to Aldershot by crossing through some fences taking care not to damage them. I then popped out onto the Bruce Hwy and shortly after located the Maryborough end of the trail which felt like a highway.

By: Garry S.

Garry S. — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 04:17:48 +0000

Last week, We traveled the 20 or so Km from Urangan Pier. Good bitumen surface to Nikenbak, short distance mowed grass to Piggford Lane, then very good dirt surface about next 6 or 8 Km to the unmade creek crossing where we stopped.
Sign@ge could be improved, especially around Unwarra (?) Road. In other places Fraser Coast Bicycle Users Group has provided handy signage.
Next visit we may tackle the entire run to Maryborough.
Overall, where we travelled, it is better than BVRT!

By: Garry L.

Garry L. — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 23:52:48 +0000

Great to see improvements continue for the Mary to Bay Rail Trail, with additional wayfinding signs in the Urangan and Pialba areas. Still not clear indication at King St Urangan for the Pier St connection. Trail map on sign at Hunter St Pialba unfortunately bypasses the whale sculpture, Regional Gallery area and railway remnants. The Depot Cafe at Nikenbar, accessed via trail gate, is a must for coffee etc. Sealed trail still ends with no trail crossing at Maryborough Hervey Bay Rd. Restart trail at Piggford Ln towards Maryborough for gravel sections open. See also Facebook 'Mary2Bay Rail Trail Discussion'page for current community involvement and updates.

By: Stephen B.

Stephen B. — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 21:23:36 +0000

This certainly is a well built and designed rail trail. It is well used by locals and when I was there the electric scooters certainly outnumbered the cyclists. It has a very good coat of bitumen which I would say has very low maintenance and the local council keep the lawns and infrastructure well maintained. It has all the bells and whistles that you could expect from an urban cycling path.
Hervey Bay is worth visiting, but for my liking the place is really just becoming another city landscape. The beach areas and the pier are worthy of a visit and as I only rode the sealed area I can’t say much about the section. This is more remote and would be good to visit as this is more to my liking and more rural landscape is at the Maryborough end of the trail. I think this would appeal more to the adventure cyclists. I understand behind the scenes there is a group of dedicated locals working towards improving this section.

By: John O.

John O. — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 05:18:33 +0000

We are back in Hervey Bay and it isn't raining. Rode the complete trail from the Jetty to the end of the dirt section off Piggford Road. It is 3.5km from Piggford Rd to the end of the dirt section. Very smooth surface with two new bridges. At the end of the trail is a missing bridge, which would have been quite long. You could push down to the low level crossing and continue further down towards Maryborough, however 4 wheel drivers have been down and churned up the area into a huge deep rutted mud bath. No way of getting through on a bike unless you like getting muddy. Very inconsiderate, especially since there are signs up saying no vehicles beyond this point.
Read my previous review for the rest of the trail.

By: John O.

John O. — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 11:25:11 +0000

Wow this is a very top class rail trail. Hot mix all the way from the jetty to Maryborough-Hervey Bay Rd. Too wet for us to go any further unfortunately. The surface is wide and smooth, and neat and tidy lawn and gardens on each side all the way. Felt like we could have rode on this all day, but it would not stop raining. Hervey Bay residents are so lucky to have this trail running through the middle of the city.

By: Andrew O.

Andrew O. — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 07:55:33 +0000

Trail from Urangan to Nikenbah is fully sealed.
Nikenbah to Pigford Lane not clear but bypassing along the main road is possible.
Pigford to Walligan rest area is packed gravel and clear.
Walligan to Torbanlea Road has two removed bridges which maybe impassible when wet, surface is loose ballast but not hard to ride some over growth and small trees down.
Beyond that I have not ventured.

By: Steve.d@roy

Steve.d@roy — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 05:26:32 +0000

Road from Maryborough RWS to Urangan Pier via mainline and then the rail trail this morning – 58ks and 4 hours later arrived in the Bay. Great ride, challenging in places, especially through the forestry when you enter the trail head off the mainline north of Aldershot. Much work to be done on the trail at that end, but what an asset it will be. Recommend the ride for those wanting adventure as well as the rail trail experience. Steve Kingaroy.