Lions Road
Encyclopedia
The Lions Road is a road running between the Summerland Way
in New South Wales
and a junction at the Mount Lindesay Highway
near Rathdowney
. Strictly speaking, it is the road that joins two pre-existing sections of rural road, namely Wilson Avenue in New South Wales and Running Creek Road in Queensland. It was so named as most of the funding, planning and voluntary labour for the road came from the Kyogle
branch of the Lions Club. Kyogle resident Jack Hurley was one of the most prominent advocates of the road. Despite the NSW Government rejecting the idea in 1969, it was opened the following year.
It connects these two roads over the Richmond Gap in the McPherson Range
. For a good deal of its length it is a narrow one-laned road that cannot be used by trucks or cars towing caravans or trailers. It was only recently that the road was fully sealed with bitumen. The road fords many creek crossings along its length, and several of the bridges are of wooden construction that can only support low vehicular weights.
The road runs through the Border Ranges National Park
and it is altogether a scenic drive. The road also parallels the main Brisbane-Sydney railway line
and actually runs near a feature of the train line known as the Cougal Spiral
.
Summerland Way
The Summerland Way is a 199 kilometre state route, designated 91, in New South Wales. It runs in a generally northern direction from Grafton to the Boonah turnoff just south of Rathdowney, Queensland. With the decommissioning of the Mount Lindesay Highway, the length of the Summerland Way has been...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and a junction at the Mount Lindesay Highway
Mount Lindesay Highway
The Mount Lindesay Highway is a highway in Queensland which has been given the national route number 13. It runs from Brisbane, where it leaves Ipswich Road in the suburb of Moorooka , to the New South Wales border where it becomes the Summerland Way heading south to Kyogle.The highway used to...
near Rathdowney
Rathdowney, Queensland
Rathdowney is a small town in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. It is on the Mount Lindesay Highway 32 km south of Beaudesert at the base of the McPherson Range. It is located in the Scenic Rim Local Government Area. At the 2006 census, Rathdowney had a population of 198.The town was named...
. Strictly speaking, it is the road that joins two pre-existing sections of rural road, namely Wilson Avenue in New South Wales and Running Creek Road in Queensland. It was so named as most of the funding, planning and voluntary labour for the road came from the Kyogle
Kyogle, New South Wales
Kyogle is a town in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales, Australia, in Kyogle Council. At the 2006 census, Kyogle had a population of 2,731 people. It was founded in the 1830s as a lumber camp, and is located north of Sydney, north of Casino on the Summerland Way close to the...
branch of the Lions Club. Kyogle resident Jack Hurley was one of the most prominent advocates of the road. Despite the NSW Government rejecting the idea in 1969, it was opened the following year.
It connects these two roads over the Richmond Gap in the McPherson Range
McPherson Range
The McPherson Range is an extensive mountain range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range, heading in an easterly direction from near Wallangarra to the Pacific Ocean coastline. It forms part of the Scenic Rim on the border between the states of New South Wales and Queensland. Further west of the...
. For a good deal of its length it is a narrow one-laned road that cannot be used by trucks or cars towing caravans or trailers. It was only recently that the road was fully sealed with bitumen. The road fords many creek crossings along its length, and several of the bridges are of wooden construction that can only support low vehicular weights.
The road runs through the Border Ranges National Park
Border Ranges National Park
Border Ranges National Park, 150 km south of Brisbane, Australia, is in northern New South Wales with a small portion located in Queensland....
and it is altogether a scenic drive. The road also parallels the main Brisbane-Sydney railway line
Sydney-Brisbane rail corridor
The Sydney-Brisbane railway corridor is a standard gauge railway corridor that runs between the state capitals of Brisbane and Sydney in Australia....
and actually runs near a feature of the train line known as the Cougal Spiral
Cougal Spiral (railway)
The Cougal Spiral is a feature of the North Coast Railway in Australia that connects New South Wales with Queensland through Richmond Gap. The railway lines needs to climb at a steady ruling gradient from Kyogle to the summit at a tunnel at the border between the two states. The border is also at...
.