The Woodford Folk Festival is held annually at Woodfordia, 5km outside the township of Woodford and a one-hour drive from Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast.
There are many ways to reach Woodfordia – from training to plane-ing, and cycling to driving – but we encourage all patrons to consider their footprint when travelling and how they might help in our efforts to reduce on-site congestion, noise and the dreaded campground dust.
By Car
Reduce the number of cars on site, and split the driving and petrol costs between you and your friends by carpooling.
Use our new Car Pool Search Page thanks to coseats.com to offer a ride or find others driving from your area – for example, Bess is travelling from Brisbane to Woodford on 26th December at 5.30am, and is offering a ride for $10.
Also check out the OneLessCar@Woodfordia Facebook page to connect with the Woodfordia community and organise carpooling.
Driving from South: Drive along the Bruce Highway from Brisbane. Turn left at Kilcoy Exit 152. Follow service road parallel to highway. Turn left onto D’Aguliar Highway. Travel straight through to Woodford. Four kilometres after Woodford, turn right onto Kilcoy-Beerwah Road. Travel one kilometre then turn left onto Woodrow Road.
Driving from North: After taking exit 179 off the Bruce Highway onto Roys Road, it’s a straight road to Woodfordia. From the highway, travel 17km and then at Peachester, continue straight to stay on Peachester Road. After a few kilometres, Peachester Road turns into Kilcoy-Beerwah Road – after travelling 19kms from Peachester, turn right off Kilcoy-Beerwah Road into Woodrow Road, and follow signs to the festival gates.
By Air
Fly into Brisbane Airport and catch the airport train to Eagle Junction. Then catch the Caboolture train and get off at Caboolture Station.
There are connecting buses from here to the festival at various times. See the information in the Public Transport section above for details on the shuttle bus to the festival and taxi options.
By Public Transport
Train and bus
If you’re planning on catching the train to the festival, the nearest station is Caboolture, where you can then catch a festival shuttle bus to Woodfordia.
Click here for Translink’s train timetables and fares if you’re traveling from South East Queensland.
If you’re coming from further abroad in Queensland, check out the Queensland Rail website for timetables, fares and more info.
Festival shuttle bus tickets can be purchased at the Caboolture Train Station prior to boarding the bus and will cost $15 each way – no bookings are necessary.
Click here for the shuttle bus timetable.
You can also check out your local coach company for details on services to Caboolture.
Train and taxi
If the shuttle bus schedule doesn’t suit you, you can always call a taxi from the Caboolture train station and that service is run by Yellow Cabs Caboolture on 131 924.
Cab fares will vary according to distance and the amount of passengers.
Here’s a list of other local taxi companies:
| Company | Area/Address | Telephone |
| Kilcoy Taxis | 9 Woodrow Street, Kilcoy | 131 008 |
| Yellow Cabs Caboolture | Caboolture | 131 924 |
| Rainbow Taxi Service | Rainbow Beach | 07 5486 3164 |
| Sunshine Coast Limited | 2 Aerodrome Road, Maroochydore | 07 5451 7599 |
| ExecuCab | Maroochydore | 07 5451 0066 |
| Glasshouse Taxi Service | 132 Chelsea Crescent, Minyama | 0413 948 076 |
| Gympie Golden City Cabs | Gympie | 07 5451 7599 |
| Range Taxi Service | 26 Palm Street, Maleny | 07 5494 3354 0418 711 989 |
By Bicycle
The two-wheeled alternative has certainly been made easier with the introduction of the free luggage service from Brisbane.
The service is available for Season Camping ticket-holders, and you simply need to drop your luggage off at Epic Cycles in Paddington in the week before the festival, and it will be ready and waiting for you when you arrive.
After the festival we’ll return it to you on 2nd January.
Bookings are essential for this service, and can be made through Epic Cycles, or by emailing onelesscar@woodfordia.com.
Epic Cycles: 81 Baroona Road, Paddington, Ph: 07 3171 8700
With luggage looked after, the ride to Woodfordia then becomes an easy undertaking for anyone with reasonable levels of fitness, especially if using the train/bicycle combination – bicycles are free to take on board the train with you!
Check out the Translink website to plan your journey to Caboolture, Beerwah, Beerburrum or Glass House Mountains Station.
Which way to go?
All roads to Woodfordia from the train line need to cross the watershed between the Stanley River and the coastal streams. So no matter which way you go, there is an uphill stretch either easy or arduous, depending on your route. Generally the uphill bits are less of an issue on the return journey.
PLEASE NOTE: Numbers in brackets after place names refer to distance from starting point in kilometres.
If using Strava, the mobile app or website for online cycling routes, see this page.
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From Beerwah Station – the popular route
From the train station, turn right, then almost immediately turn left and head west along Peachester Road. If children are riding with you, you can use the footpath on the right side of the road, it continues well past the Beerwah State School. The road itself has light to moderate traffic.
After about 6km, the climb begins. It’s not a steep gradient, the road runs through bushland and is well shaded, it twists and turns a fair bit so that traffic maintains a low speed. Towards the top of the climb there’s a break in the vegetation and it’s worth stopping to take in the view of the Glasshouse Mountains to the south – good photo op. You’ll soon arrive at Peachester (9) where there’s a café, picnic table and toilets.
At Peachester you can continue along the main road and face a further climb (and an exhilarating descent) but our route instead turns left onto Commissioners Flat Road. From here the remainder of the route to Woodfordia is especially idyllic, running through bushland and farmland with very little traffic. The road is narrow however, and requires the usual caution. It gradually descends into the Stanley River valley
Soon, you’ll come to a junction where you turn left into Cove Road (17). You can continue straight on for a few hundred metres to rejoin the main Kilcoy-Beerwah Road to avoid two short unsealed sections of Cove Road. The favoured route though is along Cove Road. The unsealed sections total less than 3km, traffic is extremely light, and gradually views of the Conondale Range appear over the Stanley River valley.
Continue along Cove Road, ignoring several turnoffs (the last of which is Old Cove Road, a pleasant back road which leads to Woodford township). Cove Road then crosses the Stanley River and quickly ends on the Kilcoy-Beerwah Road.
Carefully cross the main road here to reach Woodrow Road, follow this for less than a kilometre and you’ll have reached Woodfordia (27.5).
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From Beerburrum Station – the most traffic-free
This route is a little shorter, and has much less traffic, than Ride 1. Much of it is through State Forest and about half is unsealed, fairly well graded but after a dry spell it can be quite dusty. Take care if visibility is reduced. Not recommended for narrow-tyred road bikes.
From Beerburrum Station, head out west to the Beerburrum Road, turn left, then after a short distance, turn right onto the Beerburrum-Woodford Road (.54). The route to Woodford is straightforward from here – it runs to the south of Mt Beerburrum, becomes gravel after several kilometres, and continues through pine plantation with some bushland before a short section of sealed road over the watershed. The climb is shorter but significantly steeper than Ride 1.
After the climb there’s a major turnoff to the right, the Glasshouse-Woodford Road, but just continue without deviation. There are glimpses of Mt Beerwah through the pines.
Continue west until you reach Golf Course Road (18.54), follow this then turn into George Street which leads straight to Woodford township (20). Then turn right along the D’Aguilar Highway. To avoid the traffic, just stay on the footpath for a little while.
Follow Durunder Street running parallel with the highway, until you reach Old Cove Road (21) and turn right here. There’s little traffic on Old Cove Road, you may see the Woodfordia sign at the base of the Conondale Range, and the spire-like shape of Mt Beerwah to the east.
After a few very easy kilometres, there’s the junction with Cove Road, where you turn left, cross the Stanley River and quickly reach the Kilcoy-Beerwah Road. Carefully cross the main road here, ride up Woodrow Road, follow this for less than a kilometre and you’ll have reached Woodfordia (26).
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From Glasshouse Mountains Station – Best for mountain viewing
This route has a fine outlook on many of the peaks which make up the Glasshouse Mountains, and is a little longer than Ride 2.
From the train station, ride west along Coonowrin Road, then turn left along Old Gympie Road and continue until reaching the Glasshouse-Woodford Road. Traffic so far is fairly light.
Follow the Glasshouse-Woodford Road until the road starts climbing steeply towards the watershed and you reach the Glasshouse Mountains Lookout (9). It’s worth stopping here to take in the view. The road now becomes unsealed and traffic is very light.
Continue until reaching the junction with the Beerburrum-Woodford Road, turn right here and follow directions as outlined in Ride 2 to reach Woodfordia (28).
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From Glasshouse Mountains Station – for mountain bikes (the Adventure Route)
The Beerburrum West State Forest is riddled with tracks set up for forestry operations, and is something of a Mecca for SUVs and trail bike riders. None of the tracks are signed, some are eroded beyond belief, and there are occasionally burnt-out vehicles and illegal rubbish dumps. Mobile coverage is unlikely, and paper maps are unobtainable. Google Maps shows a complicated network of tracks, which don’t always coincide with the reality.
The ride is better than this preamble would suggest, but you will need a compass for the most direct route through the State Forest.
Starting from the Glasshouse Mts station, ride west along Coonowrin Road, turn left along Old Gympie Road, then very soon turn right into Mt Beerwah Road. There are great views of Mt Coonowrin as you cycle along.
The road climbs up towards the watershed and the Mt Beerwah car park (10). There’s a picnic area here and a short walking track to the base of the mountain and the start of the summit climb. If you can resist this adventure, continue west along the Mt Beerwah Road which quickly deteriorates.
The sealed road becomes unsealed, and then practically unrideable with massive vehicle-sized potholes (This could be great fun if you enjoy MTB stunts, but immensely difficult if you’re loaded with luggage). This horror stretch continues for a few hundred metres until the road becomes less steep.
The next obstacle is inundation, with ankle deep muddy water covering the entire width of the track (even after several rain-free months). This occurs in several spots before conditions become more comfortable, and the track is fairly flat, running through very pleasant bushland.
There are many tracks leading off the route, but the key is to refer constantly to your compass, and head due west without deviation.
After possibly ten kilometres from the Mt Beerwah carpark, there is a barbed wire gate with a wild dog poison warning sign – cross through here, then a second gate (don’t forget to close these gates) and a few metres further on, Cove Road. See Ride 1 for directions to Woodfordia from here.
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From Caboolture Station – for a fast ride
For cyclists in a hurry this is perhaps the quickest option. Trains to Caboolture are more frequent than to stations further north.
The route follows the D’Aguilar Highway, which can be busy unless you make a very early start.
While the road shoulder is generous in places, it’s not always so. Watch out for B-Doubles travelling to or from the quarry at Bracalba (17).
The significant climb is just past Bracalba and, on the return trip, provides an exhilarating descent.
This route is best suited for road cyclists who don’t mind a bit of traffic on the road to Woodfordia (31).
Touring options
Woodfordia is close to two mountain ranges containing National Parks – Conondale and D’Aguilar – and accessible from two major river valleys – the Brisbane and the Mary. There is also the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail.
This all makes for excellent bicycle touring. With a decent map of South East Queensland, you can tailor a multi-day ride to avoid the busy roads and make the most of the scenic wonders seen on the way to Woodfordia.
Safety First
We encourage safe and responsible cycling -please be very visible and sun safe, stay hydrated, and carry tools for repairs. Also ensure your bicycle is safe and legal – take it to Epic Cycles if in doubt.
It’s safer and more fun if you have a riding partner! Check out OneLessCar@Woodfordia on Facebook to connect for cycling company.
Download the Cycle to Woodford Guide/Map (PDF).
One Less Car at Woodfordia
The One Less Car at Woodfordia project encourages patrons to reduce the number of cars at the festival by teaming up with others to carpool, or ditch the car altogether by choosing other means of transport.
If you’re coming for the whole festival, you’ll probably have a LOT of stuff – clothes, camping gear and possibly food for a week – which can make coming without a car difficult.
So to make life easier, there is a free luggage transport service available from Brisbane for patrons planning to cycle to the festival or arriving using public transport.
Once onsite at the festival, there are premium camping spots for bus/train travellers and cyclists in One Less Car Camping, located right by the Welcome Gate in Season Camping.
This is a dedicated camping space for non-motoring Festivilians, and has a marquee for secure bicycle parking, luggage storage and socialising.
Cyclists also receive priority if there’s a queue at the Ticketing area. Hurrah!
You’ll find more information here about the luggage transport options offered by the One Less Car project, and plenty more information above on how to get here without a car.
If you’re planning on joining us at the Woodford Folk Festival this year, make sure you book your tickets online – there’ll be no opportunity to buy them at the gate this year.
Ticket allocation will be capped and all vehicles require a Vehicle Pass.
