Introducing the ‘Murbah Mooners’:

ON full moon nights, a group of cyclists known as the ‘Murbah Mooners’ gathers at the old Murwillumbah station to ride the rail trail together after dark.

With numbers averaging around 30 riders a night, the all-ages, all-skills-welcome group was established in 2023 by Murwillumbah local Geoff Newham, initially as a way to improve safety for night riders.

“Riding at night is a bit risky on your own, because if something happens to you, nobody is around to help,” Newham said.

Since then, the rides have evolved into a social activity, attracting participants from as far as the Gold Coast, Maclean and Goondiwindi.

“I think people like to be part of something and the beauty of this is that there’s no membership fee,” Newham said.

The rides follow the Murwillumbah Rail Trail, which was built in the aftermath of the 2022 floods.

Newham, who was himself flood affected, said riding the trail had been a positive influence on his mental health.

One of the highlights of the route is the old Burringbar tunnel, which stretches for 500 metres and becomes home to glow worms after dark.

“Riding through the tunnel at night, all the glow worms come out, and it’s like travelling through this bright blue sea of stars,” Newham said.

“It’s an incredibly uplifting experience.”

The ‘Mooners’ typically depart from Murwillumbah station in the evening and often finish the ride with a meal at either the Mooball Victory Hotel or the Burringbar Hotel.

“We really inject business into these little venues, because depending on the moon, we might be turning up on a quiet Tuesday night with 30 customers,” Newham said.

According to Newham, moonlight cycling is growing in popularity, with rail trails across the country forming their own groups.

“It’s definitely growing, and I personally want to start a group in Lismore for their rail trail and call it the ‘Lismore Lunatics’ or something,” he said.