Mawson trail - Day Six - Wirrabara forest to Warren Gorge 8th May 2015

Light drizzle and rain fell through the night and drizzle was still falling when I woke at 6:30am. Ate my usual porridge and then carefully packed trying to keep as much dry; tent was sodden but managed to get it all packed and rolling before 8am.

I made really good time to Melrose and the drizzle eased as I approached town.

 

Coffee and slice of quinoa date slice at the bike shop. Whilst there also bought more lube as I needed most of what I'd packed due to yesterdays mud.

Over the next 30km to Wilmington I continued to make good time along the northern stretches. Unfortunately I still had to grind into the wind every time the track headed west! Also slowed by an older cyclist who was riding some of the sections south whilst his wife drove; I was the first cyclist he had seen so was up for a very long chat!

I arrived in Wilmington at noon. With no cafe in town, lunch consisted of a quick chocolate milk and mars bar from the petrol station before shortly remounting and continuing on! There was still 40km before me to Quorn and then another 25km to Warren gorge to ride before dark.

Before arriving in Quorn around 3pm, I had to first ride over Richman gap via a soft and steep track.

Had my first really good coffee in almost a week at the Quorn Cafe plus scrambled eggs on toast then headed into the local IGA to restock my supplies.

Not sure where the time went, but when I checked my watch it was already 4:20pm! I hammered as fast as I could as the sun started to cast long shadows over the road. 

There was still one last obstacle before making Warren gorge. I had to climb over Yarra Vale gorge and only made the campsite right on dusk.

 

I'm now finally in the Flinders ranges and on schedule! Thankfully for the remaining days on the trail I will be riding under 100km each, as my knees have been sore from the longs days in the saddle.

Set up camp as far away from others as possible, though discovered all too well that sound travels. As one ground of bogan 4WDers decided to have party talking loudly and the stereo blasting a short selection of rubbish Hits FM dance tracks on repeat through the night!


Ride distance 122.74km

Elevation gain 996m

Mawson trail - Day Five - Spalding to Wirrabara forest 7th May 2015

Had a great night sleep. After breakfast and a couple of coffees I hit the trail at 8am.

I spent much of the previous evening debating whether to ride the western section of the Bundaleer channels and risk punctures. I really wanted to ride the whole trail, but also didn't want to spend the day fixing flats!

I decided I would check it out and make up my mind then. Apprehensively I opened the first of many gates and started in. Felt like I was riding through a minefield and as I didn't know what the actual plant looked like I just tried to avoid everything!

I had luck with the left wheel track yesterday so took the left again. I stopped after five hundred metres and checked my tyres for thorns; continued to do this at random plus at every gate as I rode along! I knew I had around 9km of the channel section still to cover, so every metre traveled was a metre closer to freedom!

One of the many sheep grazing along the channel slipped on a steep embankment as I passed and it fell over with legs on the uphill side. It didn't think to roll over so its legs were on the downhill side so was stuck! I stopped and helped get her standing; hoping this good deed would appease the karma gods. Whether it was this or my lucky left wheel track, I got through to the other side unscathed!

After a short descent on tar, it was back onto good gravel roads that headed north towards the Never Never range.

The weather so far was looking good. The strong winds of the previous days were gone or I was possibly sheltered by the hills to my left.

The road finally turned west and up onto the Never Never range.

I stopped after a gate at the top and to eat some flat bread and cheese and noticed ominous clouds rolling in.

Sure enough it started to drizzle, then rain which followed me through most of the Bundaleer forest until I passed by the Jamestown golf course at its northern end.

One of the few locked gates on the Mawson trail. Glad I wasn't riding a loaded tourer!

The weather was looking okay again, though with the earlier rain the westerly had picked up.

Although slow I was still making progress into the wind, till approximately 20km from Laura the skies opened! I huddled in a small bus shelter through the worst of it and remounted after it eased. Unfortunately the next section comprised of the famed red clay and it was atrocious!

It constantly clogged up in the frame and forced me to a grinding halt numerous times. The mud was also as slippery as ice and I had a slow speed crash trying to make for the side of the road! With the road nearly impassable, I tried riding on the grassy verge. It was still slippery, but the grass allowed me to make some forward progress.

It took over a hour to suffer through 10km till the road surface improved. Once finally in Laura, I went straight into the bakery after I removed my mud caked shoes and headed for the pie warmer. No vegie options left again but there were some chicken pies. When asked asked whether I wanted either the onion and leek or the satay I said both given I was that hungry! Also ordered a coffee plus a chocolate macadamia slice for later.

I then restocked at the IGA a few doors down and was back on the bike. I had already ridden 80km, but if wanted to camp at Warren gorge north of Quorn tomorrow night I had to keep moving.

Forward via some great small tracks and into the Wirrabara forest as the light started to fade.

Due to the recent fires, the forestry service detoured us off into farmland with nowhere suitable for a stealth camp! So I fitted my lights once again and continued into the dark till rejoining the Wirrabara forest at its most northern tip. Now completely dark and drizzling again I veered off over the fence inside a Eucalyptus plantation to my right and set up camp 100 metres off the road.

Dinner of rice and tuna plus the macadamia slice from Laura and early to bed. I was about to doze off when I was surprised by a mouse that crawled into my tent through the partially open door. Not sure who was startled more, but after a few false starts the mouse made it back out of the tent and I fully zipped up the door and off to sleep.


Ride distance 115.49km

Elevation gain 1214m

Mawson trail - Day Four - Mt Bryan East to Spalding 6th May 2015

Woke at 6:30am and went outside to take photos in the early morning light.

The school sits right on the Goyders Line of Rainfall - a demarcation line mapped out by the surveyor George Goyder in 1865 marking up to where average rainfall was still suitable for cropping. North of the line he suggested would be only suited to light grazing and coincided with the southern boundary of saltbush country.

After the usual porridge and coffee, I rolled out at 9am.

After ascending Dares Hill summit early in the day the Mawson trail traveled west as it passed through the small town of Hallet towards Spalding.

 

 

The strong westerly that helped push me to Mt Bryan East last night was now a headwind again!

Approaching Netfield - restored birthplace of Polar explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins.

 With the wind, it took me 3 hours to travel the 38km to Hallett!

Stopped at the general store at noon and ended up ordering the big breakfast - fried onion and tomato, 3 fried eggs toast and coffee. Lovely lady running the shop; didn't look at me strange when I asked if I could swap out the sausages and bacon!

I knew the next stretch would be equally hard if not harder as it was all open fields ahead!

It was a steep and long climb over the Brown Hill range which is littered with wind turbines. The perfect location given the strong wind whipping over these hills.

Due to my slow progress, I decided I would stop early in Spalding.

The last stretch into town was along the eastern half of the Bundaleer channels.

I was dreading his 30km section of the Mawson trail, as it is renown for three corner jack puncturing many riders tyres! I stuck to the left wheel track, stopped and nervously checked for thorns and somehow made it unscathed into town.

With no campgrounds in town, I booked a room in the local pub. It was great value at only $45 for a clean bed and continental breakfast.


Ride distance 84.4km

Elevation gain 889m