“Busted flat in Baton Rouge , waitin’ for a train. When I’s feelin’ near as faded as my jeans.” Janis Joplin 1943-1970
Sometimes a song just jumps out of the shadows and into your head. There is no stopping it, no getting rid of it, no stopping the urge to hum it and no respite from the only lines you remember.
It was mid-morning and the fog had lifted enough to see the track more than a few metres ahead. Janis was banging around in my head, at least until I nearly rode off the leaf covered track and into a tree. That smartened things up a bit.
We were riding the Old Beechy Rail Trail in Victoria, a 40km mountain bike trail along the disused rail corridor. Camped at Gellibrand we were riding out and back towards Colac to avoid logging work that had closed part of the trail.
The morning started a little above freezing and stayed there for most of the ride. The fog was like soup for the first hour and then lifted enough to admire the view across the ranges. Janis was back to replace the fog.
There were minor creek crossings and lots of climbing to reach the 103 mile marker on the train line. Great views on either side of the track and a few startled kangaroos who jumped out in front of us. Anyone would think they had never seen a bike rider before. Actually, we didn’t see any other bike riders either.
We did come across two local women walking their dogs along the trail, wrapped in long down jackets, beanies and scarves half covering their face. The women that is, not the dogs; they were au natural.
We slowly warmed as the sun hit the trail and we enjoyed the ride and the views.
What goes up must come down, so we certainly enjoyed the return mainly downhill run, although my frozen toes didn’t seem happy. Back in Gellibrand we raided the General Store for coffee and apple pie and later wandered around the old train station and small town.
“Feelin’ good in Gellibrand, waitin’ for a train.” Apologisies to Janis
Another blast of wind hit, almost stopping me in my tracks. This wasn’t fair, I’m going down hill on a graded dirt road and I’m struggling to keep a constant speed. I picked up speed again and was whacked again by a side blast that pushed me across the road and into the shrubbery. Robyn was slightly ahead of me and fared worse, being smaller, and was off the bike.
The day’s ride had started with a warning of gale force winds about the coast but being inland we figured it would just get a little windy and we would be able to get protection in the valleys, even if the hilltops were gusty.
Even the Corellas had found the trees too windy and opted for safe ground
We approached the Old Rockleigh School House and sought shelter for a food break. I knew that the wind would only get worse and hoped we could make our way to Mt Pleasant without any more incidents.
The Old Rockleigh School House now a campsite on the trail
On the road again, I lost count of the number of times we were pushed sideways across the road or had to brake to save us from another visit to the trees that lined the route. Tree debris was all around, just waiting to catch a derailleur and I also took timber on the helmet. Just to make things harder, rain drops started to splatter on my glasses. Nice day for a ride.
We had been in Western Australia for 6 weeks, where it rained almost continually on the Muda Biddi Bike Trail, making it impossible to make any good riding days. The areas that weren’t a foot deep in mud were a foot deep in running water. So we opted for a glamping trip to the Lavender Cycling Trail in South Australia, a trail that runs 300km from Murray Bridge to Clare. Glamping meant using our caravan as a base and riding out and back day loops to cover the 600km needed .
The riding was challenging due to the weather but certainly rewarding. There were so many interesting and unusual sights as we looped from South to North.
So what’s this tiny house doing set on the hill ?
Yes it’s a model house but why, what for ?
Look at the next photo to get it in perspective.
Yep it’s a jumping course for ponies.
I was impressed by the number of churches we passed, most being still in use and well cared for. This was an area settled by followers of the Lutheran Church as well as many other Christian religions. Sadly many of the towns they lived in have disappeared.
Sitting on the crossroads
No ones been through that gate for a while
Freshly mown grass and look at the size of that bench seat. Maybe that was the old “Smokers Corner”
Another well cared for exhibit
Not only were there places of worship for the living but also places to house the dead. The Shannon Family Mausoleum on a hill above the town of Moculta has 24 residents with room for up to 80. Oddly enough this place of the dead was the only place we saw another rider on the trail. They were heading over the next hill as we approached and we never saw them again.
The Shannon Family Mausoleum. Resting place where the last person took up residence in 1962
Apart from the old buildings, quaint villages and churches there was some great landscapes to admire. We travelled on typical Australian dirt roads and saw some iconic spots.
I think every cyclist on the trail has this photoI was captivated by the tree and granite bouldersDirt roads and gum trees. Some of my favourite things.
We had made it to the town of Eudunda where the loop to Inspiration Point starts. Yep, it was still raining and predicted to get heavier. We rugged up with every bit of warm clothes we had and charged on.
Lunch amongst the Cactus
We had to make a few route changes due to the mud. Cyclists know it as the Mawson Mud as it famous on the 800km Mawson Bike Trail. It comes in two colours. Black oozing mud that squelches under your tyres, splattering everywhere and red that simply clags up your wheels, chains, derailleurs and you, making movement impossible.
We tried this road but eventually had to back trackWe knew we were heading into red mud country
Re-routes were interesting. This one being because the normally dry creek crossing was anything but dry. It was also going to be the course for a car rally in a few days. Good luck with that !
It always pays to carry your reading glasses. Yep, remember that in future.
Then the rains really hit us. We had passed the highest point of the ride and had only to coast into Clare but with pouring rain we decided to cut the ride short. We had ridden the last section before and knew the red dirt roads would be impassable with the only re-route being onto busier roads, so we called it a day and headed home.
A great ride in interesting country. In winter it’s a sea of green and in summer a scorched earth under a blazing sun. Ride it whenever you can and experience the landscape.
WE LIKED Green pastures Cloudy brooding skies Kangaroos bounding along side us Large flocks of birds Wombats in their burrows Stone buildings of all shapes and sizes
WE HATED The wind
The Lavender Cycling Trail has it’s own website with lots of articles and planned routes as well as a Ride With GPS download of the trail.
BTW. Mud Sweat and Gears is a group of distinguished riders that raise money for the WestCare homeless shelter in Adelaide.
Another blast of wind hit, almost stopping me in my tracks. This wasn’t fair, I’m going down hill on a graded dirt road and I’m struggling to keep a constant speed. I picked up speed again and was whacked again by a side blast that pushed me across the road and into the shrubbery. Robyn was slightly ahead of me and fared worse, being smaller, and was off the bike.
The day’s ride had started with a warning of gale force winds about the coast but being inland we figured it would just get a little windy and we would be able to get protection in the valleys, even if the hilltops were gusty.
Even the Corellas had found the trees too windy and opted for safe ground
We approached the Old Rockleigh School House and sought shelter for a food break. I knew that the wind would only get worse and hoped we could make our way to Mt Pleasant without any more incidents.
The Old Rockleigh School House now a campsite on the trail
On the road again, I lost count of the number of times we were pushed sideways across the road or had to brake to save us from another visit to the trees that lined the route. Tree debris was all around, just waiting to catch a derailleur and I also took timber on the helmet. Just to make things harder, rain drops started to splatter on my glasses. Nice day for a ride.
We had been in Western Australia for 6 weeks, where it rained almost continually on the Muda Biddi Bike Trail, making it impossible to make any good riding days. The areas that weren’t a foot deep in mud were a foot deep in running water. So we opted for a glamping trip to the Lavender Cycling Trail in South Australia, a trail that runs 300km from Murray Bridge to Clare. Glamping meant using our caravan as a base and riding out and back day loops to cover the 600km needed .
The riding was challenging due to the weather but certainly rewarding. There were so many interesting and unusual sights as we looped from South to North.
So what’s this tiny house doing set on the hill ?
Yes it’s a model house but why, what for ?
Look at the next photo to get it in perspective.
Yep it’s a jumping course for ponies.
I was impressed by the number of churches we passed, most being still in use and well cared for. This was an area settled by followers of the Lutheran Church as well as many other Christian religions. Sadly many of the towns they lived in have disappeared.
Sitting on the crossroadsNo ones been through that gate for a whileFreshly mown grass and look at the size of that bench seat. Maybe that was the old “Smokers Corner”Another well cared for exhibit
Not only were there places of worship for the living but also places to house the dead. The Shannon Family Mausoleum on a hill above the town of Moculta has 24 residents with room for up to 80. Oddly enough this place of the dead was the only place we saw another rider on the trail. They were heading over the next hill as we approached and we never saw them again.
The Shannon Family Mausoleum. Resting place where the last person took up residence in 1962
Apart from the old buildings, quaint villages and churches there was some great landscapes to admire. We travelled on typical Australian dirt roads and saw some iconic spots.
I think every cyclist on the trail has this photoI was captivated by the tree and granite bouldersDirt roads and gum trees. Some of my favourite things.
We had made it to the town of Eudunda where the loop to Inspiration Point starts. Yep, it was still raining and predicted to get heavier. We rugged up with every bit of warm clothes we had and charged on.
Lunch amongst the Cactus
We had to make a few route changes due to the mud. Cyclists know it as the Mawson Mud as it famous on the 800km Mawson Bike Trail. It comes in two colours. Black oozing mud that squelches under your tyres, splattering everywhere and red that simply clags up your wheels, chains, derailleurs and you, making movement impossible.
We tried this road but eventually had to back trackWe knew we were heading into red mud country
Re-routes were interesting. This one being because the normally dry creek crossing was anything but dry. It was also going to be the course for a car rally in a few days. Good luck with that !
It always pays to carry your reading glasses. Yep, remember that in future.
Then the rains really hit us. We had passed the highest point of the ride and had only to coast into Clare but with pouring rain we decided to cut the ride short. We had ridden the last section before and knew the red dirt roads would be impassable with the only re-route being onto busier roads, so we called it a day and headed home.
A great ride in interesting country. In winter it’s a sea of green and in summer a scorched earth under a blazing sun. Ride it whenever you can and experience the landscape.
WE LIKED Green pastures Cloudy brooding skies Kangaroos bounding along side us Large flocks of birds Wombats in their burrows Stone buildings of all shapes and sizes
WE HATED The wind
The Lavender Cycling Trail has it’s own website with lots of articles and planned routes as well as a Ride With GPS download of the trail.
BTW. Mud Sweat and Gears is a group of distinguished riders that raise money for the WestCare homeless shelter in Adelaide.
We were outside the Jamestown Bakery. Why is it that all bike rides start or finish at a bakery ? It’s true all calories consumed before or during a ride are not counted in your dietary total and bike riders like sticky buns and coffee.
Anyway, I had our map stretched out and was checking it against a basic PDF that the local council had online. Not a lot of detail but it seemed a simple loop around agricultural land and then heading over the range of hills past the Hornsdale Windfarm.
Robyn gave me a nudge and said “here comes Harry”. I looked up and stopped devouring my particularly sticky bun and saw it was indeed Harry Have-a-chat making a bee line for us. He would surely know the ins and outs of the Mannanarie bike ride. Indeed Harry was the repository of all knowledge and once he had finished educating me on ebikes, weather, Covid and world politics I was able to pop in a question. What’s the road like up around the Hornsdale Loop ? “Boggy red clay roads and windy” was his only information.
Off we set through the town and into open farming country. The track was on well made backroads and easy riding on a slight incline. The most noticeable colour is green. At this time of year and with excellent Winter rains everything is green. The crops are sprouting green, the roadside weeds are green and the moss on the rocks is green; everything is green.
Lots of green allroundMight be windy up on the ridge
We hunted around and eventually found a trail marker, so we knew we were on the right track.
Trail marker found
Stopping to admire old stone wall fencing we discovered that this was the site of the original Belalie School.
Dry stone wall hidden under the grass
Further on we found other historical markers.
Lots of old buildings and objects for Robyn to photograph.
Remnants of the old power system
The first 20km or so were uneventful but that changed when the trail crossed onto a farm track. All red clay and lots of water pooled on the road meant it was no go for us. The red clay will quickly stop any wheels turning if you venture onward. Out with the map and we were able to find an alternative route that would only add a couple of kilometres and bring us to the next section.
Once you start on the Ngadjuri Mail Track the landscape is very different, changing from wide open cropping land to remnant woodlands and steep inclines. The wind was more prominent which is not surprising for a place that has a large Windfarm.
We passed the remnants of farm houses that were abandoned many years ago and they made an interesting backdrop to the huge wind turbines.
This was a majestic homestead in its’ day
The road climbs to the top of the ridge where you can enjoy views across the plains.
After more than 5km of climbing the road heads down onto the foot of the hills and then follows along southward. Huge turbines are all around and makes for an unusual ride.
The last section makes a turn eastward and back over the range to connect with Three Chain Road which is a red clay track. Luckily it was mainly dry and we only had to negotiate a few bog holes.
The old and the newFruit trees from the past in blossom
From there it was a straight forward ride southward to join up with the main road into Jamestown and the local Bakery.
All up around 58km most of which was on solid dirt roads. Definitely not a ride to be done in wet weather or after recent rains. A great gravel grind that we found comfortable on mountain bikes.
PADDLING SOUTH 