And so we start the sections of the Mawson that we've already travelled previously.
That said, although they were "travelled previously" I felt that I had unfinished business here. In 2013 when we did the
Mini Mawson 2 (Burra to Melrose) my knees basically gave up about midway through day 1. So while I have some good memories of the adventure, the overriding memory is of incredible and crippling pain. Not so good memories really. So for me, I saw this as a chance to make things right, slay those demons, and enjoy parts of the trail that maybe weren't enjoyed previously as much as they could have been.
Day 6 - Burra to Hallett - 47 km
I was actually looking forward to this stretch. I remember it having some fun flowing trails, and some fantastic views at the top of Dares Hill.
At dinner the previous night, the forecast was for rain, but later in the day. So with that, it seemed like we'd likely be unaffected once it came through. That said, there was a bail-out plan after the lunch stop should things look bad weather-wise. We headed out under very ominous and overcast skies. Little did we realise at the time that this would be the most epic day of the entire tour.
Due to the rain yesterday and the impact it had on the trail, we missed the first 5 km section of the Mawson trail leaving Burra, but we soon jumped back on the more pleasant and generally traffic free unsealed roads.
First stop was, of course, the Midnight Oil house. Famous for being on the Midnight Oil album
Diesel and Dust, it's right next to the trail and certainly worth a photo or two, especially with the dark clouds in the background.
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| Diesel and Dust. |
Not too long after we started seeing the first drops of rain. We probably didn't realise the significance of this at the time, but it pretty much defined the rest of the day. The first section to morning tea, while icy cold and breezy, was relatively enjoyable taking some nice views covered by some sweeping trails. We rolled out from morning tea and tried to push on, partly to try to beat any bad weather, but also to keep warm. By this time I'd also had an opportunity to assess whether the bike setup change I'd made in Burra was working for me. Happy to report that it did seem to make things a whole lot more comfortable, and that I'd likely keep it that way.
The further we travelled, the worse things got. With the increase in rain, the sound of rushing water was everywhere around us as fast running streams flowed alongside the trail. We eventually came to a small descent which was just thick mud with the consistency of peanut butter. Some effort was made to tread lightly and reduce the amount of mud collected, but ultimately it was of little use. Bikes were clogged with mud to the point were they could no longer be pushed. Some trail-side cleaning and we headed off again.
We crested a small hill and it was at this point that I think we realised that maybe we were in a bit of trouble. A flowing stream lay in front of us; the ironically named Dust Bowl Creek. A few motorcyclists were coming from the other direction and made their way through the stream which gave us an opportunity to gauge the depth and force of the water. We figured we could cross it, and so we headed off. My hands at this point were so cold that I struggled to operate the two buttons on my GoPro to take the shots below.
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| Preparing to cross Dust Bowl Creek |
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| Not sure we want any more epic than this. |
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A further two creek crossings were required after this. Between crossings, the bikes would get clogged with mud and need to be cleaned off before even being able to be pushed. Every now and then we could very carefully ride them with extra attention being paid to whether the derailleur was about to be ripped off, but these times were few and far between.
This wasn't a whole lot of fun by this point. Things were made even worse by the motorcyclists tearing up the trails and riding like idiots generally. To everyone's credit though, we all pushed through; no one lost their temper, and where needed helped each other out. As crappy as the day had turned out, this is something that I have seen on previous Outback Odyssey adventures; everyone is suffering together, and so they pull together and look after each other. A++
Eventually, in the distance we saw a group of cyclists at a marquee. The lunch stop! On rolling into lunch, we were effectively rounded up and pushed towards the group near a portable gas heater. The worst of those affected by the cold were pushed towards one of the cars with the heater on. Alarmingly, this is where I found myself along with Miss V. I couldn't stop shivering and (apparently) my lips were blue. Was I actually that bad? It's a bit frightening to think so, but maybe.
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At the lunch stop. Time to bail out.
Photo c/ BikeSA |
Mini buses and trucks arrived to shuttle us and our bikes to Hallett. This felt like less of a sag-wagon and more of a rescue mission. On arriving in Hallett we were looked after by the fantastic Bike SA volunteers, making sure we were all warm and doing okay. While warming up, I think each of us were reflecting on how different (and potentially tragic) this day could have been.
Over dinner there were tales told of the epic day on the trails, with a few weary faces. Overall mood over dinner was perhaps a little deflated compared to normal, but everyone seemed determined to push on.
Hats off to Bike SA though. They managed a very difficult situation and got us all to safety, if a little worse for wear.
Strava data
Day 7 - Hallett to Spalding - 0 km
With the events of the day before, we awoke at our usual time and were readying ourselves to slip out of our comfortable and warm sleeping bags. To be honest, I don't think many of us in camp really felt like getting out there. We heard a few voices outside the tent mentioning that todays riding was cancelled. Interesting. Of course, at this point this was just hearsay, so we figured we should get up and find out what was going on. Almost on cue, we heard the familiar voice of Russell from BikeSA effectively repeat that same information. No riding, and we'd be bused to Spalding. A bit disappointing in a sense, but a sensible decision given the state of most peoples bikes, clothing and (apparently) the state of the trails outside of Hallett.
So we enjoyed a slightly more relaxed morning in Hallett waiting for the bus to transport us to Spalding. One positive was that we were able to spend some time looking over the small museum that was upstairs at the Hallett Hall which included all manner of newspaper clippings, photos and sporting trophies. In a way, it was a little sad, because it (at least to me) told the story of a once prosperous and fiercely proud town in decline. At the same time, when you look at the effort put into the restoration and preservation of the town, and meet the lovely people there, you hope that the town has a well deserved resurgence.
Once the bus arrived we were shuttled on towards Spalding and towards our camp for the day and night. With an entire day up our sleeves, everyone took the opportunity to attend to any bike issues and any clothes drying that may have been required. I think everyone appreciated the opportunity to rest and reset after the craziness of the day before.
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| Travelling by bus to Spalding. Warm and dry |
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| Airing out our dirty laundry. Not so warm and dry |
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Day 8 - Spalding to Laura - 79 km
Finally back on the bikes!
Something that we missed out on doing yesterday due to not riding was entering Spalding via the Bundaleer Channels. Not to worry, as we started today alongside the same channels, except on the other side of town. Due to the gentle gradient they're a very nice way of easing into a day of riding. That said, it's also well know that this area is a puncture prone region for riders. All the puncture protection that we put in place was really just to deal with this section! Fortunately, we got through unscathed, most likely in no small part due to the recent rains softening the ground and any unpleasant spikey things.
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| Bundaleer channels outside Spalding. Miss V and Maretta for scale. |
From morning tea we started heading upwards. I remember this climb from 2013 as being quite enjoyable, but a little bit of a challenge due to the loose surface. This time around was no different (though, a little bit faster this time!). On the lower part of the climb a light misty rain began to fall, which would stay with us for most of the day. At the top of the climb we could look back at the mist covered valley which was quite pretty and atmospheric.
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| Looking back into the mist. |
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| Happy smiles in the mist |
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A nice mostly downhill stretch was followed by jumping over a locked gate to get into the Bundaleer Forest. The misty rain through this section turned an already fantastic section into something quite magical. Standing on top of a rise and watching other riders disappearing into the mist was pretty special.
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| Riders disappearing into the mist. |
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| Our new ride buddies Lawrie and Alexa |
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| Lynskey under gloomy skies |
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Soon the mist cleared and we had an opportunity to dry off a bit as we rolled on towards Laura. A quick break at the afternoon tea stop, manned by Nigel, and we were back on our way. The roads leading into Laura were pretty fast and before we knew it, we had arrived.
The Laura community pulled out all the stops with some fancy table decorations for dinner. Over dinner we met new ride buddies Laurie and Alexa who had just joined the adventure that day, conveniently missing the craziness of the last couple of days.
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| Laura post office |
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| One of the dinner table decorations |
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Strava data
Day 9 - Laura to Melrose - 60 km
From memory, I knew this day was much harder than it looks on paper. This is particularly true of the final stretch into Melrose which is a constant barrage of up and downhill stretches which hammer the legs. My memories of this stretch are, unfortunately, not all that happy since this is where in 2013 I was in so much pain that I nearly had to withdraw. This time around, I
knew that it would be better!
The day started with a shout out to a ride buddy's father who was in the Laura hospital as we passed by, and then a relaxed roll along the rail trail as we left the township.
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| Miss V chatting to ride marshal Ian. |
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| Miss V chatting to ride buddy Kathy |
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On leaving the rail trail we found ourselves skirting around and through the Wirrabara forest. Lots of variety through this part, ranging from wide smooth gravel roads out in the open to rocky and narrow 4WD access tracks covered by the tree canopy. The patchy light penetrating through the trees provided a nice atmosphere to the ride through here. There were still signs of the fire that went through here in 2014 with charred trees, however it looks like a lot of recovery has occurred between then and now.
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| Beautiful views from the trails through Wirrabara forest. |
Our morning tea was near the Wirrabara Forestry headquarters in a nice shaded and sheltered area. Quite cozy in there and a nice place to rest for a little bit.
From about half ride distance, Mount Remarkable, our destination for the day was becoming ever more visible on the horizon. As groups of riders stood around at vantage points taking photos, you could sense the excitement building as we headed towards our second rest day.
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| Mawson Trail marker. Mt Remarkable, our destination for the day in the background. |
Our roadside lunch supplied by the Laura community was sensational. Warm pita bread with barbecued meats topped with salad and a huge assortment of cakes and slices to choose from. The most difficult task was to not sample all of the desserts!
As we sat enjoying our lunch by the fire, I couldn't help but cast my mind back to 2013 at this very same location. I was struggling so badly, and was close to breaking. Contrast to this time and it felt like nothing could go wrong. The difference in experience was amazing. It just goes to show what impact a properly fitting bike can have!
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| Roadside gourmet lunch |
Leaving the lunch stop and saying goodbye to all those tasty treats was really hard work, but somehow we managed it. The riding after lunch, while not too difficult was going to be a bit of a test for the legs with undulating roads for the rest of the day. We knew that there was a nice fast downhill run into town to end the day, we just needed to get over all these pesky lumps and bumps in the road first. As we cruised past the entrance to
Bartagunya Estate, resisting the temptation to drop in and fill up, we knew that we were close to town. The roads started to point downhill more frequently than they pointed uphill and then our final reward was a steep run straight into town. Hurrah! We'd made it to the second rest day unscathed.
With tomorrow being a rest day we had booked into some tent-free accommodation at
Under the Mount. Great setup there with a bike wash facility and their own pump track. They certainly know their clients! We were very impressed and have already discussed heading back there on a future trip.
Unlike the last time we arrived here on Outback Odyssey, my knees were fully functional and so after hurriedly piling our gear into our cabin, I was able to join Miss V in a quick blast around her favourite Melrose trail,
Weaving Camels. Awesome!
Over dinner we were able to enjoy a glass or two of Bartagunya wine and port and as I sat there, just quietly think to myself that I finally felt that I had slayed those demons from 2013.
Strava data
Day 10 - Rest day in Melrose
Ah Melrose. If there's ever a success story to be told of a small town developing itself into a true gem, it's Melrose. I love coming to this place.
As mentioned, we were booked into a nice comfortable cabin at Under the Mount. Unlike in Burra, we had access to some decent clothes washing facilities both at our accommodation and within easy walking distance elsewhere. One minor setback in this clothes washing process was that we chose to wash the clothes used on the epic day out of Burra with other stuff. Result: most of our clothes being covered in fine silt and needing to be rewashed. Argh! Minor setback, but annoying all the same. We took the opportunity during the day to clean up our bikes using Under the Mount's bikewash setup and get them cleaned, lubed and ready (or as ready as they could be!) for the last section of the Mawson Trail.
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| Lynskey is ready! |
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| Maretta is ready! |
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With all the maintenance out of the way and our washing drying, we treated ourselves to a coffee and a bit of shopping at
Over the Edge bike shop. Later on in the day we wound up at the Mt Remarkable hotel for a schnitzel lunch. Such amazing service there. We'd barely made it to our table and our meal was already arriving!
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| Rest day done right. |
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| Delicious lunch, fab company :) |
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Compared to Burra, this rest day, even despite our initial laundry setback, was more like how we envisaged our rest days to be! So much more relaxed!
We felt ready for the next section...
Continue to Part 4
