Mini Mawson 3 - Wilpena Pound to Blinman - 67km
Our final day, taking us from Wilpena Pound to Blinman for a well earned refreshment.
Smudge Monkees! Representin'!
Both Miss V and I jumped into our Smudge Monkees kit for this day. As a group that does so much to support other people, it seemed "right" for us to represent Smudge Monkees on this day, and hopefully drum up a bit of interest along the way. There were a few questions about the group, particularly about the "Black Dog Racing" graphic on my sleeve, and I overheard a few more comments between other riders talking about it. Job done :)There was almost a feeling of relief as people were heading out of the camp this morning, with people knowing that this was their final day and that nothing, barring catastrophic failure, was going to stop them reaching their final destination. We had been told that the final day was going to be a lot of fun riding, and it very much delivered on that promise. Pulling out of Wilpena Pound we joined some trails which would wind their way through some lovely woodland areas. We had been warned that there might be a few points where rain run off had created channels across the road, so we were on the constant look out for those.
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When we approached one of these channels (for the most part) we were going at a decent enough speed that we could just unload the front wheel and the bike floated across the gap in the road. As with the previous days, we had a number of creek crossings to negotiate, though today they seemed to be much more frequent and quite incised into the landscape. Our only near miss incident came when a creek crossing was coupled with a deep channel; Having successfully cleared it I stopped to try to warn Miss V about it, but I was too late, and watched as she was bounced uncomfortably airborne after hitting the channel. She landed on her wheels, so no harm done!
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| Miss V winding her way through the trees |
Razorback Lookout
One part that took us a little by surprise was the approach to Razorback Lookout. Having finished our lovely sweeping descent, we turned a corner to see an imposing wall in front of us. The impact was comparable to the view when approaching Checker Hill just outside Kersbrook. Lots of people were walking along here, but I think I was too stubborn and got myself up to the half way point with fewer difficulties than expected. Lynskey is awesome like that :) A few photos from this vantage point, then back onto the bike to reach the top.
From this point is where the classic outback Outback Odyssey promotional shot is taken, looking back onto the winding road below. This was one of those special moments of the tour for me. Cresting a high peak, looking back at the Flinders Ranges in the background, with the winding road I've just ridden in the foreground. A short distance later we arrived at our morning tea stop, our final one for the trip.
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| Razorback Lookout! |
We had been warned that the turn off a short distance after morning tea was easy to miss, so we had our eyes peeled to make sure that we found the turn off marker. It turns out that it was also a convenient location for a photo that I had wanted to take involving my Smudge Monkees cap.
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| Smudge Monkees on the Mawson Trail |
This trail was markedly different from the ones we rode in the morning, with the vegetation noticeably sparser as the trail went on, except in the direct vicinity of the various creeks that we had to cross. Most of the trail after morning tea was heading in the upwards direction, mostly easy gradients, but there was the occasional steep climb that had the quads burning.
Pulling into the lunch stop, we knew that there was only 18 km left to go, all of it on a sealed road. It felt a little odd thinking that the same time tomorrow we'd be heading home and not on a bike.
We had to pass our accommodation for the night (Alpana Station) on the way to the Blinman hotel, so as we were travelling towards our destination there was a constant stream of riders travelling back the other way, most of whom would give a thumbs up and a word of congratulation as we passed. After a few rises in the road we finally arrived at Blinman, and then a short while later we joined our riding mates at the Blinman Hotel.
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| Happy and relieved Miss V. |
Knowing that so many had done the full 900+ km distance, I felt that my own achievement was fairly dwarfed by theirs. All the same, I knew my reasons for only tackling the shorter distance, and I felt good about achieving what I had set out to do.
After a cold beer sitting outside the Blinman North Hotel, Miss V and I saddled up to roll back to Alpana Station. Job Done! :)
Dinner was prepared by the Blinman progress society and was an outstanding way to finish the tour. We were treated to a delicious vegetable soup, followed by big serving of roast beef with vegetables. Once again, local community groups have impressed, going above and beyond with their hospitality.
Strava data
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| Final night on the tour for the Taj |
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