JonnyRoyale
Squid
G'day. Just got myself a Scott Genius. Looking for people to show me some tracks or info on group rides.
Riding in Darwin
- Thread starter JonnyRoyale
- Start date
g'day. Here are a few local riding spots:
* Winellie (Charles Darwin). Quite a bit of nice singletrack as well as fire trails. Some of the singletrack is currently off limits - please respect the closures and avoid these trails. They are listed on the DORC website.
* East Point - follow the paved cycle path along the coast from town. Look for the singletrack on the RHS just after the sweeping bend where the BBQ's are
* Lee Point - follow the paved cycle path from town around past nightcliff, cross rapid creek bridge and keep going past dripstone cliffs. Head towards the hospital and look for a dirt track on the left, cross a small bridge over a creek and just keep going, you will find the singeltrack (or maybe just get lost)
* Holmes Jungle - it's near the dump at Karama. Quite a few trails there
* Howard Springs pine forest - on the Howard Springs road on the LHS. If you have to ride from town it will take close to an hour to get there. Pretty nice singletrack there.
* Palmerston - nice singletrack along the escarpment on the LHS of Chung Way Terrace.
there are a few others but that should get you started. There is a mountainbike club in Darwin and they sometimes do group rides. Their website (http://www.dorc.com.au/) lists rides. Good luck and enjoy riding your Genius
* Winellie (Charles Darwin). Quite a bit of nice singletrack as well as fire trails. Some of the singletrack is currently off limits - please respect the closures and avoid these trails. They are listed on the DORC website.
* East Point - follow the paved cycle path along the coast from town. Look for the singletrack on the RHS just after the sweeping bend where the BBQ's are
* Lee Point - follow the paved cycle path from town around past nightcliff, cross rapid creek bridge and keep going past dripstone cliffs. Head towards the hospital and look for a dirt track on the left, cross a small bridge over a creek and just keep going, you will find the singeltrack (or maybe just get lost)
* Holmes Jungle - it's near the dump at Karama. Quite a few trails there
* Howard Springs pine forest - on the Howard Springs road on the LHS. If you have to ride from town it will take close to an hour to get there. Pretty nice singletrack there.
* Palmerston - nice singletrack along the escarpment on the LHS of Chung Way Terrace.
there are a few others but that should get you started. There is a mountainbike club in Darwin and they sometimes do group rides. Their website (http://www.dorc.com.au/) lists rides. Good luck and enjoy riding your Genius
searching for trails
hey.. my older bro lives near winnellie and im organising to go up to see him for a few days..
is there any good jump tracks or ladder systerms in that area.. im planning on taking my bike and i dont want to fly it up there and have it be wasted.
i would love any pic of tracks you have as well..
hey.. my older bro lives near winnellie and im organising to go up to see him for a few days..
is there any good jump tracks or ladder systerms in that area.. im planning on taking my bike and i dont want to fly it up there and have it be wasted.
i would love any pic of tracks you have as well..
I reckon there would be some sick dh tracks around Alice on the Macdonald ranges. I walked around them a bit a few years ago and I think I remember there being car access to the top as well.
Warp
Likes Dirt
How's riding down there?
Hi all!
Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but I'll be moving to Darwin and I'm planning to take my bike with me.
How are, generally speaking, trails over there?
Lots of hills/climbing? Big ring galore?
How is the dirt there? Hardpack, loose-over-hardpack? rocky? loamy? I have a few tyres and I;d like to take with me the ones that will work better.
I understand it's a tropical area and will be hot and humid, infested with mosquitoes... just like the place I live at now (Gulf Coast of Mexico), so that won't take long to get used to.
Thanks for any help!
Hi all!
Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but I'll be moving to Darwin and I'm planning to take my bike with me.
How are, generally speaking, trails over there?
Lots of hills/climbing? Big ring galore?
How is the dirt there? Hardpack, loose-over-hardpack? rocky? loamy? I have a few tyres and I;d like to take with me the ones that will work better.
I understand it's a tropical area and will be hot and humid, infested with mosquitoes... just like the place I live at now (Gulf Coast of Mexico), so that won't take long to get used to.
Thanks for any help!
khromosone
Squid
G'day Warp,
I'm living in Darwin at the moment but I am in and out with work.
http://www.dorc.com.au/dorc_maps.html
Has a few of the track in Darwin on it. I can only comment on the left hand track of Pine Forrest. Very flat. Hard packed and some with loose small pebbles.
I do believe Charles Darwin might have some climbing but I doubt it is anything you are used to, the top end is quite flat.
That is about all I can comment on, but do ask some more questions if need be
Cheers Josh
I'm living in Darwin at the moment but I am in and out with work.
http://www.dorc.com.au/dorc_maps.html
Has a few of the track in Darwin on it. I can only comment on the left hand track of Pine Forrest. Very flat. Hard packed and some with loose small pebbles.
I do believe Charles Darwin might have some climbing but I doubt it is anything you are used to, the top end is quite flat.
That is about all I can comment on, but do ask some more questions if need be
Cheers Josh
TaylorW123
Squid
Charles Darwin has very short and steeper climbs on their harder trails, you can also try berrimah hill for some climbing or their is pine forrest which is flat, flowy and fast
Warp
Likes Dirt
Hey, thanks for the replies, guys!
I have to get there first and I'll take a look around those places. I've checked the DORC page and it's very informative indeed, but now thanks to you I have a better idea.
I used to ride big mountains back in Mexico City, but I've been living 4yrs now away from it and my place is pretty similar to Darwin: hot, humid, flat... we even have also gators, but not as big as yours!
I have to get there first and I'll take a look around those places. I've checked the DORC page and it's very informative indeed, but now thanks to you I have a better idea.
I used to ride big mountains back in Mexico City, but I've been living 4yrs now away from it and my place is pretty similar to Darwin: hot, humid, flat... we even have also gators, but not as big as yours!
TaylorW123
Squid
Charles Darwin can be very confusing to navigate because their is no signage of trails at all. If you want someone to show you around their just send us a message
Warp
Likes Dirt
Thanks, mate! Sure I will!
I will have to learn how to navigate the routes, trail/riding etiquette, park, trail and traffic rules, etc.
It's going to be a steep learning curve for me.
TaylorW123
Squid
Are you in Darwin now?
...been in darwin a couple of years, but haven't really done any mountain biking since i've been here... got back from a 6 months away in both Perth and Melbourne, which re-kindled my love of the sport.
anyhow, after a couple of months away down in the west riding on that blasted pea gravel, then the awesome scene in victoria, i've been doing mostly road miles on my bike... until today, i finally decided i'd take a little pedal out to charles darwin...
I know the DORC guys ride tuesdays/thursdays... sadly since i didn't get off work till late, i didn't get close to the meet-up time, so i just rode out and into the park alone, not 2k's in a stick jumped up from seemingly nowhere (during a tiny little CLIMB!) and i snapped my hanger in half and bent the rear mech up pretty badly. So I incredibly crankily trail mended it up as best as i could and made the slow slog home.
...I did however see ALOT(!) of who i asume would have been DORC members near the entrance to the park as i was slinking off... i wanted to stop and say hello to someone, but i was a bit cranky and embarrassed to have ripped my mech off so badly.
I'm now due to go away for work, for a couple of weeks... but in that time I think i'll pop the bike into the shop for the hanger replacement... and potentially an entire new drivetrain...
So, my question would be... is the offer still there from someone to take me for a bit of a tour around charles darwin national park?
...i intended on just doing some solo exploring... but, i unno, maybe these DORC "training days" are a better way?
anyhow, after a couple of months away down in the west riding on that blasted pea gravel, then the awesome scene in victoria, i've been doing mostly road miles on my bike... until today, i finally decided i'd take a little pedal out to charles darwin...
I know the DORC guys ride tuesdays/thursdays... sadly since i didn't get off work till late, i didn't get close to the meet-up time, so i just rode out and into the park alone, not 2k's in a stick jumped up from seemingly nowhere (during a tiny little CLIMB!) and i snapped my hanger in half and bent the rear mech up pretty badly. So I incredibly crankily trail mended it up as best as i could and made the slow slog home.
...I did however see ALOT(!) of who i asume would have been DORC members near the entrance to the park as i was slinking off... i wanted to stop and say hello to someone, but i was a bit cranky and embarrassed to have ripped my mech off so badly.
I'm now due to go away for work, for a couple of weeks... but in that time I think i'll pop the bike into the shop for the hanger replacement... and potentially an entire new drivetrain...
So, my question would be... is the offer still there from someone to take me for a bit of a tour around charles darwin national park?
...i intended on just doing some solo exploring... but, i unno, maybe these DORC "training days" are a better way?
Warp
Likes Dirt
Well, I'm now at Darwin, getting to grips with vegemite and wrong-side-of-the-road traffic :lol:. Unfortunately, my bike will be delivered to me until monday, so I'm out of the loop this week. On top of that, I'm not 100% sure my bike will be ready to go after the boys at Quarantines did their thing on my bike. We'll see.
I also work until late and honestly I would only have time saturday afternoons or sundays.
Anyway, I'll check this space just in case anyone with patience offers to give me a ride.
I think I am at riding distance from Charles Darwin as I live in Parap.
Cheers!
I also work until late and honestly I would only have time saturday afternoons or sundays.
Anyway, I'll check this space just in case anyone with patience offers to give me a ride.
I think I am at riding distance from Charles Darwin as I live in Parap.
Cheers!
Well, I've been riding myself around the park a bit lately... Still mapping it out in my head, but more than willing to hit up some trail at any time of a weekend.
Even thinking of giving some of the simpler loops a go with a headlamp in the coming days.
Warp
Likes Dirt
I finally went to Charles Darwin NP and I'm still smiling. Certainly, this is not Rotorua or Champery, but the trails carved by the DORC's are outstanding and make good use of the elevation changes. I went (partially, more on that later) over the Main Track and it's tight and technical.
Definitively my 720mm bars is the largest I would go and there are some turns and switchbacks that defy the turning ratio of a MTB.
I mention I went partly because as mentioned before, without any guidance is really easy to get lost in the maze of trails and the vegetation in this season does not help as it's constantly bashing your eyes and limbs.
I walked a few parts. Some trails I was trying to climb them when they were supposed to be taken downhill and these are the first real trails I've hit in ages.
All in all, looking forward to visit the park again and ride it and the rain season to be over.
One question, though... I went sunday by 11'ish in the morning. I did not crossed paths with other cyclists at all. What gives? Pure bad luck? Everybody had already finished riding already? Darwinians do not ride on sundays??
Pics here... http://forums.mtbr.com/australia-new-zealand/charles-darwin-national-park-845587.html
Definitively my 720mm bars is the largest I would go and there are some turns and switchbacks that defy the turning ratio of a MTB.
I mention I went partly because as mentioned before, without any guidance is really easy to get lost in the maze of trails and the vegetation in this season does not help as it's constantly bashing your eyes and limbs.
I walked a few parts. Some trails I was trying to climb them when they were supposed to be taken downhill and these are the first real trails I've hit in ages.
All in all, looking forward to visit the park again and ride it and the rain season to be over.
One question, though... I went sunday by 11'ish in the morning. I did not crossed paths with other cyclists at all. What gives? Pure bad luck? Everybody had already finished riding already? Darwinians do not ride on sundays??
Pics here... http://forums.mtbr.com/australia-new-zealand/charles-darwin-national-park-845587.html