Where to Ride Canberra in the Wet

[WildWassa]

The Bicentennial National Trail is out of action for the next few days at West Macgregor, Dunlop and Fassifern.

The BNT bridge crossing at West Macgregor over Ginninderra Creek. The top of the flood gauge is the 'm' in the middle of the creek. If you ride out this way and know the cliff at the confluence of Gooromon Creek and Ginninderra Creek, the cliff is totally submerged. I can't even guess how deep the junction is this morning ... at least 5 metres deeper than normal.

The BNT low level crossing at Gooromon Creek. The flood gauges are a tad flooded.

Warren.

 

[Kramer]

Check the slideshow here:
http://the-riotact.com/?p=32630

The section of Uriarra Road just outside Stromlo was completely under water yesterday!
Just imagine Holden's Creek beginner trail would have looked like a river.

 

[Bucket Master]

Stromlo forest park closed due to wet weather

TIDBINBILLA AND STROMLO FOREST PARK CLOSED DUE TO WET WEATHER
The ACT Government advises that Tidbinbilla and Stromlo Forest Park have been closed due to high rainfall experienced over the last week.
The closures have been made in the interests of public safety and to protect the sites.
Both closures are until further notice.
For more information, please call Canberra Connect on 13 22 81.

 

[niftydog]

Does Jerrabomberra handle the rain OK?

Parts of it, yes. High on the ridge is fairly rocky and fast draining. Although the rain we've had lately is off the scale so don't take my word for it!

 

[64ponty]

TIDBINBILLA AND STROMLO FOREST PARK CLOSED DUE TO WET WEATHER
The ACT Government advises that Tidbinbilla and Stromlo Forest Park have been closed due to high rainfall experienced over the last week.
The closures have been made in the interests of public safety and to protect the sites.
Both closures are until further notice.
For more information, please call Canberra Connect on 13 22 81.

Is this closure still in affect?

 

[WildWassa]

Is this closure still in affect?

Stromlo is closed to MTBs for another 7 days ... if there isn't further rain. Further rain is forecast for tomorrow afternoon and for all-day on Thursday.

Some bogan drove a vehicle on the BNT, behind the Holt golf course. The track was once a 20cm wide (each lane) excellent bit of double track ... now each lane is almost deeper than wide. Well done. A couple of guys from Cityscape and City Nature Parks didn't look too impressed during a site examination. I guess that's why bogans out this way should only ride on single track? One needs to have at least two neurones to rub together, to appreciate a good bit of double track.

My wife ran over a 1.5m Black snake that was slithering past our driveway last Saturday. I rang the park rangers and said there is a squirming injured snake in our driveway, that will not die until after sundown (as old legends reliably have it). The park ranger said that she would be coming to get the snake, if she could manage to pull a 4x4 out of a bog on the Pinnacle. The bogans cut the lock on the gate and entered the reserve. The ranger, took a very long time. The sun set before she arrived. It must have been a deep sticky bog that bog in the Reserve on the Pinnacle.

The ground is still so soft (mostly clay base) that the Rangers aren't entering the Reserves to avoid damaging the management trails but the bogans are. So I was told today, when I asked about the damage to the BNT. A Ranger said that the idiots have gone mad at the moment and the damage that they are doing is very frustrating and wide spread.

Warren.

 

[WildWassa]

Duplicate posting removed.

 

[WildWassa]

There was good rain yesterday and last night. So don't book your flight to Stromlo just yet.

Queanbeyan has been declared a disaster area. The Riverside Plaza is now the river. The Queanbeyan Leagues Club is still visible or the top 20cm of the main door is showing. The stiffs from the Queanbeyan cemetery will need to be fished out of Burley Griffin (again) over the next few days ... I've been sailing on Burly Griffin for a long time and I've seen the odd Struggle Town floater or two.

The Molonglo (beside Stromlo) is over the railing of Coppin's Crossing Bridge.

A gigalitre of flow is being released from Googong each day. The capacity of Burley Griffin is 32 gigalitres. Scrivener Dam has all five flood gates open for the first time since the Christmas Day floods of '76. The spume on the Molonglo is still blue-green?

The now coming heavy rains will be over by the end of the weekend and the ground will start to dry out ... according to the BOM.

Warren.

 

[outtacontrol]

I really hope so. I have flights booked to fly down for some riding on the 26th for a week.

Piss off rain!!

 

[WildWassa]

I went out on the BNT over the weekend, to the turnoff above Collector. Several roads behind collector were closed because of flooding.

The BNT is in good shape unlike Stromlo. Some are saying Stromlo won't be open again till well after Christmas (a comment on another Forum).

North of Canberra the BNT has been roughed up a bit up on Marked Tree Road ... which has made the track even better for MTBs. The mozzis were shocking. Millions of them in the grass up on the top of the Lake George Escarpment made stopping impossible.

Bear the Bear, here's an update on the filling of Lake George. The first image is of the the Coledale Travelling Stock Reserve at the northern end of the lake.

Warren.

 

[scbullit]

Stromlo has re opened to riding (albiet limited) - I rode there today. The trunk trail to the top, down skyline, berm track, breakout and so on... It is very rough and washed out with lots of loose sandy corners - very sketchy! Darren from Makin' Trax has done well just to get this up and rideable. I didn't have time to go down the back side so don't know what it is like. Please take it easy on the downhills - it is different to what it used to be with LOTS of ruts, etc, and stay off closed trails.

I walked into the first bit of slant six to see some of the damage and took this photo... I also saw where an entire section of fire road got washed away.

 

[krisko]

Why bother opening it, if its not up to standard. ie: Green trunk trail should be rideable for entry level riders (as intended). Venue management are just asking for trouble and putting the entry level rider at high risk!

It also becomes bad for the sport, these riders, could very likely be put off riding all together.

 

[nskz]

Why bother opening it, if its not up to standard. ie: Green trunk trail should be rideable for entry level riders (as intended). Venue management are just asking for trouble and putting the entry level rider at high risk!

It also becomes bad for the sport, these riders, could very likely be put off riding all together.

*I'll preface this by saying that i'm probably going to get raged for my comments, but so be it

I can't work out if what Krisko said is a joke or not? Part of doing anything in life is self management, you can't expect that just because something is supposed to be beginner friendly it actually is, you must personally asses it and proceed if it is within your ability. I'm sick of Governments, organisations etc pandering to the lowest common denominator, bring back some personal responsibility ffs. I rode bluegums, skyline, berm today and if someone can't ride that trail as it is at the moment they should probably should stick to tarmac.

Now onto Stromlo itself. Someone correct me if i'm wrong but a person/s are employed full time to look after these tracks yeah? If yes, what the f*@# have they been doing? I would suggest that currently, apart from events like the Scott etc, it is absolute peak season for one of Australia's 'premiere' mountain bike parks yet it looks abandoned. Sure, there have been extenuating circumstances, IE a shittonne of rain but seriously, ever heard of a whipper snipper (see attached)? Some sections of seemingly the only 'up' track open (Bluegums) are near on impassable due to weeds/general plant shite. My legs are currently bleeding from the 400^2 blackberry bushes that are covering the track; I myself removed a heap but since I wasn't wearing gloves I was limited in my blackberry removing abilities.

I can see where repair work has been done but to be honest it's pretty minimal; mini-bobcat a bit of dirt here, throw a few random planks of wood there. Surely you'd think whoever looks after this place would have been going flatout to get it ready (at least one trail) for all those Christmas visitors and the kids with their brand new bikes they want to try out. I was very disappointed to return to Canberra for Christmas hoping to ride some of my favorite trails and to find that...Don't get me started on the DH track...

I realise i'll probably get shredded for saying all that but from my personal perspective, if I understand the running of the place correctly (I could be wrong), it's pretty piss poor.

/flame on

 

[outtacontrol]

With my flight leaving tomorrow for Canberra (that I booked weeks ago) I am pretty happy that some of it is open.

I don't care if it's a bit rough, I've got 5" of travel to take care of that.

 

[malallen]

Rode the main trunk and out Western Stromlo today. Sections are overgrown but still passable. Guessing that as more bikes get back out there, plant growth will be shredded back off the track. Track very slow as either rocky or sandy. Much more technical than the flow that Stromlo has traditionally offered.

Yes it isn't what is was but as a local, I'm glad that at least it is open again. There are earlier comments in this thread to effect that Darren et al were doing 13 hour days to try and rescue the place so I'm prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. My main question is what is the overall strategy to get Stromlo back, keep it in good condition and ensure that it doesn't wash out again. There's nothing along these lines on any of the official websites of those with responsibility for the park.

Seems to be a lot of places where there're opportunities for MTBers to assist in getting the tracks back up to world class standard. Cutting back overgrown plants being the obvious example where a few guys could make a big difference in a working bee. I don't understand the apparent focus on ensuring working bees don't happen and only the 'professional track builders' are allowed to do anything in Stromlo. We need to get to a situation where we are all working together to ensure we have great ACT region MTBing opportunities for all, not just for the major events.

 

[niftydog]

...it is absolute peak season for one of Australia's 'premiere' mountain bike parks yet it looks abandoned...

...We need to get to a situation where we are all working together...

Seems clear to me that the popularity of Stromlo (and MTB in general) has taken everybody by surprise. The number of major events is just part of the picture - any given sunny Saturday the place is chockers with punters.

I don't think the local gov. anticipated this at all, and so they threw all the money at remedial works and forgot to plan for the future. It's also slightly uncharted territory, with professional contractors managing a venue that was once completely maintained by volunteers.

I'd agree it does seem a shame that there's not more cooperation with CORC, but I don't pretend to understand the reasons why the government manage the site as they do.

For experienced riders there are plenty of options - but when you want to take the wife and kids out for a ride on the dirt that won't make them hate you, there are actually very few suitable places. Even the Stromlo trunk trail would be too much for most occasional riders.

The local gov. are apparently getting the idea though, with the consultation process around Bruce Ridge being thrown open to the riding public. Time will tell how that relationship works out.

 

[astroboy]

Seems to be a lot of places where there're opportunities for MTBers to assist in getting the tracks back up to world class standard. Cutting back overgrown plants being the obvious example where a few guys could make a big difference in a working bee. I don't understand the apparent focus on ensuring working bees don't happen and only the 'professional track builders' are allowed to do anything in Stromlo. We need to get to a situation where we are all working together to ensure we have great ACT region MTBing opportunities for all, not just for the major events.

I agree with MalA on the need to reengage volunteers in the Stromlo maintenance effort. It seems that at some point following the building of Stromlo CORC was told to bugger off from assisting with the maintenance of the trails and the designing/planning for any new ones (unless it was for a coffer filling major event, which usually only involved work on building some temporary trail anyway). For many of the volunteers who invested a lot of time in building the trails in the first place it was a slap in the face, and felt even more in recent times given the poor state of Stromlo at the moment and the willing bunch of people who would be more than happy to lend their time. One of the impacts from this brush-off was a whole lot of wannabe trail maintainers heading up the hill of their own accord, with no direction or just NFI about maintenance basics. The result was a whole swag of trees that were either trimmed back to the main trunk all the way around, or pulled out completely as corridors were cleared like they were clearing for a carpark.

I know first hand that it takes time and effort up front to make sure all trailwork volunteers march to the same tune (and on the odd occasion, a subtle suggestion to some that they hang up their mcleods permanently, if they seem to be marching to a whole different orchestra). But they can achieve a lot in a day, through sheer numbers. It just takes an investment in instruction and direction. With so many volunteers having spent a lot of time at Stromlo during the construction phase it seems like a huge waste of potential.

I was lucky to be able to do a lap of Stromlo recently and saw many areas that could be attended to without the need for heavy machinery. And while I commend the trail maintenance contractor on the new gravel mix that has been used to reinforce wet areas like Blue Gums, there are many other areas where this mix could be laid by volunteers using shovels and wheelbarrows, as long as there was a stockpile created close by. For those who remember that painful day many years ago, it’s how the trail leading up to Echidna Gap (and hanging off the side of the hill) was created except that in this case the stockpile was a digger at the top. The trimming of blackberries has also been raised in this thread, and as inferred by Mal there is also (and always) the trimming of trees to be done – all of which will go ballistic in the months after the rain stops - if it stops. With a bit of nurturing the trees can be moulded into that great shaded tunnel shape that makes a trail that much more enjoyable on a hot day.

I do hope that the section of ACT Government that manages the park decides to reengage CORC and rethink their Stromlo trails maintenance and future planning model. It was CORC who lobbied for the building of trails at Stromlo long before the concept of “Return on Investment through revenue-generating MTB events” was really even in the minds of ACT Govt, and to not involve them would be poor stakeholder management. The Trails Team within CORC have also been the first contact point for many Stromlo users, on how the park and trail network could be made more enjoyable. It seems crazy not to get this input when determining the list of planned work AND the priority of the work to be done.

On a semi-final note, I realize I make these statements from a position outside of the CORC committee, particularly the trails team who appear to have been very busy AND successful in recent times in lobbying for access to new ride areas (wins with Bruce Ridge and Dirt Jumps, and I thank them for their hard work). So maybe time would be tight should the Stromlo management part of ACT Govt come calling, but to re-instate those relationships is important in the long term to make sure Stromlo can always be brought back to tip-top shape when such events like those of recent times happen (and it’s happened before, and it was fixed with a working bee then).

On a final note it's probably important for me to state how much fun Stromlo has become to ride, thanks to the new bits that are constantly being put in by the contractor with obvious approval from the land manager. Some of the things like the see-saws represents a welcome chance in risk management-thinking for what was traditionally a risk-adverse management body. But owing to the reasons above the timely maintenance, expansion and improvement of Stromlo is not currently at its optimal. To get back to this point the same co-operation between CORC and the Govt needs to exist as it did when the original brain child of a former former former CORC trails advocacy officer was realised - thanks in large part to (GASP!) volunteers.

NOTE: I'm no longer actually on the CORC Trails Team (haven't been for 2 years) so while some obvious bias exists, all comments are based on past experiences and recent observations and conversations.

 

[Tacky Monster]

I rode the trunk trail and came down sky line and the luge. I am very grateful that limited trails have been opened. I agree they are pretty rough and I wouldn't be taking a beginner out there at the moment. But I still had a lot of fun and found a good rhythm down the hill on my 5 inch travel bike. I would love to see some working bees organised and would love to lend a hand. I was thinking of cutting back some of the overgrown sections shown in the picture above but feel I shouldn't be doing this unless it is part of an organised working bee, which is a shame because it wouldn't take long to do.

 

[peanut]

*I'll preface this by saying that i'm probably going to get raged for my comments, but so be it

I can't work out if what Krisko said is a joke or not? Part of doing anything in life is self management, you can't expect that just because something is supposed to be beginner friendly it actually is, you must personally asses it and proceed if it is within your ability. I'm sick of Governments, organisations etc pandering to the lowest common denominator, bring back some personal responsibility ffs. I rode bluegums, skyline, berm today and if someone can't ride that trail as it is at the moment they should probably should stick to tarmac.

Now onto Stromlo itself. Someone correct me if i'm wrong but a person/s are employed full time to look after these tracks yeah? If yes, what the f*@# have they been doing? I would suggest that currently, apart from events like the Scott etc, it is absolute peak season for one of Australia's 'premiere' mountain bike parks yet it looks abandoned. Sure, there have been extenuating circumstances, IE a shittonne of rain but seriously, ever heard of a whipper snipper (see attached)? Some sections of seemingly the only 'up' track open (Bluegums) are near on impassable due to weeds/general plant shite. My legs are currently bleeding from the 400^2 blackberry bushes that are covering the track; I myself removed a heap but since I wasn't wearing gloves I was limited in my blackberry removing abilities.

I can see where repair work has been done but to be honest it's pretty minimal; mini-bobcat a bit of dirt here, throw a few random planks of wood there. Surely you'd think whoever looks after this place would have been going flatout to get it ready (at least one trail) for all those Christmas visitors and the kids with their brand new bikes they want to try out. I was very disappointed to return to Canberra for Christmas hoping to ride some of my favorite trails and to find that...Don't get me started on the DH track...

I realise i'll probably get shredded for saying all that but from my personal perspective, if I understand the running of the place correctly (I could be wrong), it's pretty piss poor.

/flame on

This is purely speculation on my part but It's my understanding the contract for maintenance doesn't allow for full time maintenance, It's an only as required basis.
There isn't an open cheque book, this is a government run venue,to increase maintenance funding i'm assuming it would require a lengthy approval process, lets face it nothing has been "quick" in regards to stromlo, every thing at the site required approval,even trail names!.
The contractor has probably spent the entire years budget he's been allocated by TVE for maintenance just in the last month trying to rectify the storm damage.
The contractor also has a business to run so he can't spend every living minute there if it was only ever a part time contract, otherwise his other clients are kept waiting and start looking elsewhere for someone else.
It wouldn't surprise me if only government grass cutting contractors are allowed to whipper snip the overgrown trails....

 

[FR Drew]

This is purely speculation on my part but It's my understanding the contract for maintenance doesn't allow for full time maintenance, It's an only as required basis.
There isn't an open cheque book, this is a government run venue,to increase maintenance funding i'm assuming it would require a lengthy approval process, lets face it nothing has been "quick" in regards to stromlo, every thing at the site required approval,even trail names!.
The contractor has probably spent the entire years budget he's been allocated by TVE for maintenance just in the last month trying to rectify the storm damage.
The contractor also has a business to run so he can't spend every living minute there if it was only ever a part time contract, otherwise his other clients are kept waiting and start looking elsewhere for someone else.
It wouldn't surprise me if only government grass cutting contractors are allowed to whipper snip the overgrown trails....

If TVE are going to say that only their contractor is authorised to oversee trail work at Stromlo, then they should fund his work accordingly, or accept that they are managing a white elephant. Their contractor is not the only person around with trailbuilding skills and knowledge, but for reasons known only to TVE they have elected to employ him without sufficiently funding his work. Why would a club that gets no preferential access to the site put their time, money, labour and resources into upkeep of the place while at the same time someone else gets paid for similar duties? Paying for machinery time not available from the club is all well and good, but a level playing field for other trail services rendered would be nice...

Ever since the place was opened, the upkeep in regard to blackberries has been insufficient (too little too late). Management seem to have a view that you let an area of trail degrade until riders are screaming about it before you allocate resources.

Money has been wasted installing (arguably flawed) technical trail features without getting the main trails rideable. This is like putting new paint and mags on a car with a rusted body and a blown head gasket.

Stromlo has lovely branding, a pretty website and deteriorated trails, and in the last 12 months, even before the storms, it was getting worse not better in many areas.