digitalhippie
Likes Dirt
Reckon one of those pic/video/story threads for AM could be fun!
Your latest AM Adventure - Pics, Videos, Stories
- Thread starter digitalhippie
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digitalhippie
Likes Dirt
Had a hoot yesterday arvo on the trails out behind Elphinstone, Central Vic. Had noticed bits and pieces of trail from the V-line train on the way to Melbourne. Lots of steep gullies, rocky climbs, fast descents. NICE.
http://digitalhippie.net/2011/04/16/dam-railway/
If anyone wants to head up around Central Vic way for an AM flavored fang but aren't sure where the trails are give us a yell, be happy to head out with ya.
http://digitalhippie.net/2011/04/16/dam-railway/
If anyone wants to head up around Central Vic way for an AM flavored fang but aren't sure where the trails are give us a yell, be happy to head out with ya.
Cano29
Likes Dirt
went for a ride last weekend out on a local downhill track on my atomik and bottomed out on a rock and snapped a chain, had to walk home (it sucked) but still it was fun while it lasted. Only annoying thing was that I lugged my bike up the mountain and snapped the chain at the top 
would've posted pics but didn't take camera.
would've posted pics but didn't take camera.
digitalhippie
Likes Dirt
fun ride up behind Elphinstone, good mix of steep rocky climbs, and fast rocky descents, one of which would have to be close to the fastest/longest singletrack descent around here I reckon... big dumb grin let's climb straight back up and do it again kinda thing.
crappy screencap from GoPro video.
crappy screencap from GoPro video.
Ride to no where in particular
decided to venture out to beerburrum north of brisbane. heard there was some good trails out there as well as a dh run which is apart of the local sunshine series. any who just jumped on the train and thought i just explore. didnt find much. just ended up riding around through the forestry aimlessly not really knowing where i was or where i was goin. haha. eventually found a road and headed in which i thought was the right direction. turned out it was the right choice. bringing me back towards home. all in all ended up covering about 25klms. wasnt too bad. just wish i had of found something of interest.
decided to venture out to beerburrum north of brisbane. heard there was some good trails out there as well as a dh run which is apart of the local sunshine series. any who just jumped on the train and thought i just explore. didnt find much. just ended up riding around through the forestry aimlessly not really knowing where i was or where i was goin. haha. eventually found a road and headed in which i thought was the right direction. turned out it was the right choice. bringing me back towards home. all in all ended up covering about 25klms. wasnt too bad. just wish i had of found something of interest.
bikeyoulongtime
Likes Dirt
the ridgeline...
...starts in Eildon city, 2 hours from Melbourne and 2 minutes from my door. Begins with 6 or so km of up, down, and in between singletrack with varying amounts of off camberness, jumps, log rollovers, switchbacks, and the like - following mainly old FTF loop with a few extra special saucy sections added.
Popping out of this trail onto firebreak road its left through the gate to a gruelling climb up a dirt road to a gate. then, there's another gruelling climb to another gate, followed by yet another gruelling climb to the top - no wait, its not the top, well, for downhillers it is, but then, they drove here...
Line up the ridge, then roll on down, ignoring the temptation of the DH track, which is a convenient shortcut if you lost a lung already...
then up, up up on a motorbike track, along a rolling ridgeline to the hikeabike! It's unrideable up but fun to try, and will make you think hard coming down too! so, shoulder the bike or jump off and push... spikes are handy here... until, booya! its the top, the real top! 500m ASL and glorious views of lake Eildon and the upper goulburn valley abound...
two options exist, lets do the long tour... along the ridgeline we go! down for a little then more up, more down, more up, more down... then hang a right at the obvious junction and climb a little more before a brake burning descent to taylors bay... down to the dirt road, then left to return by the road, or right to take a few km of dirt road back to the top of tank hill.. and down to town, home and a well-earned beer. Ahhh.
PM if you're ever up Eildon way, keen, have about 3 hours to spare and want more details... yeeha!
Last went around a few weeks back, but its a semi-regular ride...
...starts in Eildon city, 2 hours from Melbourne and 2 minutes from my door. Begins with 6 or so km of up, down, and in between singletrack with varying amounts of off camberness, jumps, log rollovers, switchbacks, and the like - following mainly old FTF loop with a few extra special saucy sections added.
Popping out of this trail onto firebreak road its left through the gate to a gruelling climb up a dirt road to a gate. then, there's another gruelling climb to another gate, followed by yet another gruelling climb to the top - no wait, its not the top, well, for downhillers it is, but then, they drove here...
Line up the ridge, then roll on down, ignoring the temptation of the DH track, which is a convenient shortcut if you lost a lung already...
then up, up up on a motorbike track, along a rolling ridgeline to the hikeabike! It's unrideable up but fun to try, and will make you think hard coming down too! so, shoulder the bike or jump off and push... spikes are handy here... until, booya! its the top, the real top! 500m ASL and glorious views of lake Eildon and the upper goulburn valley abound...
two options exist, lets do the long tour... along the ridgeline we go! down for a little then more up, more down, more up, more down... then hang a right at the obvious junction and climb a little more before a brake burning descent to taylors bay... down to the dirt road, then left to return by the road, or right to take a few km of dirt road back to the top of tank hill.. and down to town, home and a well-earned beer. Ahhh.
PM if you're ever up Eildon way, keen, have about 3 hours to spare and want more details... yeeha!
Last went around a few weeks back, but its a semi-regular ride...
outtacontrol
Likes Bikes and Dirt
This an article that I did for Enduro awhile ago. It's a bit of an Epic read as well, sorry.
Bluewater Epic
The rainforests of North Queensland are some of the oldest and most unforgiving in Australia. They are largely uncharted and hold many secrets. The aim of our Epic was to try and solve one of these mysteries.
For years the old timers have spoken of the legend of the caravan in hushed tones, hidden deep in the middle of the Bluewater rainforest, north of Townsville, North Queensland. The legend goes, that somewhere along an old logging route, which is now almost completely reclaimed by the rainforest, there is an old cabin and caravan, just waiting to be discovered.
We decided that we wanted to find out once and for all if the legend was true, or an urban myth, passed down from generation to generation.
One of the guys in our riding group, Longo, is an avid explorer and had done some research for our ride. Our plan was to set out from a logging hut at the start of the Bluewater track, where we often ride. In the past we have ridden to Keelbottom Creek, about 14km from the hut, before turning around. This ride, although short, is still challenging, due to the nature of the trail. The trail is like a rollercoaster, with many pinches but just as many awesome downhills on wide singletrack.
The information we had was that the cabin and caravan was located on this same track beyond Keelbottom Creek. We had been told that it would be about 30km from our start point at the hut to the cabin, but only time would tell if this was true. Our plan was to set off at 8am and had allowed about 8hrs for the return trip. This seemed heaps of time to do 60km.
Bluewater rainforest is notorious for being muddy and its bog holes have swallowed many a rider. The weather leading up to our ride had been perfect, but the day before our ride, I noticed dark clouds in the mountains to the north. “It’ll be sweet”, I said, trying to sound confident.
Our group consisted of 12 riders, all experienced mountain bikers with a couple of roadie cross overs. Everyone was pumped, and full of anticipation of the adventure that lay ahead. Little did we know what was in store for us!
We set off from the hut at 8am and I couldn’t help but notice that the track looked damper than usual. “It’ll be sweet”, I said, a little less confidently.
The ride to Keelbottom Creek was great fun as usual, but already there were some massive bog holes that we had to negotiate.
My mate Bill had driven 4 hours from Cairns the day before to be part of the ride on my prompting. Last year Bill completed the BMC 100 and Dirtworks to claim the coveted Dual Centurion jersey, so he had some cred. Since then however, he hadn’t been doing much riding, and I had a feeling the paddock he had been grazing in had run out of grass.
At the bottom of a fast downhill lay a huge boghole, and Bill was riding just ahead of me. He decided to try and skirt along the left edge of the bog and all of a sudden, his bike disappeared completely from view. He had ridden into a deep moto rut and went OTB for a huge mud bath. Not realizing I had seen it all, he quickly recovered to climb out and shout “The left line is good!!”. With mates like that, who needs enemies?
We arrived at Keelbottom Creek muddy, but on schedule and with only 1 flat the damage. We had a quick feed and set off, unsure of what lay ahead. If all went to plan, we should run into the cabin and caravan in about another 15km. There were nervous smiles all round.
Conditions deteriated quickly after crossing Keelbottom Creek. The rainforest started to close in and the track became very muddy. More worryingly, especially for me, the climbs that had previously been followed by awesome downhills, were now only being followed by bigger climbs!
By now I had taken my usual position as sweep, due to my lack of hill climbing prowess, rather than duty of care for my fellow riders. Bill had decided to keep me company, or so he said, and together we began pushing up what proved to be the hill from hell. Being in rainforest, you could only see a small section of the trail in front of you, and it just kept going up. By this stage the mud had turned to thick clay and it was beginning to get difficult to stop yourself sliding down the hill. Every corner brought the hope that it would surely be the top, only to have it cruelly dashed when we rounded it to reveal more climbing. The only thing that kept me motivated to keep moving forward was the thought of bombing down on the way back.
Eventually, after some of the best combined swearing I have ever heard, we finally made it to the top, where the others were waiting. Someone commented that the hill on our 8 hour course in Townsville, called “Misery Hill” had been misnamed. He reckoned this was the real “Misery Hill”. I think Bill and I made up some much more appropriate names for it while we dragging ourselves up, but none that could be printed.
To my horror, I saw that we had only travelled 5kms past Keelbottom Creek. I was feeling pretty busted, and Bill looked worse than me.
Mercifully, there were some nice downhills to help get the positive vibes going, and soon enough we having a ball again. We started down a long downhill and were flying, when all of a sudden I noticed some movements in the bush on our left not far ahead. Suddenly I realized that the riders had detoured, and begrudgingly we jumped on the brakes and ruined our buzz. It turned out the reason they had detoured was we had come to a creek and the bridge on the trail was long gone, leaving a 4m straight drop onto the rocks below!
We came to many similar creek crossings, some more challenging than others. One such crossing had a steep bank to climb out of, that was so muddy it was impossible to climb out without assistance. Another had some massive trees across it, forming a makeshift bridge, with big gaps in between.
Gradually the field strung out again as the climbs came back with a vengeance. It seemed at this stage Bill and I were doing more walking than riding. It was about this time Bill said, “It is going to want to be a F!#$%ing awesome caravan!!”.
By now, I had my head down, watching the km’s tick by, counting them down, and hoping like hell our information was right. By my reckoning we had about 2kms to go. All of a sudden I heard voices, and looked to my right. Nestled in a tiny clearing just above the trail, was an old cabin and even older caravan! I never thought a shitty old caravan would look so good! We had made it. The legend was true and it was bang on 30km from our start point.
The difficulty of the trail was evident by the 4 hours it had taken to get this far. It seems back in the days when they logged the area, the road was well maintained and the caravan was brought in. As soon as the logging stopped, the rainforest claimed it as its own.
While having some well deserved lunch, everybody was busy trying to clean their drive chains. There was not one bike that wasn’t having some problems with shifting, but thankfully that was the extent of our mechanicals. It seemed that somewhere along the way, everyone had swapped to the same tyres, 3” mud slicks.
The mood was one of triumph, having achieved what we set out to do. I was secretly just happy that the trail was mostly downhill back to Keelbottom Creek!
After half an hour we set off, and it was amazing how much different you can feel in that amount of time. I’m pretty sure the knowledge we were going back had as much to do with that as the food we had just eaten.
What a difference the direction of a trail can make. What had been a murderous slog on the way out, was now a hoot heading back. Mud covered hills are so much more fun going down than up. Bill had come back to life and was too busy getting air and tail whipping off washed out sections of trail, to notice how smashed he was. The hill that had taken forever to climb was gone in a few moments, with the bikes fishtailing all the way down. It was a strangely exhilarating, yet disconcerting feeling having very little input as to where the bike would steer, due to the 4” thick clay and mud caked tyres!
One of the cross over roadies, who had been less than complimentary towards some of the slower riders in the group (as is normally their way) snapped his hanger about 10kms into the return trip. It turns out roadies are that awesome that they don’t need to carry spares or even know how to fix them. Some of the guys who he had been bagging, were the guys who bailed him out, and set him up single speed, middle ring x9 no less! Needless to say, he was pretty quiet all the way back.
Finally, we made it back to the cars at about 4.30pm. My ride time was 6hrs 45min, and with stops took all of our allowed time. There were 12 very muddy, exhausted mountain bikers, but there is something to be said about being completely smashed, but knowing that you have had just had the best time doing it. Seeing as how Bill had to drive the 4hrs straight back to Cairns, I’m not sure he was too happy with me, but he was definitely a lot muddier for his efforts.
Turns out we were the first mountain bikers to see the cabin and caravan. Another group got very close the year before, but turned back, unaware how close they were to the prize.
Although not the longest ride I have ever done, it was definitely an epic in every sense of the word. I think that is what is great about our sport, as a normal person you can see and achieve things many people will not, and all in the company of great people and having the most fun.
Bluewater Epic
The rainforests of North Queensland are some of the oldest and most unforgiving in Australia. They are largely uncharted and hold many secrets. The aim of our Epic was to try and solve one of these mysteries.
For years the old timers have spoken of the legend of the caravan in hushed tones, hidden deep in the middle of the Bluewater rainforest, north of Townsville, North Queensland. The legend goes, that somewhere along an old logging route, which is now almost completely reclaimed by the rainforest, there is an old cabin and caravan, just waiting to be discovered.
We decided that we wanted to find out once and for all if the legend was true, or an urban myth, passed down from generation to generation.
One of the guys in our riding group, Longo, is an avid explorer and had done some research for our ride. Our plan was to set out from a logging hut at the start of the Bluewater track, where we often ride. In the past we have ridden to Keelbottom Creek, about 14km from the hut, before turning around. This ride, although short, is still challenging, due to the nature of the trail. The trail is like a rollercoaster, with many pinches but just as many awesome downhills on wide singletrack.
The information we had was that the cabin and caravan was located on this same track beyond Keelbottom Creek. We had been told that it would be about 30km from our start point at the hut to the cabin, but only time would tell if this was true. Our plan was to set off at 8am and had allowed about 8hrs for the return trip. This seemed heaps of time to do 60km.
Bluewater rainforest is notorious for being muddy and its bog holes have swallowed many a rider. The weather leading up to our ride had been perfect, but the day before our ride, I noticed dark clouds in the mountains to the north. “It’ll be sweet”, I said, trying to sound confident.
Our group consisted of 12 riders, all experienced mountain bikers with a couple of roadie cross overs. Everyone was pumped, and full of anticipation of the adventure that lay ahead. Little did we know what was in store for us!
We set off from the hut at 8am and I couldn’t help but notice that the track looked damper than usual. “It’ll be sweet”, I said, a little less confidently.
The ride to Keelbottom Creek was great fun as usual, but already there were some massive bog holes that we had to negotiate.
My mate Bill had driven 4 hours from Cairns the day before to be part of the ride on my prompting. Last year Bill completed the BMC 100 and Dirtworks to claim the coveted Dual Centurion jersey, so he had some cred. Since then however, he hadn’t been doing much riding, and I had a feeling the paddock he had been grazing in had run out of grass.
At the bottom of a fast downhill lay a huge boghole, and Bill was riding just ahead of me. He decided to try and skirt along the left edge of the bog and all of a sudden, his bike disappeared completely from view. He had ridden into a deep moto rut and went OTB for a huge mud bath. Not realizing I had seen it all, he quickly recovered to climb out and shout “The left line is good!!”. With mates like that, who needs enemies?
We arrived at Keelbottom Creek muddy, but on schedule and with only 1 flat the damage. We had a quick feed and set off, unsure of what lay ahead. If all went to plan, we should run into the cabin and caravan in about another 15km. There were nervous smiles all round.
Conditions deteriated quickly after crossing Keelbottom Creek. The rainforest started to close in and the track became very muddy. More worryingly, especially for me, the climbs that had previously been followed by awesome downhills, were now only being followed by bigger climbs!
By now I had taken my usual position as sweep, due to my lack of hill climbing prowess, rather than duty of care for my fellow riders. Bill had decided to keep me company, or so he said, and together we began pushing up what proved to be the hill from hell. Being in rainforest, you could only see a small section of the trail in front of you, and it just kept going up. By this stage the mud had turned to thick clay and it was beginning to get difficult to stop yourself sliding down the hill. Every corner brought the hope that it would surely be the top, only to have it cruelly dashed when we rounded it to reveal more climbing. The only thing that kept me motivated to keep moving forward was the thought of bombing down on the way back.
Eventually, after some of the best combined swearing I have ever heard, we finally made it to the top, where the others were waiting. Someone commented that the hill on our 8 hour course in Townsville, called “Misery Hill” had been misnamed. He reckoned this was the real “Misery Hill”. I think Bill and I made up some much more appropriate names for it while we dragging ourselves up, but none that could be printed.
To my horror, I saw that we had only travelled 5kms past Keelbottom Creek. I was feeling pretty busted, and Bill looked worse than me.
Mercifully, there were some nice downhills to help get the positive vibes going, and soon enough we having a ball again. We started down a long downhill and were flying, when all of a sudden I noticed some movements in the bush on our left not far ahead. Suddenly I realized that the riders had detoured, and begrudgingly we jumped on the brakes and ruined our buzz. It turned out the reason they had detoured was we had come to a creek and the bridge on the trail was long gone, leaving a 4m straight drop onto the rocks below!
We came to many similar creek crossings, some more challenging than others. One such crossing had a steep bank to climb out of, that was so muddy it was impossible to climb out without assistance. Another had some massive trees across it, forming a makeshift bridge, with big gaps in between.
Gradually the field strung out again as the climbs came back with a vengeance. It seemed at this stage Bill and I were doing more walking than riding. It was about this time Bill said, “It is going to want to be a F!#$%ing awesome caravan!!”.
By now, I had my head down, watching the km’s tick by, counting them down, and hoping like hell our information was right. By my reckoning we had about 2kms to go. All of a sudden I heard voices, and looked to my right. Nestled in a tiny clearing just above the trail, was an old cabin and even older caravan! I never thought a shitty old caravan would look so good! We had made it. The legend was true and it was bang on 30km from our start point.
The difficulty of the trail was evident by the 4 hours it had taken to get this far. It seems back in the days when they logged the area, the road was well maintained and the caravan was brought in. As soon as the logging stopped, the rainforest claimed it as its own.
While having some well deserved lunch, everybody was busy trying to clean their drive chains. There was not one bike that wasn’t having some problems with shifting, but thankfully that was the extent of our mechanicals. It seemed that somewhere along the way, everyone had swapped to the same tyres, 3” mud slicks.
The mood was one of triumph, having achieved what we set out to do. I was secretly just happy that the trail was mostly downhill back to Keelbottom Creek!
After half an hour we set off, and it was amazing how much different you can feel in that amount of time. I’m pretty sure the knowledge we were going back had as much to do with that as the food we had just eaten.
What a difference the direction of a trail can make. What had been a murderous slog on the way out, was now a hoot heading back. Mud covered hills are so much more fun going down than up. Bill had come back to life and was too busy getting air and tail whipping off washed out sections of trail, to notice how smashed he was. The hill that had taken forever to climb was gone in a few moments, with the bikes fishtailing all the way down. It was a strangely exhilarating, yet disconcerting feeling having very little input as to where the bike would steer, due to the 4” thick clay and mud caked tyres!
One of the cross over roadies, who had been less than complimentary towards some of the slower riders in the group (as is normally their way) snapped his hanger about 10kms into the return trip. It turns out roadies are that awesome that they don’t need to carry spares or even know how to fix them. Some of the guys who he had been bagging, were the guys who bailed him out, and set him up single speed, middle ring x9 no less! Needless to say, he was pretty quiet all the way back.
Finally, we made it back to the cars at about 4.30pm. My ride time was 6hrs 45min, and with stops took all of our allowed time. There were 12 very muddy, exhausted mountain bikers, but there is something to be said about being completely smashed, but knowing that you have had just had the best time doing it. Seeing as how Bill had to drive the 4hrs straight back to Cairns, I’m not sure he was too happy with me, but he was definitely a lot muddier for his efforts.
Turns out we were the first mountain bikers to see the cabin and caravan. Another group got very close the year before, but turned back, unaware how close they were to the prize.
Although not the longest ride I have ever done, it was definitely an epic in every sense of the word. I think that is what is great about our sport, as a normal person you can see and achieve things many people will not, and all in the company of great people and having the most fun.
digitalhippie
Likes Dirt
mate that sounds great! have you got any pics taken along the route?
would love to give that a go. will PM if/when I can get myself organized enough to get over to Eildon - tracks ok there during winter?
"the ridgeline"
Ah, yes. My mate still curses me for dragging him up along there, a couple of hills that are hard enough walking up let alone riding.
Spent a lot of my early years riding that ridge and many others in the area. Most of the land was either state land or owned by old man Taylor, unfortunately most of it has been sold off and sub divided now so you can't access as many tracks as before, still, some great riding to be had around there and, as you say, the views are great now the lake is almost full.
Ah, yes. My mate still curses me for dragging him up along there, a couple of hills that are hard enough walking up let alone riding.
Spent a lot of my early years riding that ridge and many others in the area. Most of the land was either state land or owned by old man Taylor, unfortunately most of it has been sold off and sub divided now so you can't access as many tracks as before, still, some great riding to be had around there and, as you say, the views are great now the lake is almost full.
digitalhippie
Likes Dirt
hehe, left line is good, classic!
tasty.dirt74
Likes Bikes and Dirt
With mates like that, who needs enemies !!!
Pity he didn't fall for it !
Dags, tell em the story about Glacier rock ride !
Pity he didn't fall for it !
Dags, tell em the story about Glacier rock ride !
Great vid, that's my favourite loop at Stromlo.
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digitalhippie
Likes Dirt
Hippie's Descent
POV video at Hippie's Descent. Fun loop, just two parts to it, climb then descent, sweet!
[video=vimeo;23150028]http://vimeo.com/23150028[/video]
POV video at Hippie's Descent. Fun loop, just two parts to it, climb then descent, sweet!
[video=vimeo;23150028]http://vimeo.com/23150028[/video]
digitalhippie
Likes Dirt
nice one! would love to get to Stromlo one day.
digitalhippie
Likes Dirt
heya thanks koiom! it's a fun trail.
snakes not so bad, main thing this last summer has been spiders. sh*tloads of big spiders and spider webs layered across the trails _every_ day for months, esp if you were the first person out that day. not as many now though since the colder weather kicked in.
apart from kangaroos and wallabies the other critter you see a lot around here are lizards. until you realize it's a lizard not a snake, coming across one on the trail can scare the crap out of ya!