The Mawson Trail, Glenelg to Melrose - July 2011

Winter 2011 found us heading over to South Australia, the plan was for me to do the Mawson Trail, an off-road mountain bike trail that stretches from Adelaide to Blinman in the northern Flinders Rangers. I would meet Sam every night at our accommodation. If you've read the title of the post you'll realise that things didn't turn out exactly the way we planned.

A damp start in Glenelg.

I planned the ride in July to avoid the heat of the Flinders, I hoped to get cold nights and blue sky days. What I actually got was grey skies and pissing down rain, now I could of handled that, but large sections of the Mawson Trail travel over red earth tracks and when this stuff gets wet its impossible to ride on, the wheels would quickly clog with mud while at the same time the back wheel would be spinning furiously trying to get traction. Anyway I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Torrens River entering the sea at West Beach.

Adelaide

The Adelaide Oval.

I decided to start from Glenelg and ride along the Torrens path until I joined the Mawson at Torrens Gorge Road. Late morning on the start day found us sitting in Macca's near Glenelg watching the rain pour down, eventually I decided that I'd better head off, so donning all my wet weather gear, Sam snapped a leaving picture and I headed off through the puddles into the gloom. The ride through Adelaide while damp was at least on a sealed path so there were no mud issues, from West Beach I followed the Torrens path all the way to Athlestone. Arriving at the actual start of the Mawson at mid afternoon in the middle of winter probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done, a fact quickly confirmed when the trail left Gorge Road and started to climb, and climb, and.......  you know what I mean. Now I'm sure there are riders who could climb this all the way ( Cadel Evans comes to mind ) without stopping or walking, but I'm sure as shit not one of them. What a slog, not only was it steep but it also threw in a few descents just so I could climb some more, great.

With the rain still pissing down I was glad to see Sam waiting for me at Cudlee Creek, chucking my bike in the back of the ute we headed off to our accommodation.

My first Mawson Trail marker on Torrens Gorge Road.

Climbing into the Adelaide Hills.

Wet and muddy at the end of day 1.

Next day Sam dropped me off and headed off for a days sight seeing in the Barossa Valley, whilst I resumed my journey heading for our accommodation in Tununda. Today was actually a quite good day, the surface was wet but OK , I only experienced a couple of flooded sections. The High Eden Ridge section was particularly good riding on quiet dirt roads, and I had a ball tearing descent down Trial Hill to Rowland Flat. I was now in the Barossa Valley and the soil changed to red dirt, or in my case red mud. Making my way towards Tununda via back roads I managed to find alternatives to the sloppiest sections, but I was starting to wonder how I'd go further north where I would have as many route options. Pulling up at our cottage in late afternoon I set about cleaning the bike and oiling the parts that were already starting to complain after two days of mud.

Great riding early day 2.

Yep, the trial heads through the vineyard.

I was about to tare down that spur.

Once down in the valley the red mud started.

The sign says it all really.

My bike had its own spot in the cottage at Tanunda.

I was up early heading out of Tununda, spoilt initially by a sealed path to Nuriootpa. After leaving Nuriootpa I was quickly back into the mud, luckily with numerous stops to consult the map, and the odd bit of backtracking I was able to make my way to Kupunda for lunch with Sam. Eventually I pulled myself away from the warm cafe and headed off again. The afternoon found me riding along a magic section called Taylors Run Road, following the east side of the Light Range, before climbing over and dropping down to Riverton for my pick up.

All looking good leaving Tanunda.

Until I hit this.

And this.

Stop to un-clog my wheels.

Kapunda.

Taylors Run Road.

At least it'll wash the mud off!

Heading into Riverton.

Having a coffee at Riverton while I waited for Sam.

Heading off next morning from Riverton I was first aiming for Clare where I was meeting Sam for lunch, a lot of this morning route would be on rail trails so I knew the gradients would be OK, but it was pissing down again with water flowing over the road in numerous places and the back wheel spinning in the mud on any kind of an incline. On reaching the Riesling Trail at Auburn the riding improved and after a coffee I headed off through the vineyards to Clare. Over lunch I assessed my options for the afternoon, I knew the next section crossed a lot of red soil which I'd read accounts of people having to drag there bikes through, I also knew that the country was getting more remote and I wouldn't have many alternative options if the trail proved impassable, with all that in mind I decided to head along the main road to Burra. After cleaning up myself and my bike we headed out in the 4wd to check out tomorrows ride, after a couple of kilometres of sideways action in the 4wd I decided that there was no way I could ride it so I'd have to go with plan B again.

Have I mentioned that it rained a bit.

Grazing in the vineyards beside the Riesling Trail.

The Riesling trail, with obligatory black clouds.

The bike was looking a bit second hand.

And so was the pilot.

The bike had its own bedroom in Burra.

Sam, kicking back in the cottage at Burra.

Leaving Sam in the Cottage at Burra I headed off into a roaring headwind, on the main road to Spalding.

There's a reason they build wind farms here and I slogged into it all morning, there was no tree cover to break the wind, the only moments of relief for me being when a B double would sail past me and I'd got sucked along in the draft for a few seconds. Rejoining the trail I followed the Bundaleer Channels for a bit before dropping down to Spalding. Sipping a coffee while waiting for Sam to pick me up I decided that I wasn't having fun any more, slogging into a massive head wind on a main highway wasn't what I'd come over to do, so after discussing it with Sam I decided to head to Melrose for a few days mountain biking in the foothills of Mount Remarkable. That was that, I'd been beaten by the elements and everything the Mawson threw at me.

On the main road over to Spalding.

Wind farms on the Spalding road, I was struggling to get up to double figures pushing against the wind.

Sheltering from the wind.

Back on the trail heading into Spalding.

Spalding.

The Dirt

The Mawson is a great concept, stick up some markers on quiet back roads, route them through country towns, name it after a favourite son, and bobs your uncle you have a long distance off road bicycle track. Don't go expecting single track as its very limited, also long (very long) sections traverse red soil which is basically un-rideable with any moisture on it, so plan some spare days in case of precipitation. The trail goes through towns at regular intervals so water and supplies aren't really an issue. We stayed in Cottages and Pubs but most people camp, both options are good. Melrose Mountain Bike Park is awesome, definitely worth the trip up, check out Over the edge bike shop when you get there to find out about the trails. Seems I've got unfinished business at Melrose and on the Mawson, so I'll be back one day, maybe in spring though!

I probably ended up riding around 400 kilometres on my aborted journey.

Kicking back on the balcony of The North Star Hotel in Melrose, clean and dry and looking forward to a couple of days mountain biking.