Submitted: Saturday, Nov 15, 2008 at 19:13

The Mawson Trail is a bike ride that traverses some of the most beautiful and spectacular regions of South Australia, including the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Clare and Gilbert Valleys and the Flinders Ranges. It covers about 900 km, commencing in Adelaide up the Linear Park to Athelstone, up Gorge Rd around the Kangaroo Creek Dam, Lobethal, Birdwood, Tanunda, Kapunda, Riverton, Clare, Burra, Spalding, Jamestown, Wilmington, Quorn, Hawker and finishing at Blinman.

I started riding the Mawson Trail in 2006 covering to Kapunda. I have also ridden the stretch between Riverton and Clare and Quorn to just south of Hawker.

An attempt to ride from Burr to Clare in early 2007 was thwarted by heavy overnight rains, so plenty of mud was encountered, strong cold winds then the broken chain and damage to the rear derailleur due to the mud build up.

Overnight on the Thursday about 50mm of rain had fallen so there was an expectation that conditions could be muddy.

On the morning of Saturday 8th November 2008, I left Quorn to ride Section 3, Quorn to Wilson Rd south of Hawker and about 90km.

The morning was very cool and overcast, it looked as though it was going to rain and slight breeze, but ideal conditions for riding. The first 45 minutes along Yarra Vale Rd were great, averaging 25 kmph, then a left turn onto Yarra Vale Gorge Rd with about 15 minutes riding up a pretty steady incline to cross the ranges and on to Arden Vale Rd.



Certainly a beautiful ride through here up to Proby’ Grave. Not too far from Proby’s Grave I came across Willochra Creek. It was wide and had water about a metre deep which was flowing at a reasonable pace. Well, here we go, I picked up the bike and walked carefully to the other side almost getting washed over a couple of times.





My wife and a friend were my back up and I was able to call them up on CH 8 UHF repeater to let them know of what I had come across and that they would get over okay in the vehicle. At this stage they were about 15 km back in Warren Gorge bird watching.



On to the town that never was, Simmonston and about the halfway mark.
Insert pic of Simmonston.

A 15 km ride across the Willochra Plains, onto the Quorn to Hawker Rd for a short time before deviating west onto Gordon-Springfield Rd and another shallower water crossing. This dirt road continued back over the Quorn to Hawker Rd for some 15 km then dog legged to the left up a dirt track (McAuley Rd onto Wilson Rd.)



Total distance covered, 92km in 4 hr and 49mins ride time with an average of 19kmph.
A great ride and I was glad to finish at this point.
AND, recovered okay the next day with no soreness.

Tags: 2WD, Hobbies/Interest, Photography
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