Trails Down Under

I have been doing a bit of riding lately but most of it has been fairly close to home and not really worthy of a ride report in it's own right. Each ride seems to highlight some great country though so I thought I would start a thread showing a very small portion of the place I like to call home.

I'll kick off with a few photo's from the weekend's ride to Wave Hill Station.

The most peaceful part of the whole trip, kicking back and taking in the moonlight.​

The rest of the time was spent fending of KTM's. Truth is, the only reason I managed to get in front to start with is that I had the maps. If it wasn't for that I wouldn't have seen which way they went.





I tried to wear the O'Brien brothers out in an old sand quarry that has become an impromptu motocross track over the years but I think it only made them quicker.​

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Blue skies, a deserted stretch of beach and time to play.

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Unfortunately I have busted my tailbone a couple of times doing stupid things on dirt bikes (you would think once would be enough) so I have a farily strict 'no mono' policy. It didn't seem to worry the others though.

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Watching the guys was impressive. I have seen some pretty good wheelies in my time but this one was something else again.

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For my money though the best thing about low tide is the ease with which you can do big skids. Pat is the master of such things, throwing the bike into one full lock slide after another.

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Saturday night was spent around a custom made fire drum (not sure what to call it really) making the most of the excellent tucker put on by the station owners. The country hospitality at Wave Hill would easily be a match for the fanciest city restaurant in my opinion.



Sunday started with an early morning trip to the Clarence Gorge for a bit of exploring.





Even KTM's look good in this light

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From the Gorge it was north into the rainforest before heading home after a solid weekend of riding.





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Beautiful! Where exactly in Aus are you?

That sure looks like a lot of fun.

Great pics. I spent two weeks in Australia this April and I can't wait to go back. Wonderful country

:eek1 Now that's a jaw-dropping picture! Absolutely wonderful....has an African touch to it.

you lucky prick ... those rain forest tracks look awesome

Very nice report!

Beautiful pics - I love Australia. I visited a couple of years ago but did not get as far north as the area of your report. I love 4 wheeling also - you guys sure have a lot of available terrain to explore.

John Davies

Great shots, great riding !! You guys look like you like to fly.
How many varieties of poisonous snakes do they have in Australia again ??

The double wheelies on the beach is awesome.

Esteban

G'Day Bob,

I am from Casino in Northern NSW. It is a country town about an hour so from the coast which seems to be far enough away to keep things pretty laid back. We are pretty lucky in the variety of country we have to explore around here. Unfortunately there is a pretty strong green movement as you get closer to the coast and they are set on closing most of it at the moment. Time will tell if they succeed but I hope they don't, doesn't seem right to lock off area's that have been open to the public for 150 years.

Yeah things are pretty good around here. I used to think that you needed to travel a long way to have a good trip but these days I am content to wander around my own backyard on the DRZ most of the time. It's amazing the diversity you can cover in a couple of solid days round here.

G'Day Esteban,

We have a few snakes, but I like to tell myself that they are sleeping about now. Climbing around the rocks at the Gorge takes a bit more thought in Summer when you are likely to encouunter a cranky Brown Snake or Taipan.

As for the photo's, I was pretty happy with the way they turned out. I think I might have to find some new riding mates some day though because these blokes make you feel awfully slow.

Thanks, I never really thought of Africa in that way though. It's funny how you perceive places you haven't been to.

I had the opportunity to take a 950 for a run near Dalby recently. Great bike too, although I reckon it would lead you astray if you weren't careful .

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In stark contrast to the drought affected plains of the Darling Downs (and the corrupting horsepower of the 950), I took a ride through Whian Whian State Forest on the weekend.

It is a beautiful area that is well worth exploring.





Unfortunately this is becoming a common sight in an area where the green minority are very vocal.



There are still some great trails available if you know where to look though.





The views are pretty spectacular too. On a clear day you can see all the way to the ocean.



I finished the day mucking around with the self-timer.



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If this isn't front page material then NOTHING is!


Really nice pics B.R.

Sunday started with a heavy sky and the search for a long lost trail through the rainforest. After studying the maps and approaching from a couple of different angles I was convinced that this attempt would reveal a path through the hills that had previously eluded me. I was wrong though. The promise of a faint line on a dated forestry map was replaced by a run down boundary fence. According to the farmer down the road it had been that way for twenty years or more (might be time to update the map collection). The resulting detour took me over 250km's of misty mountain trails and sweping cattle paddocks though so I certainly can't complain.

Rainforest tracks present new challenges in the wet (I nearly collected soil samples on a few occasions) but the mist does add a sense of isolation and tranquility.



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Mud is a funny thing that comes in all shades and textures. Some is slippery while it is raining (red and yellow clay for instance) while other stuff (tacky brown pug) takes on it's evil persona during the days after rain when it grabs tyres and tries to stop you in your tracks. In my experience the slipperiest of all, is the moss that grows on disused trails and concrete causeways. It is incredibly slick and the tell tale green tinge on the ground is often hard to see (at least until the bike flicks sideways at anything more than walking pace). The photo below was taken at the bottom of a mossy hill that required as much good luck as management to negotiate (I have never been a great mud rider). At the bottom of the hill I was happy to see the compacted red clay, it almost felt like bitumen after the mossy descent.

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