I noted in the trip list that this ride included some carrying. That didn’t put anyone off did it?

As the 9 of us set out from the carpark some observant soul noted a sign suggesting mountain bikes weren’t welcome. John Gurr and I later discussed how long ago it was we last did the ride - 10yrs plus perhaps. There was no sign of that sign last time! Maybe this would be an historic ride, the club we might not come again.

There was a bit of carrying up to the Blackburn mine. There we analysed the remains of a sluice nozzle – did it really belong there? Where did the water come from?

There was a bit more carrying up to trig R (at 934m a similar height to Mt Herbert) and a bit more along the way to above Woolshed Ck where the melting snow and rocks on the track made biking only possible in short stretches. The cool, calm day with the recent dusting of snow on the hills and the mountain backdrop made the views spectacular and gave our trip an alpine feel.

The decent to Woolshed Ck was steep, some slithering down with wheels locked, others walked. We lunched at the Woolshed Creek hut and checked the neat rows of piles for a new hut being built next to the old one. Beyond the hut the track looked ok from a distance but is scoured and rocky and difficult to ride. We rode the creek and then walked up to view the back of Mt Somers and the start of a tortuous river route back to the carpark

The most biking was on the route out along the slushy 4WD track, passing the back of the Blackburn mine on the way. At a locked gate our choice was to either go further along the 4WD out to the main Rd and then back in to the car park, or to go down a grass track to the gorse and remnants of a rapidly dwindling single track which seemed to head toward the car park. After a minor debate about the consequences of the track being overgrown and having to come back up the hill, and some searching of memories to see if there was any recall of this route, one of the party chose the certain route and the others took the gamble of a bit of bush bashing to enjoy the downhill. This turned out to be the best riding of the day, despite the gorse. The track zigzagged down hill, did dwindle as expected, but stayed open enough to make it to the bottom.

How and why it is maintained is a mystery, someone must cut the gorse occasionally. We popped out onto the road near the carpark with a great sense of satisfaction that we had taken the gamble.

The bikes needed a swim in the river, as a reward for a completed journey and to reduce the accumulated muck.

Actually, there was quite a bit of carrying.

Ian McKenzie