Reflections (i.e. would I do it again)

This trail has given me a whole new appreciation for the South Australian countryside. I'm normally in a car bypassing most of the region the trail passed through heading from point A to point B. I now have an understanding of what's in the middle and as I discovered, it's worth taking the time to have a look.

Total distance I travelled according to my not-so-finely-calibrated bike computer was around 760km. Apparently the trail is close to 900km in total. The sections that I shortcut were Blinman to Hawker (mud), Spalding to Burra (break down caused by mud), Tanunda to Adelaide (lack of camping opportunities - i.e Mt Crawford forest closed). I will return and finish these off next year. It would be good to do in the other direction, getting more remote as you go rather than getting more built up. The build up is less incentive to keep moving south in my opinion.

I'd suggest that anyone with any inclination to see more of the state should have a go at this trail. You don't need to do it in one hit - there are opportunities for making loop routes so you don't have to backtrack. You don't need to carry loads of gear. In fact you could get away with a change of clothes, your credit card and a camera because there are loads of accommodation options along the way. So you could do it really fast and light, probably on a bike you already own, and the money you'd spend on camping gear - if you don't already have it - used to rent cabins along the way instead, and to eat good, cheap meals in the pubs in each town. On the other hand if you want to camp, there are loads of camping opportunities for most of the trail.

Would I do it again...I hope so!

Oh, and I was really lucky to get a lift to Blinman...thanks Mike so much. And to Kerry for the catering.

And I was really lucky to get my bike and I transported to Burra after my breakdown...unfortunately I don't know the name of the couple in the ute near Booborowie. I hope one day they stumble across this and see my thanks.

Equipment

The Bike

Cannondale F4, with the nasty, unreliable headshok suspension removed in favour of a rigid Salsa suspension corrected fork and cane creek double-xc headset to convert to the smaller steerer tube.

Trap for young players...don't buy a bike carrying a cannondale headshok unless you want to have it break under light use in less than 12 months of ownership only to be told it's fair wear and tear and not covered under warranty. Oh, and then be told that it needs to be serviced every couple of months...and by the way they don't service it here because they're too fiddly and the fork has to be sent to Sydney, and that'll be a couple of weeks turn around, and $120 bucks a pop etc etc. I think you get the idea...

Having said that, with the headshok fork gone plus some other changes mainly for fit, the bike went really well. The derailleur problem could have happened to any bike. The rigid fork and new headset was fitted by Bio-Mechanics and they properly fitted the bike to me after the fork change. I was comfortable on the bike for the whole trip apart from on the flat spinning in single-speed (as is well expected).

Other changes to the bike: Brooks B17 saddle (no sore bum, yay!), Schwalbe Marathon XR tyres (heavy wheels = bad, no flats for the whole trip = who cares about the extra grams), some components to fit me such as a new seat post to get the seat further back, ergonomic grips etc.

Panniers: Ortleib waterproof (yes they were) front panniers used on the rear, plus some gear spilled over into small dry bags lashed on top. I also had a handlebar bag with tools and stuff needed during the day such as camera, wallet, phone, maps etc. Gear weight on departure with a full load of food (5 days worth), including the bags themselves was around 14kg. 6ltrs of water for longer hops between water (eg. camping between Hawker and Quorn) made the all up weight of gear 20kg. The only other tourer I saw on the trail had panniers plus a full trailer...poor bastard.

Camping
Took my old one person tent, thinking that all I would need was something to keep the mozzies and the dew off. Mistake - it bucketed down!

Normally in the wet I would use a fly and my bivvy bag. This would have been a better option giving me room under the fly in rain for cooking etc. And the bivvy as a modern version of a swag when the weather is good. But leading up to the trip we had the worst heat wave on record for November and the bivvy isn't good in hot weather. So I took the tent (see mistake above).

Slept on one of those really light self inflating mats. Indulged in a self inflating pillow. And took my down sleeping bag in favour of a much lighter (but colder) summer weight bag - had some cold nights so this was a good choice even with the extra weight. Also had a down vest that packs into a tiny stuff sack...this was appreciated after sunset most evenings.

Used a feather weight Kovea stove. Uses a Butane cannister - took too big a cannister, but the nature of this fuel is that it is hard to buy outside of specialist camping shops. Trade off in its favour is that it's a really light fuel source. And really hot too.

Tools
Had plenty of tools, and I thought this was too heavy and considered leaving some behind. As it turned out I used them all apart from the puncture repair kit (see tire choice above). My advice is if in doubt take it. Apart from in Melrose you will not find a decent bike shop along the whole trail. Next time I'd take a spare derailleur hanger - I reckon I could have bent the derailleur back to a form that would have mostly worked, even if only to act as a chain guide and tensioner for single speeding. But making a new hanger needs some fancy metal work.

Food
I started with 5 days of food in my bags, this was intended to be used camping in between towns. As it turned out through short cutting sections of the trail for various reason I only camped outside of towns for one night. Doing it again I would carry the same amount. Doing the trail "properly" would use up a good bit of this food in the first few days. Dinners carried were freeze dried meal-in-a-bag type stuff. Not only didn't I want to carry heavy food, I didn't want to waste the water needed to clean the pot. Lunches: nuts and scroggin...good calories and protein. Breakfasts: packets of instant porridge...good fuel to start the day. And of course, coffee and a tube of sweetened condensed milk.

Tanunda - Glenunga (home) 75km

Packed up quickly this morning under threatening clouds. Turns out no rain came of it.

Off to Lyndoch - loads of traffic - workers, school drop-off etc. Fortunately there was a wide road shoulder for the whole way.

After Lyndoch things quietened down on the roads as I turned for Williamstown. It was good getting out of the relatively industrial Barossa and into some quiet Hills country.

After a calories stop in Williamstown, through to Kersbrook, I passed by full reservoirs, big gums, the odd pine forest...overall a great ride. Lots of water in the reservoirs for my vegi patch when I get home.

Lots of signs suggesting drivers should lookout for bikes for the next few hundred meters. What about the rest of the trip?

After Kersbrook I was onto Gorge road and in familiar day ride territory, and after a bit of a grind up past the Kangaroo Creek dam it was a long downhill into the start of the suburbs and a long slow grind through the traffic with my single low gear.

Through familiar streets, past the kids school, and home. Long shower and sit on a comfy chair...bliss.

But the city stank, too much concrete, too much traffic, too many people. At least those who I really wanted to see would be home soon.

Riverton - Tanunda 79km

A tough day today. Lots of hills and some rocky tracks that tested my single-speeding legs. Some of the trail routing decisions seemed to be a bit sadistic. The trail would turn up yet another hill avoiding the more obvious flatter roads. But on reaching the top and being presented with the view of surrounding ranges and valleys I'd thank the trail designers for getting me up there, into country I would have otherwise missed.

Was great country in between Riverton and Kapunda, but as I got closer to lunch my stomach was hoping there would be a good bakery in the Kapunda main drag. Turns out there was.

Suitably refuelled I pushed out past the Kapunda mine into more treeless country initially. 32 degrees Celsius was the forecast and I felt it with not much shade on offer.

The trail crossed both the Heysen trail and Kidman trail in places. The Kidman trail would be a good option from Willunga for a future, shorter tour.

Trees and vineyards increased as I approached Nurioopta on summer only tracks - the "summer only" bit seems to have been ignored if the deep wheel ruts and tracks made by the local motor cross enthusiasts were anything to go by. Passed through Nurioopta for a pretty dull ride along the main road to Tanunda where I booked into the caravan park. Plenty of grass and trees, and more juggernaut motorhomes and 5th wheelers.

Wandered back into Tanunda after pitching my tent and stopped in a pub for well earned beers, and was easily tempted away from tonight's freeze dried meal-in-a-bag when I could smell the pub's kitchen firing up.

Last night I rang Mt Crawford forest because I had a niggling memory that camping is banned in the fire danger season (starting on the 1st December). This was confirmed so I'm not going to do that last section this trip as there is nowhere interesting to stop and camp without risking a fine. It's a bit too big a hop to do in one day. I've done the last bit from Lobethal a couple of times and I know what a killer that section is in either direction. So I'll head home via Lyndoch-Williamstown-Kersbrook etc. This shortcuts the day's ride a bit when compared to the official trail, and is a much nicer option than via Gawler and all the Main North Road traffic nastiness.

Burra - Riverton 90km

A few ups and downs immediately South of Burra before a long gentle downhill with the Camel Hump Range ahead. The climb over the range would be the first test of my new single-speeder status. I'm normally a drop-into-granny-gear-and-spin sort of climber so I wasn't really used to standing on the pedals and pushing a bigger gear, especially with a touring load. But it turned out OK. It wasn't a massive climb but gave the old blood-pumper a workout never the less. I was happy that I didn't have to hop off and push. Gave my confidence a good boost after days previous.

A quick downhill, followed by a few short climbs had me passing White Hut through some magic country dotted with clumps of big eucalypts and the occasional vineyard, getting more prevalent as I approached Clare.

I was now on the Riesling trail, which given my lack of high gears started to get a bit tedious. I would hit my highest cadence at around 15-20km per hour. The scenery was great but on a flat, straight rail-trail without big gears to hammer along the riding was dull. Was getting sore with not enough weight on my legs having little resistance to push against.

Lunch at Clare and continued on. Would like to come back here one day with a cruiser bike, a big fat seat, and a basket to gather booze along the way.

Auburn by 2PM. Stopped at the oval to fire up the stove and brew a coffee. Looks like a good camping spot for next time, but was a bit early to stop and sit by my tent all afternoon.

On to Riverton along stock routes or farm tracks, in saddle high grass at times. Was a bit concerned about snakes but only saw lizards. Dropped onto Riverton's rail trail - thankfully not as manicured as the Riesling trail and coasted into the Riverton Caravan Park.

Pitched the tent in an unpowered site. Think next time I'd get a powered site to get back off the main road a bit, but otherwise nice enough with plenty of grass and shade.

My tiny tent was pitched near a massive 5th wheeler motorhome. You couldn't get more contrasting modes of travel if you tried. It looks bigger than some of the houses I've been passing lately. I hate to think how much fuel they slurp through towing the thing.

Burra 25km

Awoke to drizzle - again. A fairly slow start this morning. I'm tending to wake at dawn but had to wait a while for the hardware shop to open. My idea was to make a chain guide in the rear gear cluster to stop the chain shifting. But I needed materials.

After opening, I bought some small buckets from the hardware shop with lids about the right size for what I had planned. I cut these into rings with a slit so the ring could be stretched apart and slotted in between the chain rings either side of the gear I intended to use.

After getting this sorted out I took my new single speeder for a spin...a 25km loop, first North back up the trail I should have been on today, then onto back roads rejoining the trail a few kilometers south of Burra and back into town.

One ring forming a side of the chain guide was too small allowing the chain to skip over it occasionally. So on returning to Burra I made a slightly bigger guide ring. I took this arrangement up a badly corrugated road to the Burra Mine to give it a real shake up. It didn't slip once.

So it was all systems go to get back on the trail tomorrow towards Clare. I'll have to come back and finish off the Spalding to Burra section of the trail another time. In the meantime at least I can keep going.

Had a look around Burra for the remainder of the afternoon. Fantastic town with lots of history. Poked around a couple of antique shops to kill time and followed this up with scones and cream at a cafe. My shorts are getting a bit loose so hopefully the cream etc. will help correct this.

Spalding - Burra 29km (bike) 25km (Ute)

Pushed off into drizzle - a bit gloomy. The town was dead this morning, perhaps as a result of a few sore heads from the rodeo last night. Soon a gentle uphill on good gravel roads, but unfortunately this turned into sticky clay as I attempted to climb over the Brown Hill Range. Mud so sticky that my rear wheel was soon jammed with clay. I'd clear the mud only to have it jam up again within a few meters. I found that the only way of making forward progress was to push my bike through the long grass on the side of the road otherwise I'd be literally dragging my bike, wheels not turning, through the mud. Was a bloody hard slog!

Eventually topped the range and a clear downhill run appeared on the otherside. So I hopped on hoping to shake the mud off on the downhill - something I'd done on a couple of other occasions on this trip. Instead the rear derailleur jammed and collapsed into the rear spokes, twisting beyond repair and snapping off the derailleur hanger! As you can imagine after having literally dragged the bike for the last 5km or so through the mud, up a hill, in the drizzle, when this happened the language got a little bit colourful. It was a pretty low point to say the least. I could see all my plans for the trip evaporating. This was just about the only breakdown I couldn't repair myself.

I was a fair way from a main road and I had to get moving somehow. So I removed the derailleur and took out some chain links in a fairly unconvincing attempt to turn the bike into a single speed. I managed to find a chain length that gave a reasonable chain tension on a fairly low gear. But the without the derailleur for guiding and properly tensioning the chain it would shift to other chain rings unannounced, often with the increased chain slackness causing it to jam in the front derailleur.

I guessed the direction of the nearest main road (off the edge of the Mawson Trail map) and pushed off, stopping every couple of hundred meters to reset the chain again. Eventually got off the dirt and onto some bitumen and was trucking along reasonably well with the smoother road surface causing less side-to-side movement of the chain. But then the chain jammed again, and this time snapped a link. On cue it started to drizzle.

Fortunately as I was crouched down fixing the chain by the side of the road, a local farming couple pulled over and very kindly gave me a lift in their ute the 25km into Burra. Their generosity saved the day not to mention saving my sanity.

No bike shop in Burra, and even if there was the derailleur hanger is a fairly specialized part. So it was time to put my bush mechanic skills to the test. Booked myself into a hotel. I was muddy and in no mood to sit in the fairly dreary Burra caravan park in the drizzle waiting it out in my tent. The hardware shop was closed and I needed to wait for it to open in the morning to get some materials to fix my bike and get going again.

This was all part of the adventure. I was determined to get back to Adelaide under my own steam. I got myself into this situation, so I would get myself out of it, single speeding all the way back to Adelaide.

Laura - Spalding 85km

Pushed out of Laura after a shitty night sleep. My ear ache gave me hell until about 4AM when it stopped for some reason. I was cursing the local doc all night.

Was compensated with a strong tailwind early (the change passed through last night) helping me up some long hills. But once over the other side of the range the wind swung and turned into a side/head wind, and a bloody strong one at that.

Into Bundaleer forest over a locked gate (with a please close the gate sign!). Fantastic country but was really slow going into the headwind. Granny gear, and almost coming to a standstill when a bigger gust and steep bit could combine forces. Add to this numerous gates and my resolve was well tested today. Was hard to get into a rhythm, hopping on and off all the time. Some of the trail was really indistinct in the long grass.

Had a halfway stop near Curnows hut for a coffee brewed on my stove and to munch some calories huddled behind a whopping big gum tree to get out of the wind.

Pushed up over a ridge on a muddy farm track and back down onto the valley below, smashing into the headwind (a severe weather warning was current for strong winds). The Bundaleer channels gave me a change in direction. Saw loads of rather pissed off lizards which made me wonder about their legless friends in the long grass I was riding through.

Detoured a few hundred meters to the freshwater weir "campsite" (marked on the map as such) to find very prominent "CAMPING PROHIBITED" signs on display and SA Water signs forbidding entry etc. So much for that camping option. Continued on to Spalding because apparently you can camp near the oval. However I didn't count on the Spalding Rodeo being on that weekend - at the oval!

Instead I fluked the last room in the pub and ate in their dining room.

This was a hard day...completely stuffed!

Melrose - Laura 65km

Fantastic ride heading south from Melrose. Diverse land use: sheep, wheat, vines etc. Undulating but nothing too steep, and practically no traffic.

After a while the trail headed into Wirrabara forest - a mix of pines and remnant native forest. Good tracks but still a bit soft from the last of the rain yesterday. Am glad I wasn't here 24 hours earlier. Stopped to brew up a coffee on the veranda of the empty Wirrabara YHA hut.

Dropped out of the forest on a rough muddy track, perfectly timed for lunch at the Stone Hut bakery (had to detour off the trail for a couple of kilometers for this - well worth it).  As I arrived, all of the bakery staff were out the back persuading a brown snake to come out of the toilet. A few minutes later a lady came out with the now headless snake draped over the end of a rake. Snake pie anyone?

Had a good chat with a couple who were staying in Clare, and had driven up for lunch. He raced pushies in the veterans club each Sunday at Outer Harbour so was pretty interested in what I was doing. But I had to drag myself away from them because I could feel a change in the weather coming - as forecast - that was about to turn my strong tailwind into a stronger headwind. So I pushed off out of Stone Hut for a quick blast to Laura and booked into a very good cabin in the caravan park.

I had been having a bit of trouble with an ear ache after something crawled into my ear a few nights ago in my tent. As I rolled into Laura I spotted a local hospital...come back at 6:15 to see the doc they said. So in the meantime I had a wander about the place. Nice town with some good old buildings and a well cared for feel in the place. The verdict at 6:15: not infected, irritation should go away by itself. A relief because the last thing I wanted was to bail out on the trip due to illness.

Melrose 0km

Felt like a breather today. A couple of reasons: my legs felt a bit heavy this morning, lots of rain overnight so sticky trails. Plus I'd never climbed Mt Remarkable before. So that's what I did...my "rest" day was a 12km walk up a 960m hill.

It was well worth it. Fantastic views across the Willochra plain, across scree slopes (apparently resulting from the breakdown of rock started from a crack). Passed a plane wreckage from 1980 that slammed into the side of the hill in low cloud (no survivors) and having to bolt over some really aggressive ant colonies. These ant colonies have a biomass equivalent to the size of 1/2 a sheep. I wonder why the brochure writers decided that half a sheep was a good measure for comparison?

Was back down the hill by about 3ish in the afternoon. Had a bit of a snooze (was a rest day after all) before heading to the North Star Hotel. Looks like a good menu, but most of the locals seem to be in the unrenovated pub a few hundred meters down the road.

The pub has been done up well. Good use of rough hewn timbers for beams and veranda posts, old weathered corrugated iron roofing contrasting with new steel roof beams and windows, all overlooking the base of Mt Remarkable. Part of the roof was lined with material from wool bales. Had a dining room with lots of space between tables and couches in the corners. A good place to drink beer and write. And the food was great.

Eating alone, I reckon I was getting as much conversation as the old couple next to me.

Had a bit of a wander around some of the back streets following a local history guide brochure. Loads of great old buildings and cottages.

Quorn - Melrose 71km

Started the day uphill with short rocky push up over Richman Pass, descending back down the Eastern side to soft clay roads. The soft track made it fairly slow going - felt like riding on flat tires. Beautiful, unulating country along Old Gunyah Road, East of the Mt Brown Conservation Park - wheat and a few sheep.

A local farmer stopped to chat - rain was delaying the reaping but otherwise a good year. "That's farming!"

Eventually the track flattened out with a few drops of rain starting to fall. Then finally, the first tail-wind of the trip, but that meant that the rain was on its way from the system that had been held in the North East corner of the state for the last couple of days.

A fast downhill, enjoying the tailwind into Wilmington for a vegi burger. Good fuel!

Just out of Wilmington I passed a church that whilst in good condition, didn't look like it had been used for a while. It seems that most effort was put into building churches and pubs. The church had lapsed, but the pub looked well utilized.

With a black line of cloud chasing me across the plain, I headed off with more fat rain drops and a sticky road in places - water right across the road in parts.

About 5km out of Melrose it started to rain pretty hard. Stopped next to a monument to Goyder (who mapped a line of reliable rainfall) in the rain. Is that irony...not sure?

Pushed through the rain into Melrose. Turned into the main drag to see it full of cars and people. My heart stopped: thought it might be a festival or something and that there would be "no room at the inn" so to speak. Unfortunately it turned out that a local girl had died under a quad bike and it was the day of her funeral. She came from one of the larger families in the area so there were a lot of people. Pretty soon, the town emptied again.

There was a cabin available at the caravan park, so I didn't have to huddle in my tiny tent after all. The rain was really thumping down by this stage. Went to the general store for a meal to heat up and the pub for a bottle of local booze and spent the evening looking at the low cloud on Mt Remarkable.

Kanyaka Creek - Quorn 65km

Overcast morning, and a flat start to the day across the Willochra Plain. Featureless apart from being rimmed by spectacular ranges, hazy in the distance. Plenty of time for me to contemplate how small I was in the middle of it all.

At the edge of the plain, the trail took a turn past Drakes Knob to Simmonston: "the town that never was". Apparently it was surveyed at a place where one of six possible routes for a planned train line was to pass. Blocks were advertised for sale with recommendations that purchasers had better act fast or miss out etc. Unfortunately for the future of Simmonston a different route for the train was chosen. So apart from the ruins of the few buildings that were erected, nothing much remains.

Soon after Simmonston, the trail crossed the Willochra Creek which was deep enough for the bottom of my panniers to drag through the water. Fortunately they were waterproof as advertised - a good test of the manufacturers promises. At least the bike got a bit of a wash.

The trail then passed near the Buckaringa North Campsite. Considered the detour for some water, but thought I had enough to get to the next water at the Warren Gorge camp site. Also the risk of the Warren Gorge tank being empty was low given the amount of rain lately.

Stopped at Proby's grave. Hugh Proby was the third son of a Scottish Earl who had served as an Admiral with Nelson at the battles of the Nile and Trafalgar. I suppose as the third son, he was well down the pecking order in terms of inheritance which I suspect might have been part of his motivation to head to South Australia to attempt to make his own way. He ended up taking on the Kanyaka Run but tragically drowned in the Willochra Creek trying to save a mob of cattle in a thunderstorm. His family shipped a one-and-a-half ton granite slab from Scotland to Port Augusta, from where it was carted by a bullock team and used to cover his lonely grave. Quite a journey!

The trail moved into some fantastic country. Had never driven through this bit but had wondered as I passed along the main road by car what was "over there".

Was a bastard of a headwind, and I was relieved to detour into the Warren Gorge camp site just as I was draining the last of my water bottles. Cut it a bit fine!

Stopped for a top up and to brew a coffee. Was a good campsite, but was scarred with lots of old fireplaces. I always wonder why people insist on building mini versions of the great wall of china around their fire places, usually only a few meters away from another example from a previous camper.

Pushed off again into the wind, up and over a ridge with brilliant views of the plains below, land use changing from grazing to wheat. A long push into the strengthening wind followed finally slogging my way into Quorn. Felt like a bigger distance than 65 kilometers, was completely stuffed. More rain forecast tonight so I grabbed a cabin at the caravan park.

The PDA containing all my ebooks got a cracked screen today...too much shaking. The second hand books on sale in the caravan park weren't worth carrying the weight. Fortunately there's good phone coverage here so downloaded some free gutenberg ebooks onto my phone to keep me going.

The bike is trucking along well. As comfortable as can be expected. I'm loving the way this mode of transport slows you down. The speed, the physical limits of my fitness determine my next move. It forces me to pause and have a look. And to wait a while...recovering. I've been buzzed a few times in the last couple of days by 4wd buses full of people peering at me from on high. My aching legs tell me to envy them, but the rest of my senses (vision, smell, hearing) suggest it is they who should be envious.

Quorn is an interesting place. Strolled up and down some of the streets this afternoon. Lots of closed shops, but a few art galleries open. Sitting in the front bar of the Austral Hotel, the dining room is full, the bar is busy. They seem to be doing ok. Summer must be hard though. Not many people passing through - just locals and people on business I would imagine.

Wilpena - Kanyaka Creek 109km

Started early from Wilpena and quickly joined the Mawson Trail, just as quickly packing my tires in mud. Slogged through that following the trail back onto the main road before heading up into the foothills of Rawnsley Bluff and through the station.

Was really slow progress with soft trails and sticky mud. The only way through without constantly getting clogged up was to rock hop, which not having any suspension was usually the bits I avoid. After passing through Rawnsley, contemplating the day ahead over a coffee brewed in a creek bed, I decided that the official trail to Hawker would be too slow. I basically abandoned this section (Blinman to Hawker) in favour of doing it another time in better circumstances when I could really enjoy it.

So I headed down the bitumen to Hawker where I stopped for some fuel (ice cream) and rejoined the trail. From here the trail followed quiet back roads and farm tracks/stock routes through some marginal looking grazing country. Passed some empty looking stations.

Still quite slow going, plodding along through occasional sections of mud which really sapped my energy. But there were enough dry sections to keep the average speed up, and ended up chucking it in for the day on the side of Kanyaka Creek.

Pitched the tent and wolfed down a 2 person dehy. meal with it barely touching the sides.

Settled in to watch the sunset and to wait for the galahs and cockatoos to go to sleep and give me some peace.