Warragul Recce

Took the opportunity when down Warragul way to suss out some nearby locations and came across a couple of beauties that could be linked. Drove the back way from Drouin through beautiful countryside along quiet roads to Rokeby to the start of a lovely Rail Trail that seems to go all the way to Neerim Sth 9+kms. The Road that goes to Jindovick from Neerrim Sth is a stunner through rolling hills with magic countryside. Jindovic is a lovely small town on a plateau with a cute coffee shop. You could loop back then to Warragul / Drouin or its even possible to launch an attack on Labertouche and Gembrook - one for the books

       

Gruesome Twosome - "Glug Galore" !

 I thought Werner was being a bit pessimistic about the mornings weather conditions until I realised i had my 100 x brightness bike riding glasses on. In the gloom we set off for one of our "fave" ride the Bourkes / Bessi Creek double with a few subtle and challenging variations. 

Discussing recipes it was appropriate that the weather create its own with the rain now combining with the freshly graded dirt on Morrison Rd to create a beautiful quicksand like "glug". With the rain increasing (didnt know 1 mm of rain could be so much) we made it to Bessi Creek where self decided it might be interesting to go by way of Mount Ernie Rd to Gembrook

The clue about what was about to come might have just been in the roads name but still this was a beautiful detour from our normal route past a couple of amazing properties till we eventually located the main Gembrook Rd 

In Gembrook we took time out for a coffee and a meaning of life discussion talk with our good friend Grant. Revitalised and almost dry we took on Avon Rd on the way back before one one final surprise a cross country cycle through the former Emerald Golf Course. Another great days ride and one to be repeated I'm sure with our missing group members.      

Ride Tuesday 4 May

An old faithful for we-out-of-form cyclists. Depart 9am from Emerald Library, down to Butterfield Reserve, using the backroads to make our way to Monbulk before dropping across to The Patch and return via Menzies Creek. Dirt bikes best.  

Helen

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Mon 3 May - Ride Berwick to Carrum Beach

 9-00 Assemble Main Berwick Intersection near War Memorial - By Way of Trails and Dandenong Creek to Carrum   

Ride Thurs 29 April - Monbulk - Lilydale

9-00 Main Monbulk Football Ground - by way of Aqueduct Trail - Return over the Hill by Way of the Basin - Dirt Bikes     

Tue 27 April - Ride Emerald - Gembrook

 9-00 Emerald Library by way of Bourkes Creek Rd & Bessi Creek Rd - Dirt Bikes

Tea for Two - FTG to Lysterfield

With more absentees than the St Kilda AFL team (Kirsten practicing for upcoming Iditarod with Husky puppy, Jon Daka Rallying through NSW and Jurgen doing a "Burke and Wills" on the Hawker trail in Sth OZ) - It was up tp Jurgen and self to invent a typically adventurous Alt Thurs Ride

The adventure started early when i locked myself out of home. Thx to Werner I got a lift to Boronia to pick up a spare key from Monika. Starting nearby at FTG Train Stn we were soon exiting the Rowville "burbs" and heading along quiet Churchill Rd to the amazing suburb of Lysterfield Sth where every Mansion looks like its trying to outdo the one next to it. Entering the Lysterfield National Park we took on a challenging Mountain Bike Trail where the real danger was one of us falling and the other running straight over the top of them. Somehow we made it through unscathed. Looking for a coffee shop we  stumbled across the newly opened and beautiful Orchard Cafe right at the entrance to the Lysterfield gates, It was a bit of a wait but the cakes and hot coffee were superb giving us another lovely stopping point.

Well fed we this time ignored Werners "Cow path" and headed through Birdsland to the Belgrave - FTG trail with a couple of detours through Upwey and along the FTG Quarry. A lovely days ride - thanks to Werner for saving my day ha ! 

          

Mayday, Mayday .. I'm going down ... well my Tyre at least is !

For an aviation "disaster themed" ride it was appropiate that we set off in misty and cold conditions from the Johns Reserve plateau cycling to Kalista and then up the beautiful Crescent to Sassafras and Mt Dandenong. We had our own disaster shortly after when Kerri's tubeless tyre developed a leak  necessitating an emergency call to "Hubbie" Les to deliver some "gunk" all the way from Emerald. With bike experts Jon B and Werner on call the bike was up and running shortly before we turned into icicles. Our first visit was the site of th 1938 Kyeema disaster on Mt Dandenong before we then headed to Olinda for a cuppa and a big open fire. Descending to Monbulk we took in lovely View Road before visiting our 2nd disaster the crash site of famous racing car driver Ron Flcokhart in a converted WW2 Mustang in 1962. Heading back to Ridge Rd we covered a fair bit more of our 1,000 metres climbed for the day.      

   

Tues ride 13 April - Start from Johns Reserve Ridge Road 9.00 a.m. - An Aviation Theme

 Kallista Crash

Kyeema Crash

Cow of an Adventure !

It started off well enough with just enough dissension appropriate for a new ride .. "do you have a plan or are you making this up as you go along said Jon B" !. We (Jon, Werner, Self) made our way to the Manaster Round about near Cardinia Dam taking the no through "Foot and Chadwick Roads" to Harkaway by way of some lovely scenery and one delightful and pretty wet creek ! From here we breezed down A'Becket Rd to Narre Warren and a special "Werner" recommended  coffee shop that sold triple decker French Vanilla slices (yes Jon B had one !). A short ride took us through Lysterfield Park and across Wellington Road where we made our first mistake of the day. We can only blame ourselves as when Werner said he knew a track that went alongside Wellington Road back to Menzies creek as he'd walked his cow here 20 years ago we believed him ! The undulating track lasted for nearly 1 km before we were spat out on to to busy Wellington Road, Not being overly comfortable with no verge i suggested we take Ryans Road (mistake number 2) to Belgrave Sth. 500 of the 1,100 metres climbed for the day were covered on this one road including a section of bitumen that surely must be the steepest made road in Melbourne. While I struggled to walk it with Jon keeping me company Werner earned Mountain Goat points for his amazing uninterrupted ride to the top. More than knackered by now i took another cafe stop before we finally set off back home along the well and truly travelled Belgrave - Emerald route. Wow what a ride !  

       

The Flat bit of Ryans Rd