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Nickj wrote:KatGirl wrote:
Hi Nickj,
I can highly recommend the Simpson Desert… best to get there then learn how to ride on sand…… makes it more interesting…… just make sure you got West to East….. nothing like hitting Big Red at the end of your experience rather than first up…. put it on your bucket list!!! Makes any sand experience after that a breeze.
Kat
It’s on the list for sure Kat
I’m hoping to do it next year :woohoo:[/quote]Nick, do you want to move the Simpson forward to June this year???
Day 3 – Easter Monday
Nangiloc – Annuello Reserve – NangilocI’d programmed the three days to cover the ground we just did in two days. So with a day up our sleeve we left the banks of the Murray River and did some trails through Hattah Kulkyne.
click on this photo …it’s a video
Then wound our way south to the Annuello Reserve. There were some great sandy tracks there, the best of the ride. Overall though the sandy tracks were in really good condition probably because of the recent floods so weren’t much of a challenge.
If this sign is directions to the Hattah race there is an angry farmer up the road from it
Annuello Reserve
We wanted to get a head start home this day so were back in Nangiloc just after lunch, loaded the bikes and headed for home.
All up we only covered just over 1000km and had a great time doing it in some great country.
Day 2 – Easter Sunday
SA/Vic border – NangilocWe broke camp and set off.
Heading south just off the Sturt Hwy we came across this.
I’ll have a big mac, large frys and a coke
Following the plotted route we came across some unused track to the point there was no track. The tracks were on shonky maps and even the ALDI gps but they were only faint twin trail with trees growing out the middle!! or there was no track at all and just going through salt bush and getting a surprise when hitting an unseen log………best riding though, just make your own tracks.
We ended up on the ‘wire fence track’ that gave us a bit of grief. The track, in the sense that you had to break branches off dead trees to get through, ran alongside an old wire fence that was falling apart.
I caught some fencing wire around my left boot that all but cut through one of the buckle straps and cut into the boot it’s self. Then I noticed Tryhard wasn’t behind me so went back to find a tool kit out and a broken rear brake lever pivot bolt.
The rear brake lever fix
No damage to flesh, only boot
No luck for a fix so Tryhard rode the rest of the ride with no back brake with full credit too him. He only shot past me once when I had to stop quickly.
There were a few Ks to go along the ‘wire fence track’ and it had slowed us down a bit. I didn’t see a bit of wire, there were lots that could have caused some damage, which wrapped around my front wheel and it was like the horse was shot from under me. It was a soft landing in the sand, a bit over the bars and an bit off the side of the bike and disappointing because I hadn’t dropped this bike in earnest since I had it.
Tryhard was taking photos instead of helping pick the heavy bugger up…..bastard:)
All good
The culprit
Finally we go out of this track.
Where we came from
Where we’re going
We hit good sandy road shortly after.
Around lunch we were getting dust from a 4wd convoy so stopped for a bite just off the main track. A NPWS spotted us as they were passing, asked a few questions and where we were going and how we were coping with the sand and then took off.
Lunch stop
The salt bush was close to the twin trail so was unavoidable sometimes and would connect with the hand guards, knee or pannier. Because they were so full of fluid they would explode and cover the bike, and sometime goggles with the liquid. Later I was to find the muck wouldn’t even gernie off the bike.
Tryhards panniers
Tryhard’s arty shot
After checking out Rocket Lake we went over to Hattah Kulkyne for a look see.
The tracks here were main dirt road and all the interesting ones had ‘authorised vehicle only’ signs. NPWS were everywhere so we didn’t risk it. There we a couple of good deep sandy tracks though. It took us along the Murray River to another NP.
There were a lot of road closure signs along the Murray River due to all the flooding recently. In spots there were some excellent campsites. It was getting late and the only sure fuel we knew of was at Nangiloc so we headed there. By the time we fuelled and had a beer the food was on so we had that too. It was nearing dark so abandoned the idea of going back to Hattah Kulkyne to camp. We got some takeaways and went down the Murray River just down the road, made camp and a fire and chatted into the night.
Stay tuned ………….for Day 3 (in a couple of days. Weekend in the city to keep the wife happy;) )
Murray Sunset NP Easter 2011
The plan was to have a look around Murray Sunset NP and Hatah, getting three days of riding in.
Due to time constraints we set off Thursday arvo from the Central Coast NSW and trailered the bikes down to Nangiloc Vic, stopping overnight at Gunning NSW.
The happy campers looking forward to the adventure
It was about 4.30pm when we got to Nangiloc Riverbend Tavern so we had a beer, sorted out where to leave the car, got kitted up and rode down the river to set up camp.
First night campsite on the Murray
The tents at snoring distance
We rode back to the Tavern for dinner, drinks, a chat to the locals and entertainment from the bar staff and managed to find the campsite in the dark.
Day 1 – Easter Saturday
Nangiloc – Murrayville – Paringa
I’d plotted the route on the gps and some tracks went through lakes, which can be passable, or not.7km into the trip this lake was not passable
A quick ‘go around’ and we were back on route.
Only a short time later the plotted route took us to a ploughed field. The track started off as normal and then the farmer had ploughed over the track until it disappeared and the only thing keeping us on course was the gps.
Tryhard was in his element riding in a ploughed field, being a farm boy and all. I treated it more as sailing, meaning tacking across the ruts/furrows to reach the end destination, which happened to be a fence with no gate. Time for a ‘go around’.
We followed the fence line to a very unused gate and hooked up with the planned route. The rest of the planned route was followed to Murrayville. There were a few mildly sandy tracks and closer to Murrayville some straight, wide open dirt roads where the DR was on the stops.
Near Rocket Lake. Anyone know what this is??
A sand dune, had to go up it
We had some lunch at a café, fuelled up, got some travellers from the pub and set off for Paringa SA.
Murrayville fuel
How do you use them old fangled fuel pumps
Zig zagging our way north west there were some sandier tracks
We are about ………………here
My arty shot
You’ve heard of speed dating, now heres speed tourism.
Engine still running, get the shot, jump on bike and go
The route then took us to a farmers locked gate so we did the Border Track north to the Sturt Hwy with a short run on the tar for fuel at the servo near the big Dunlop tyre over the road.
On dusk we camped about a kilometre from the SA/Vic boarder in Murray Sunset north of the Sturt Hwy.
Tryhard on the gas burner
More to come………………
Nickj wrote:I’m looking forward to watching your ride Lotsa, hopefully you’ll pass on your new sand riding knowledge when you get back !
Have fun
Nick
Will do Nick.
