Day 456 | Collie Road: I'm on the top of a hill a long way from anywhere
37 km | Heading west total: 16,444 km
Let’s talk of the joys of long runs of single track.
Years ago, in my earlier bachelor days, I used to day trip up Mt Disappointment on a 42 km mountain bike circuit. An hour away by car from downtown Melbourne the biggest thrill for the week was often a stretch of seamless single track through the once logged Victorian ash forest.
I think there was one perfect 5 km downhill run. A smooth clay surface where you were hugged closely by a tunnel of shrubbery.
Eventually I ran out of accomplices, for some reason no one wanted to ever come back. But I kept going there, or Wombat, regardless.
The Munda Biddi has long stretches that may not be as perfect, and now I’ve got the bike overloaded since I picked up the next week’s supplies in Collie, but the single track is relentless.
Part of the joy is the sheer disbelief in travelling so smoothly.
You have to think to yourself, where am I again?
Oh, that’s right. On the Munda Biddi Trail on the way to Mundaring.
Err, where?
On some faint track somewhere near Perth.
You’ve biked there.
Today, as predicted, was slow as the area has been selectively logged since the map was printed. Many logging tracks not marked cross the trail and the markers are non existent for 10 km. It tested the map reading but with some skill and a little luck I managed not to get completely lost.
The travel has often been on the remnants of temporary tram lines from when the first logging was done 80 years ago with the grades often great riding.
The trek continues. Day 8 is almost over as I’m snug in my sleeping bag. I’ve cracked the halfway mark with another 7 days of this to go.