October cycle tour map

October cycle tour map

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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Warburton to Latrobe River bush camp


 

Warburton to Latrobe River bush camp = 41.12km
Cummulative total = 90.25km

Man it was cold last night - around 6 degrees I think, but for some strange reason that 6 degrees is a hell of a lot colder than the below 0 we got around Dubbo, Dunedoo and Yetman. So I didn’t sleep to well last night and the wind the picked up around midnight also made me get sinus so that didn’t help and poor ole kouta kept getting kneed by when ever I rolled over!
When we woke it ws still cold so we all stayed in bed and didn’t bother to get out until well after 7am! It was a fine clear day but the wind was incredibly lazy and cold and just blew right through you. So after ‘faffing’ around a bit we finally packed up and below is a photo of kouta with his new bungee set up so it stops him from roaming to far - sorry it is not a great photo will try again at Warragul.
 
The funny thing is and just call us bad parents for thinking this but we are waiting for him to really stretch the elastic and sort of go a bit to far and loose grip on the ground and then come flying back just like a real bungee jump!!! Oh my gosh aren’t we bad for laughing and imagining this:)
But isn’t he just sweet in this photo - waiting for me to start pedalling ...
 
We finally got away just before 10am (just call us ‘Phil O’Brien’). It is only an 8 km ride to Yarra Junction and where we take the Warragul/Baw Baw turnoff.
 
Along the way we caught up to an old couple who have their 9 year old grandson with them and they just did a few day cycle tour along the rail trail - pretty good for the boy to cycle loaded (rear panniers) 25km one day 12km the next and then another 12km back and then on the 4th day the final 25km back to Mt Evelyn ... there is still hope for you yet Caleb!
So we turn off and it is 17km to Powelltown which is our lunch break. The road is not too bad, a bit pot holely but none the less okay to ride. The traffic wasn’t too bad and only had 4 loaded logging trucks pass us (it was easier to get off the road when we heard them coming), we assumed they were going to Powelltown which has a sawmill there. The country side is very lush and beautiful through here. Typically country/farming with a little bush here in there. A bit up and down but the legs coped.
We had a break at Powelltown and I managed to try my new ‘thing’ for cycling - brace yourselves for this - it is a ‘go girl’ - sort of anatomical funnel for women to ‘pee’ standing up - believe me there are some absolute feral toilets out there and when you have to go you have to go! It is perfect for the bush as I don’t require an absolute forest around me for privacy, I can basically do what Neil does just turn my back to the road but I still prefer a bush to do this behind ... call me bashful!
Anyway after Powelltown there is a little bit of up and down and then you come to a hill which they call ‘the bump’ and this is about 5.5km long. The gradient is okay to climb and basically you just went down in your lowest gear and just grind! Not a lot of traffic (like at Mt Evelyn hill!) So it wasn’t so stressful. Only stopped 3 times for a drink but the legs felt okay. Once at the top there is a 2.5km down hill and then up and down, up and down all the way to our turnoff at 40.5km to Latrobe River bush camp. To get to the campsites we cycled along a few 100m’s of unsealed road.
No one is here but us as we are midweek - last time we came here it was on a weekend and there were quite a few camp groups. This area is very popular with offroad motorbikes. We don’t have a toilet as it got vandalised back in July - some one/people chopped down 2 trees to crush one toilet completely and the roof and the front of the other toilet so technically we still could use the remaining one! Lucky I have my go girl!
 
Here is a photo of Kouta recuperating after the tough day! And one of our bush camp.
 
 
There is a lot of mossies here so I think we will be in the tent very early to escaped them.

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