Cathy's Heart's Desire
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Cathy and her daughter Mandy tackled the 2006 Ride in WA and had a great experience.
2006 Main Roads LifeCycle Great Western Australian Bike Ride: Forest, Surf and City.
Sunday 19 March to Saturday 1 April 2006
Article by Cathy Taylor, Rider
Introduction
There are two tragedies in life. One is not to get your heart's desire. The other is to get it. [George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act IV] During our working years many of us lack the leave, the fitness level, or possibly the money to undertake multi-day rides. Having retired from our jobs, saved up, trained for and completed the ride, there is at its conclusion an inevitable slight sense of let-down. Not because the ride didnt meet expectations, but due to that inevitable sense of loss after such an enjoyable experience is over.
For the first time my 32 year-old daughter, Mandy, came on a multi-day ride with me. She commented similarly on the sense of loss she felt at the end of the ride and attributed this largely to the strong sense of community and the lowering or elimination of those barriers that exist between people in everyday city life. On these rides you are able to talk to anyone about practically anything and of course riding, eating, showering in those communal ‘cheek by jowl’ showers and camping close together, you feel you get to know many of them.
On these rides I feel I enter a different space and live in a way that is more relaxed, uncluttered and friendlier than is normally possible when living in a big city. Being so well looked after by the helpful BV staff and hundreds of volies, your main job is to ride your bike. This lack of everyday cares and responsibilities undoubtedly adds to the enjoyment of these rides. This ride being of 14 rather than the usual 9 days gave more time to strengthen this sense of community.
The Ride
The ride guide described this ride as ‘a fourteen day journey through the best of the South West of Western Australia’, from Albany to Perth. Certainly the scenery far exceeded my expectations as the route covered what I have been told are some of the most beautiful coastal parts and forests in WA The vegetation is in many ways different from that of the Eastern states with Kangaroo Paws growing wild beside some roads, and giant Tingle trees, Karri and Tuart forests naturally occurring in some of the areas we travelled through. Huge Hakea and Banksia bushes, the latter with enormous hairy yellow cones or dried-out open-mouthed velvety brown ones and leaves with deeply serrated margins made the landscape at times appear surreal. A commonly occurring Bottle-Brush had a bright flower on it that looked like orange flames against the duller green of the bush.
At around 2,500 riders the numbers were manageable and queues mostly short or non-existent. Only a few young families were on this ride, the average age of riders being 59, somewhat older than on the other BV rides I have done. Many riders I spoke with had done previous organized rides with BV and/or other state run bicycle organizations or private tour companies. Roughly half the participants were WA residents. According to the ride guide WA has more women cyclists than any other state and has recently achieved the largest growth in cycling in Australia.
The Free Bike
The aptly nicknamed ‘Green Machine’, a hybrid bike with a smart green and black frame was provided free of charge to those who paid early. With touring tyres and a comfort saddle, this bike generally proved a reliable and comfortable mount. A little lighter and faster than the free mountain bike BV provided for the 2004 GVBR, the Green Machine was often seen on the ride. My free bike required a new spoke and rear derailleur whilst on the tour, but these were both quickly and efficiently repaired by the mechanics.
The Route
Day 1 – Sun 19/3/06 – Albany to Denmark (59km)
This was a gentle introduction to the ride on mainly flat terrain. In the heat of the afternoon we stopped off at the West Cape Howe Winery for a refreshing iced water and a glass of passionfruit tinged, locally grown wine sitting under the welcome shade of the vineyard’s verandah. At Denmark huge Karri trees surrounded the Denmark River. We stopped for afternoon tea overlooking its banks before heading into camp and setting up our tents.
Day 2 – Mon 20/3/06 – Denmark to Walpole (73km)
An early start made for a superb morning’s ride in the cool of the day, but it became very hot by late morning. Early in the day we stopped at Greens Pool, an azure blue beach with a large white sand and crystal clear rock pool to swim in. Mandy brought her sarong that proved invaluable as a towel at the beach and to sit on at rest stops.
In the afternoon a friend talked me into doing the extra few kilometers to the Giant Treetops Walk along the Valley of the Giants Road in the Walpole-Nornalup National Park to view the unique WA Tingle trees. Some had huge trunks with large, warty branches and growths that made them appear like elephants or enormous ancient animals. The relative cool of the shaded forest canopy was a respite from the intense heat of the early afternoon sun.
The Bibbulmun Track had an access point near the start of the Giant Treetops Walk. This track is one of the world’s great long distance walking trails that goes for nearly 1,000km from Kalamunda near Perth to Albany. I certainly want to come back to explore this trail further.
Day 3 – Tues. 21/3/06 – Walpole to Shannon River (65km)
Today we rode those steadily ascending, undulating hills into the Karri and Marri forests protected by Shannon National Park. Although some missed the comforts of a town, I really liked the remote-feeling bush camp at the Old Mill near Shannon River. With no town in the vicinity, BV did a great job providing the usual camp comforts, but a water shortage made getting a shower difficult. A 4km walk through the forest and a swim in the cold, dark water of a local dam provided a cooling alternative. On the way back to camp I walked a few extra kilometres to The Rock with some friends to get a view of the surrounding bushland. Dressed in my bathers, sarong and sandals I must have been a strange sight on a bushwalk!
Day 4 – Wed. 22/3/06 – Shannon River National Park to Manjimup (54km)
A pleasant and easy morning’s ride through green re-growth forests to farmlands. By late morning we were watching the black storm clouds gathering on the horizon. About 5km out of Manjimup the thunder rolled and rain poured on us as we rode into town. Amazingly we were able to find a room at the local hotel for 2 nights. This was very fortunate as the rain hardly stopped for the next 2 days, and much of our equipment had become drenched due to inadequate packing. Ironically this hotel room had previously been booked by a rider who’d had to withdraw from the ride due to dehydration.
So as not to have to transport our heavy packs to and from the hotel, I had hastily pitched my tent in which to place the bulk of our gear. Against a friend’s sound advice I unwisely chose a spot that turned into a small lake in the heavy rain. Despite this friend kindly getting up in the middle of the night to move my tent to higher ground, Mandy’s pack and contents had become soaked. We learnt from this experience the importance of listening to more experienced friends, choosing a well-drained tent site, and double plastic bagging all luggage as sometimes a single plastic bag can develop a hole and let water in.
Day 5 – Thursday 23/3/06 – Rest day – Manjimup
The temperature dropped markedly. From the warmth and comfort of the window of our hotel room we watched the queue of wet campers outside the one Laundromat in Manjimup. For much of the time the queue stretched down the main street for several hundred metres. The locals in Manjimup made us very welcome and we felt for this town that had gone to so much trouble to provide food, entertainment and activities for our benefit only to have many of them hampered by the rain. Many riders had heart-warming experiences of locals taking pity on them as they waited in the Laundromat queue and taking them home to do their washing and have a cup of tea or even a meal.
Day 6 – Fri. 24/3/06 – Manjimup to Nannup (62km)
Another town ending in ‘up’ and the best day’s riding yet. Though damp in the morning, we rode through aromatically scented forest that I had never experienced before. The Donnelly River rest stop was like stepping back in time to a little medieval village set down in country WA. This small town was an old timber mining town with unpaved streets and simple shingle-roofed houses. Emus and kangaroos wandered around the town apparently unafraid of us.
The sun came out and we warmed up as we rode down the final exhilarating descent into Nannup, a charming old town now mainly used as a tourist destination and renowned for its colorful flower boxes. Somewhat overwhelmed by the influx of an extra 2,500 people most of the local tea shops managed to provide delicious afternoon teas with home-made cakes, slices and biscuits.
Day 7 – Sat. 25/3/06 – Nannup to Augusta (86km)
A misty cool morning cleared to an increasingly fine day as we battled the headwind in the afternoon into Augusta. This town is located on the southwestern tip of WA and is the state’s third oldest settlement. After downing 3 strong milos and an early dinner, we caught the last shuttle bus to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse at dusk. Mandy took many scenic photos of the dusk light over the coastline and the lighthouse. Back in town that evening we visited the town’s attractive art and craft shops that had stayed open late for our convenience.
Day 8 – Sun 26/3/06 – Augusta to Margaret River (55km)
This is one of the most beautifully scenic day’s riding I’ve ever experienced. Today we cycled through the Karri forest. A fine, cool day and undulating terrain allowed for a relaxed pace. The Caves Road was appropriately named and took us past many tantalizingly named caves such as Jewel Cave and Lake Cave. At the Jewel Cave we paused for coffee and cake whilst others visited the cave. One woman who suffered from claustrophobia made a hasty exit from the cave and joined us for a coffee to calm her nerves. Lunch was at the Voyager Winery, a sumptuously fitted out winery complete with perfectly manicured lawns and rose garden. How important the weather is on a bike tour! Today’s sunny, warm weather and easy pace made for a most enjoyable day.
Day 9 – Mon 27/3/06 – Margaret River Rest Day
Mandy and I accepted a friend’s kind invitation to share her undercover accommodation in Margaret River. Complete with a huge bathroom, laundry and comfortable bed and couches, this was a luxurious and welcome change from the tent. A friend and I decided to cycle the bushy, unsealed rail trail to Cowaramup or ‘Cow Town’ as some of the locals call it. Cowaramup is a pretty, small town with a green, shaded park where the locals had provided an art exhibition, folk singers, sheep shearing and blacksmithing demonstrations. Unfortunately few cyclists were there to see these. Hopefully the word will spread so that tomorrow more will come to enjoy these activities.
Day 10 – Tues 28/3/06 – Margaret River Rest Day
Today our friend’s partner drove us around the local area to see the many superb beaches, rock formations and wineries. Margaret River is a major Australian gourmet food area with a wide choice of wineries and other gourmet offerings such as olive, chocolate and cheese shops. The many limestone caves in this area add to its interest.
A friend had booked a ‘sleep easy’ tent and paid $500 hundred dollars more for this. These new and spacious tents with 2 new, comfortable self-inflating mats were a big improvement on those provided on previous BV rides. Due to the large number of sleep easy tents BV had brought, there were insufficient volunteers to put them up. This meant that some riders who’d booked this option had to erect their own tents. BV had to come up with some softeners including partial refunds to stem the rising tide of complaints about this.
Day 11 – Wed 29/3/06 – Margaret River to Busselton (66km)
The country changed as we left the forests for more open farmland, although the natural-looking roadside verges continue. Today’s weather was perfect – warm for riding in the morning with a slight tailwind. In the afternoon we swam in a calm and warm azure sea. Our camp was right on the foreshore overlooking the beautiful Busselton beach. Mandy walked the 1.6km long Busselton jetty to take sunset photos. Others visited the last stand remaining of Tuart trees in Tuart Forest National Park.
Day 12 – Thurs 30/3/06 – Busselton to Bunbury (61km)
Another relatively easy ride over more open, drier terrain. At morning tea a white parrot (Corella?) flew low amongst the riders, exhibiting unusually odd behaviour. We speculated as to whether it was sick or someone’s pet. An Osprey hovered in the updraft from the sea cliff at the lunch stop.
I swam in the afternoon and was dumped by an unexpectedly large wave that the locals blamed on the cyclone up north. Later in the afternoon I climbed a lookout that appeared like a large spiral slide except it was a spiral staircase instead. The view out over the Bunbury harbour and town was worth the effort.
Day 13 – Fri 31/3/06 – Bunbury to Pinjarra (108km)
The flat terrain should have made for a relatively easy ride but I found it a hard slog due to an unrelenting headwind. Two friends kindly rode me in for the last 11km when the wind was at its strongest.
After we’d set up our tents we did a short walk into town. Pinjarra is a town where the old inner section has been restored or left relatively untouched whilst the newer development is put on the town’s outskirts. We went to the quaintly historic Heritage Tearooms for afternoon tea. In the evening there was a spectacular red sunset that the locals said foretold a change in the weather. Sure enough during the night the rain set in making for a wet breakfast and tent packup in the morning.
Day 14 – Sat 1/4/06 – Pinjarra to Perth (94km)
I was dreading today’s ride as I thought we may have to battle the headwind again, but today’s strong wind was at our tail so worked for us. We whipped into Perth making good time. The last 33km of today’s ride was on the well constructed, sealed bike path – more like a cycle freeway – that runs beside the Kwinana Freeway into Perth CBD.
As we approached the end of the ride there was the strange sight of many tents pitched in Langley Park right in the centre of Perth. My tent joined the flapping throng and was dried out in the short time it took to collect our luggage and knock down the bikes in preparation for transport back to Melbourne.
Cathy Taylor, Rider, 2006 Main Roads LifeCycle Great Western Australian Bike Ride
Article originally printed in the Boroondara BUG (Bicycle Users Group) Newsletter, May 2006. See: http://www.boroondarabug.org. Article Reproduced with permission from the Author.