Lance invited Craig, Graham and me around to his place for a ride in the national park near his house at Upper Brookfield. He’d told me it would probably be hilly, but I started to worry when the long driveway up to his house reached gradients of over 30%.
We planned to ride to Mermaid Mountain, climb it, and loop back through the D’Aguilar National Park.
Mermaid Mountain is the highest peak in the southern section of the D’Aguilar Range.
The surrounding terrain is very hilly. We ascended almost 700m in 13km on our bikes. That’s heart-breaking steepness.
But the climb to the top of the mountain is worth the wonderful view. You can see Flinders Peak off to the south (left) of the photo, and Lake Manchester off to the north-west (right).
Craig’s brake pads broke. Normally this would be a serious thing out on the trail, but he had brought some replacement pads. He and Graham knew how to replace the pads.
I wouldn’t have had a clue and don’t carry spare pads. Perhaps I should add that to the long list of items I already carry in my pack?
Secretly I rejoiced because it meant we could stop for half an hour and catch our breath.
Well done guys, for fixing the brakes.
By the way, can you make out the words on Graham’s Jersey? He didn’t look that cranky to me 🙂
Thanks Lance for a really enjoyable ride, and some delicious home made ginger beer at the end!
Total climbing: 722 m
Average temperature: NAN
Total time: 03:31:59
More data
I am pretty sure the mountain to the left is Flinders Peak, not Mt Barney. 🙂
Hi Don
Yes – I agree. It’s definitely Flinders Peak.
I wrote that post in 2011, and have since spent more time around Flinders and Barney, and am more familiar with their shapes.
Thanks for the correction 🙂
Neil