Cycling – Page 58

Cycling, Pine Rivers

Conquering Mount Samson

by NeilEnnis 12 February 2011 Shortlink

A couple of months ago we tried to climb to the top of Mount Samson. Today we thought we’d try again!

Mount Samson was called “Buran” by the local Aborigines. In the Turrbal language it means “wind”. Unfortunately there was no wind up there today.

The aim was to ride our mountain bikes up to a flattish point at about 500m elevation, then hike the rest of the way to the 680m summit. Easier said than done. The road had been washed out in several places, covered in fallen rocks and logs. We climbed 430m in the first kilometre. With my head spinning and sweat dripping from me I was exhausted. Thankfully Derek gave me a bit of a push-along when I needed it, and we all managed to get the bikes up to the planned point.

From this vantage point, the views over Lake Samsonvale out to Moreton Bay are spectacular.

At this point we met up with some hiking friends, and started the long slog through the lantana and up the mountain. Lantana is a horrible weed with stems that can grow thicker than your thumb. The leaves and stems cut at your skin and several times blocked out way entirely. We had to smash through it with our feet (we didn’t take a Machete).

Eventually we beat the lantana and took a breather before the final push up through the rocks and the rainforest to the top.

Strangely the view from the summit isn’t panoramic. It’s covered with trees. But it’s still beautiful. Someone has erected some Tibetan Prayer Flags at the top. It took me a while to make the connection. Prayer Flags are usually flown high up in the Himalayas. But I suppose this is as high as you’re going to get around Brisbane, so it make sense to me.

You could see a few good views by peaking out through the trees, but for me the best bit about the summit was taking a well-earned rest with some really fun people. This started off, for me, as a harebrained scheme when I asked a few friends “Do you think we could ride bikes up Mount Samson”. The fantastic thing is that those friends were willing to try something difficult and silly with me – even the ones that weren’t able to ride. I’m really grateful to have friends like that.

What’s next???

If you’d like a sadistic look at the climbing-profile for this trip, here it is:

Total distance: 22.56 km
Total climbing: 1002 m
Average temperature: NAN
Total time: 06:08:37

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Cycling, Pine Rivers

Lacey’s Creek

by NeilEnnis 6 February 2011 Shortlink

I had a great ride along Lacey’s Creek this afternoon from Dayboro up into the hills towards the D’Aguilar National park.

Lots of undulating farmland, creek crossings, Hoop Pines, etc.

A really pleasant way to spend a couple of hours 🙂

Total distance: 29.88 km
Total climbing: 454 m
Average temperature: NAN
Total time: 01:46:58

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Aboriginal Australia, Cycling, South East Qld, xc

Lake Manchester

by NeilEnnis 6 February 2011 Shortlink

This was a huge ride, starting with a tough 5km climb at the start and a gruelling 7km climb towards the end. It was worth it for the tranquillity of being out in the bush exploring new places.

After climbing “The Goat Track” I took Lightline Road down to Lake Manchester. It’s descends steeply for about 8km, which is fun. The only problem is that what goes down must eventually come up! This is Cabbage Tree Creek which flows down from the D’Aguilar Range into Lake Manchester.

I rode back up to Mt Nebo via Cabbage Tree Range Road. I love hill climbs, but this one was hard work and just kept going for about 7km. About half way up I conked out and had a large Mars Bar to try and get going again. That’s when I spied this Prickly Pear clinging tenaciously to a rock.

Once back at the top of the range, I saw familiar looking markings on a huge Eucalyptus. I think they’re aboriginal scar marks – similar to what I saw at the Wights Mountain Bora Ring. This area is part of the traditional country of the Turrbal people and perhaps they made these marks sometime in the mid 19th century.

It was a great feeling to be back on top of the range again. The air was cooler, I knew the ride was mostly downhill from there, and the sound of the Bellbirds was magical. They really do sound like bells!

Total distance: 34.35 km
Total climbing: 1229 m
Average temperature: NAN
Total time: 04:38:23

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Cycling, Pine Rivers

One Mile Creek

by NeilEnnis 16 January 2011 Shortlink

There are two major creeks in our area with misleading names. One Mile Creek is about Seven miles long. Four Mile Creek is about Ten miles long. Both creeks have their source in the beautiful bushland of Clear Mountain. Here’s some pictures of my ride through Clear Mountain and over the upper reaches of One Mile Creek.

This is the trail head of one of my favourite rides through Clear Mountain. Starting at the top of the mountain near Old School Road, Centre Road winds steeply down the hill through the eucalypts to a few crossings over One Mile Creek.

There are lots of trees, lizards and no sounds except bird calls and wind through the leaves.

It’s a great place to ride, and I’m so glad most of it is a state forest reserve.

The crossings over One Mile Creek have created some steep banks which are challenging to cycle in and out of, but are always enjoyable.

<span class="comments"><a title="http://nbe.me/1566" href="http://nbe.me/1566">Shortlink</a></span>

It was pouring rain at the resort we’re staying at. What better reason to get out for a ride? A bad wet day on the bike will always beat a good dry day in front of the TV. So I took off into the bush west of Coolum looking for dirt roads and rain forests.

I found a dirt road leading off behind a farm, but the road wasn’t marked on the map. So it I had to follow it to see where it ended up. This is a stitched together panorama of one of the pineapple fields adjoining the road.

One of the many dirt roads through the rain forest near Peregian Springs, on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Dirt roads are underrated. Mountain bikers love single track, and rough trails, but in rainy weather it’s pretty difficult to find any tracks or trails that won’t get damaged, or end up boggy and impassable. The dirt roads west of Coolum are a great compromise.

Total distance: 38.79 km
Total climbing: 289 m
Average temperature: NAN
Total time: 02:23:39

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Aboriginal Australia, Brisbane, Cycling, History

Dundalli

by NeilEnnis 5 January 2011 Shortlink

Dundalli was an Aboriginal leader and fighter from the Dalla people of the Blackall Ranges who was eventually adopted by the fearsome Djindubarri people of Bribie Island in the 1840’s.

He was convicted of the murder of Andrew Gregor and Mary Shannon in 1846. People much more qualified than I have described how the trial and conviction of Dundalli were unjust. I won’t regurgitate those arguments here, but if you’re interested, you might like to read some articles by Dr Libby Connors and Dr Dale Kerwin.

His execution was particularly gruesome. The hangman botched it while his distraught relatives looked on in horror from the hillside on what is now Wickham Terrace. The rope was too long, at the drop Dundalli actually landed on his coffin, and the hangman had to bend his legs and drag down on them to kill him.

This happened exactly 156 years ago today. So I decided to honour Dundalli by cycling into the city to the GPO and back (about 80km), stopping by “Yorks Hollow” – an important traditional camping ground for Aborigines prior to European settlement.

Yorks Hollow used to cover most of what is Victoria Park Golf Course and the Exhibition Grounds. Today it’s little more than a small park beside the busy Inner City Bypass motorway. But it’s still a beautiful park – especially when you pause to think about what it was.

In her book, “Tom Petrie’s Reminiscences of Early Queensland”, Constance Campbell Petrie says of it:

Another big “tulan” or fight, Father remembers at
York’s Hollow (the Exhibition). He and his brother Walter
were standing looking on, when a fighting boomerang thrown
from the crowd circled round, and travelling in the direction
of the brothers, struck Walter Petrie on the cheek, causing
a deep flesh wound. The gins and blacks of the Brisbane
tribe commenced to cry about this, and said that the weapon
had come from the Bribie blacks’ side, and that they were
no good, but wild fellows. The brothers went home, and the
cut was sewn up. It did not take long to heal afterwards.

At that fight there must have been about eight hundred
blacks gathered from all parts, and there were about twenty
wounded. One very fine blackfellow lost his life. His
name was “Tunbur” (maggot). In the fight he got hit
on the ankle with a waddie, and next day died from lockjaw.
They carried the remains, and crossed the creek where the
Enoggera railway bridge is now, and further on made a fire
and skiimed the body and ate it. My father knew ” Tunbur”
well; he was one of the blacks who accompanied grandfather
Petrie on his trip in search of a sample of ” bon-yi ” wood.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out someone else had the same idea and had erected some signs about Dundalli in Post Office Square across the road from the GPO. The GPO was actually built in 1871 on the site of the old Female Convict Factory.

What struck me today was the irony. Here was a war memorial on the front wall of GPO comemorating soldiers who had died for their country in the First World War, yet it was the same place a black man was killed for trying to protect his country and uphold his people’s laws.

Even the grand statue of Major General Sir William Glasgow appeared to look away in shame from the GPO and the memorial posters there.

The trouble is we often become emotionally immune to irony, even though it can sometimes highlight painful truths. I’m glad I did what the sign said, and walked in his tracks.

Total distance: 78.87 km
Total climbing: 682 m
Average temperature:
Total time: 04:38:14

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Cycling, Pine Rivers

Cruising by the lake

by NeilEnnis 2 January 2011 Shortlink

I took a slow ride by the lakes today. It’s amazing how much more you see when you slow down!

Mount Samson and its pyramid peak overlook lake Samsonvale.

Some houses overlook the shoreline on the far side of Lake Kurwongbah

I think a goblin lives here 🙂

Grass Trees at Forgan Cove

It’s a great feeling riding a mountain bike along these paths!

Total distance: 30.26 km
Total climbing: 459 m
Average temperature:
Total time: 02:52:18

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Cycling, South East Qld, xc

Ewen Maddock Dam

by NeilEnnis 30 December 2010 Shortlink

Rainforest, Lakes, Mud, Flooded Trails, Railway Tunnels and angry Goannas – just some of the fun things I discovered with Tim today as we explored Ewen Maddock Dam and Dularcha National Park.

Even though most of the trails were pretty soggy from all the recent rain, they were still fun to ride.

The Dularcha Railway Tunnel was built in 1890 as part of the original Brisbane – Cairns railway line. A newer, flatter route was built in 1931, when this particular section of the line was abandoned. It’s now part of the Dularcha National Park which contains beautiful rainforest.

At the end of the ride we met a beautiful goanna who let us get pretty close to take photos, but started hissing loudly at us to let us know he didn’t like us crowding him too much.

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Musings

Musings

Category: Cycling

Conquering Mount Samson

Lacey’s Creek

Lake Manchester

One Mile Creek

Dundalli

Cruising by the lake

Ewen Maddock Dam