Day 16 Birdwood to the Gorge, 34.31km, max 54.18kmh, 8.9 degrees, rain at start only, 35kph W wind, 2.33:25hourrs, Ave 13.4kmh, 946m descent, 664m ascent, start at 9.58am
Had a relaxing start watching netflix and waiting as long as possible before having to leave the room at 10.00am waitng for th erain to stop. No it hadnt so all dressed up for the rain in wet wether top and bottoms. I followed the main road out of Birdwood past the sports fields on Angus Creek Road. Instead of turning lef ton red clay road I keep on the bitumen to th eintersection and turn left on Burford Hills Road then a right on Turner Road. Past the Ported Scrub Conservation Park where you can see how Adelaide Hill used to be, but some fires have occured I think in 2020 that some are just black trees with new shoots coming out in between the old trees. There some kangaroos and birdlife plus between the road and nature area there's stunning array of flowers.
Its a relatively easy ride onto Lobethal, some careful looking at signs to make the correct turn especially at speed. Just arriving in Lobethal I hit the cafe for a pot of tea and wait for the rain to stop. With rain pants off its an uphill climb, no walking up the hill probably trying to beat a couple of boys on BMX bikes.
A few more hill climbs I see the signs taking me of finto the Cuddlee Creek Forest/MTB area, just following a fire trail running parallel to the main road. This takes me to the main entrance of the park for bikes. New wood trails/jumps are tempting but I give them a miss. Its back up the hill past the winery then the track seems to go down somepnes driveway but it actually has a fire track on the right of the farm where you need to lift the bike over a small fence-Stone Hut track. A few rolling hills I have a food break and get the drone up to track me along the track. Ups and downs and then I can see the Kangaroo Creek Reservouir and a gap between the hills of Port Adelaide in the distance.
Im waiting for the descent but the trail is still keeping me on top of th eridge then it starts and you come across a gate with a broken steel bike rail but you just lift your bike over then you hit the tower and the one you see in the videos. The dirt track starts to change to a dirt road, then getting bigger and bigger then bitumen, rubbish bins and with speed you are at the Gorge road, making sure Im looking for cars on the right. Im then looking for Mawson Trail signage which tells me to continue on, and Ive arranged fo ra 1.00pm pick up by my nephew at the dam. So as Im heading down this sketchy road, potholes on the left, cars and trucks cant over take you on blind corners I see the car drive past but he cant stop for a few hundred more metres. All packed up we go back to the corner to get some footage and look for some end point sign of the trail at the intersection as well as to the right of the intersection . There is no turnaround point until after the Kangaroo Creek dam and we head down the Gorge Road. I look out at the lower dam where the city trail starts but I se eno large signage like in Blinman. The end
Total KM 919km.
Great trip
Big thankyou to my brother Alan and his wife Hayley for driving me to the start and paying for the first 5 nights camping and being there to support me in the Flinders Ranges. Not having to bring everything for the first few days makes it slightly easier on the body. Thankyou to my nephew Ryan for picking me up from the Gorge at the end of the trip too.
Costs
2 nights at Rawnsley Park Station- brother paid for site
Hawker Caravan Park- brother paid for site
Tanunda Holiday Park Room $144
Birdwood Motel $ 158.40
Clare Holida yPark tent site unpowered $41.00
Burra Motor Inn $150
Wirrabra Hotel $54
Quorn- Birdsong Airbnb $109.66