Day 8 Wilmington to Wirrabara 72.25km, 4.27:31, 16.2kmh ave., 656m ascent, 658m descent, 13.3 degrees, wind 0km/h, 54.42km/h max speed, left at 7.56am.
From the CP I rode down the road which then joins up with the trail and along some backroads. There's a detour for traffic i thik form the main road so there are more cars on the road I'm on than usual. Cloud cover is over the valley before the sun will break it up and it rises up. Plenty of wheat fields. Its a zig zag of roads and farm roads with great view of Mt Remarkable in the distance. Just before hitting Melrose I join the main road and get attacked by magpies again. I can see some other cyclists riding on th eother side of the road along a trail.
Melrose is a quant and historically significant town, with a bike shop/cafe teaming with cyclists. I stoppe doff at the first petrol station to grap a drink and snack then head off to the toilets around the corner of the main street near a map of the MTB trails here. The CP looks like it is full of families and cyclists, as its still school holidays.
From Melrose there is a steep climb on good quality gravel roads through rolling hills. I see the first vineyard on the right side.I catch up with a couple of E-bike cyclists doing sections of the Mawson at a time and we chat for awhile. They were just heading south as I saw them stopped. Further down the trail when I stopped for lunch and photo opportunity they overtake me and that was the last I saw of them.
The trail takes you alongside Wirrabara Forest along Block 9 Road, which traverses the Wirrabara Range before changing direction towards and downhill to Wirrabara town. As the forecat is for showers overnight I have booked through Booking.com the Wirrabara Hotel for $54 for the night. So I follow Block 9 road and come across newly sheared sheep being escorted along the road. One of the farmers on a motorbike makes a path for me to ride through. Just before town I see a short cut on the old railline which is a walking/cycle track which I take for a kilometre. I come across the grain silo which has been painted with a huge farmer and a red robin or willwagtail.
As I hit the hotel a lady is coming out and says its closed for now as she has to go to the bakery and for some other things but will be back shortly to open up. So I head off to the bakery as well and have a huge steak sandwhich on GF bread and a drink. Its so big that by the time I finish it a 2.30pm I dont have to have dinner.
I get back to the hotel, shown my room with a double bed and have a shower in the toilet area to get the mud off. Im the only one staying there and the pub isnt open till later. I take a walk around town to see if there's anything to see but alas nothing but the silo. There's a few campers at the showground but more for the RV and caravaners. I'm warned not to walk in the long grass for the snakes and I don't go near the long grass.
I watch TV in my room and dry out my tent on the line outside before the rain comes, wet from Wilmington's dew.