Author: kvnrowe

9 June 2025

We enjoyed a week in Victoria filled with trail runs and mountain bike rides followed by a short break at home before heading to Brisbane for the Broadbeach Blues Festival. We are now down on the south coast enjoying rain, wind and the cold, perfect camping weather. It is winter after all.

The rides in Victorian included a landscaped mountain bike trail named the Indigo Epic Trail. It was steep and narrow and about 30kms long. We followed this with a Rail Trail return ride back to Beechworth. The good thing about rail trails is that they are built on old railway foundations, built for steam trains. This means the incline is never too steep. The inclines might be long but never ‘get off your bike and walk’ steep.

We also rode gravel trails. This seems to be the new challenge for trail riding. The gravel trails are typically gravel roads, forestry roads and fire trails. They are wide and can be ‘get off and walk’ steep. Great fun when you are on the down side of the hill. You do have to watch out for rocks and ruts that might interrupt your enjoyment.

All of these rides were rewarded with a stop at the Beechworth brewery. Pizza and beer tastes so good after a day in the saddle.

Our next trip is covered in the following instalment of my travel logs.

9 June 2025

For our trip north to Brisbane we decided to avoid the paths well travelled and to follow the obscure and less direct byways. Unfortunately this strategy lead us to some strange places where what seemed to exist wasn’t there. Maybe we were in Camelot or the Matrix was glitching.

It started with our GPS directing us around a bypass to avoid road works that didn’t exist. We continued on to a campground where the office was unattended but a strange and disconnected voice seemed to be speaking to us via an unseen speaker. I walked around the camp ground hoping to find someone in charge but with no luck. There was however several vacant sites so I was sure we were ok. I returned to the office whereupon a vehicle approached.

It was another camper who had been called by the owner to tell us there were no sites available. I suggested there were sites and I had seen them. I was however told somewhat aggressively that, and to quote ‘are you deaf, can’t you hear me, there are no sites available’. I protested, to no avail. I was clearly seeing things that didn’t exist. And so we drove on. On reflection for all our years of travelling and camping this was one of the most bizarre experiences.

We drove through the western fringe of Sydney and what is now never ending estates of new houses. What were once small vegetable farms producing food for Sydney are now housing developments or small businesses growing turf for these new estates. We don’t grow food now, we grow grass, bizarre!

We drove up the Putty Road, a destination for motor bike riders from far and wide and yet we hardly saw a motor bike. We did however stop at the only tavern/cafe on the road for a coffee. The proprietor explained that the absence of motor bike riders was due to the fact that it was Mother’s Day and she had told the riders that had arrived to leave in a rather forthright and colourful manner. She told them they should go home and buy their mum some flowers on the way. And so it would seem they all left. This was a business that catered very much for the motor bike fraternity! The breakfast was excellent as was the coffee. I love the characters you find in these places.

We continued on and were stopped at a railway crossing. The boom gate was down and clearly a train was approaching. This is the country for massive coal trains. We stopped and we waited and we waited. Cars and trucks joined us in a growing queue. There was no train! Back up the tracks I could see a train that had come so far and then reversed into a siding. Eventually the boom gate lifted and we were on our way.

We were determined to discover new country however the rain, fog and the threat of flooded crossings encouraged us to head out of the back woods and on to the main highway. This strategy proved quicker and less hazardous.

We arrived in Brisbane and then proceeded to the Broadbeach Blues Festival.

This is an amazing event and I would encourage anyone with an interest in music to make their way to the Gold Coast in May.

The festival was all free and there was a never ending choice of different blues musicians, some soloists and some in bands. A wonderful four days of music starting at 10am and finishing late into the night.

There were times where the blues festival looked more like a ZZ Top revival with so many grey beards. I also discovered the tough, macho fans were the guys riding disability electric scooters with a skull and cross bones on the front of their vehicle.

We returned home and along the way visited places where glaciers were 200 mya and where volcanoes existed 20 mya. Again none of these attractions are there any more, a bit like the non existent camp site.

After a couple of weeks at home we drove down to the south coast for the King’s Birthday long weekend. It is winter and so the weather is wet, windy and cold. Why did we leave a warm and dry, perfectly adequate home!

In two weeks it’s time for another adventure and this time we will be again heading north and warmer climes will be our focus.

19 March 2025

Having completed the ‘big’ ride today was a rest day. Our day of rest was in fact a 13 km walk to the top of Mount Kosciusko, Australia’s highest peak. Fortunately the ski lift was open and we enjoyed a chair lift ride to the top of the ridge line above the village of Thredbo.

The high country is renowned for changeable weather including freezing temperatures, wind and rain. On this day however the weather could only be described as perfect. Clear blue skies, a slight breeze and comfortable temperatures made for a very pleasant rest day.

We enjoyed lunch on the peak and were back down the chair lift and into the village by early afternoon.

Thredbo has become a mecca for downhill mountain bike riders which meant the village offered amenities like a bike cleaning stand. We were very happy to wash down our bikes, lubricate the running gear and be primed, ready for the next day’s ride.

The next day we were on the Thredbo Valley Trail by 8:00am, ready for the challenge of the 40km ride to Jindabyne. This trail is purpose built for mountain bikes and as such was wide enough for one bike and in places for a second rider heading in the opposite direction. There were lots of large granite boulders close enough for a rider to question whether their pedals would scrape through the gap. My pedals are now complete with many gashes and scrapes.

Many of the downhill bends were built up for fast descents and the creek crossings were covered by steel bridges. In many instances it was with profound joy that the bridge came with railings and in some cases steel mesh so one didn’t fall off the bridge and into the creek below.

We did manage a coffee at the Crackenback resort before crossing back over the river and continuing on our way. Not long after the coffee our guide offered the insight that at this stage there was only one way out of this ride and that was to finish it. There was no escape back to any road.

Now the body is starting to tire. The shoulders are feeling a bit stiff and the legs are sending messages to the brain suggesting some flat open country would be a good idea. The rest of the body was insisting there be no bleeding or broken bones. The eyes are focussed on the track ahead and the next twist or turn. The hands have a firm grip bordering on cramping on the brake levers. Now would be a good time to stand on the pedals to lift the centre of gravity and to use the body to absorb the shocks of the rough track. Unfortunately the legs are unwilling to be part of this strategy. Did I mention I am riding an e-bike which makes those steep climbs manageable but there is the added challenge of range anxiety and the question of whether the battery will last.

We rode on, watching for large rocks with drop offs out of sight. The trail was covered in rocks, tree roots, loose gravel and deeply rutted sections. Our group only scored one fall that fortunately did not result in a serious injury. Needless to say we had come equipped with first aid kits and even a personal locator beacon just in case.

Finally through the trees I could see the track flatten out on to flat grassy fields. This ride must be coming to an end. I was so wrong.

The ride continued past the trout hatchery and on a short section of sealed road. We crossed the highway and continued on a gravel bike path around the shoreline of Lake Jindabyne. In the distance we could see the town of Jindabyne. Our destination must be close, wrong. This trail went on for maybe another 10kms until we reached the pub and the end of our ride.

The guide book suggested this ride could take up to 9 hours, we completed the 40kms in 6. Now it was time for a well earned beer and some lunch before we were driven back to Thredbo. The battery on the e-bike had plenty of power left and could have gone on for another 40kms. I was not however prepared to ride back.

A great week with some ‘heart in the throat’ moments. We saw some amazing country. While on the bikes we enjoyed the wilderness largely to ourselves. On reflection it would be nice to be a little younger with greater flexibility, with no sense of personal risk and maybe a dual suspension mountain bike.

14 March 2025

We agreed we would ride the Cascade / Pilot Wilderness mountain bike trail. Surely just a bit of training and some extra time on the bike and we would be good for a 60 km ride through the Snowy Mountains National Park.

March would be the best time of the year. The weather would still be warm and predictable and there would be no snow in the high country, perfect. The plan was to drive down to the mountains on a Monday, ride the Pilot Wilderness on Tuesday, on our rest day walk Mt Kosciusko and then ride the Thredbo Valley Trail on Thursday.

Day One, we left our accommodation at about 7:30am and rode up to the Cascade carpark. There we met our fourth companion on this ride through the Pilot Wilderness. Our first objective was Bobs Ridge. This turned out to be a long climb with several creek crossings in country above the tree line. The scenery was amazing.

While catching our breath a hiker we had just passed was about to walk past us. This was not a good look being overtaken by a hiker. We quickly remounted and were back on our way.

From Bobs Ridge we headed generally downhill with lots of short sharp climbs on a track a four wheel drive car could negotiate. We dropped down into forested country and more creek crossings. You were never sure whether the creek bottom was deep mud, filled with large rocks or was just deep water. We all had wet feet after the first creek.

A stop at the Tin Mine Hut for lunch where we were closely watched by a mob of brumbies. Conditions up here at this time of year are pretty good and the brumbies all looked to be in good condition.

From Tin Mine Hut the amount of horse poo on the track seemed to increase exponentially. Wild horses have the habit of defecating in piles as a means of marking their territory and they seemed to prefer the track we were riding. It was pretty much an unavoidable feature of the ride in the afternoon.

While the general profile of the ride was downhill there were still many steep climbs especially over the erosion mounds across the track. One of these mounds caught one of our riders by surprise and gravity took over. It’s hard to go forward when your front wheel is off the ground and your rear wheel is spinning.

The final 5 kms of this adventure was a steep decline to the Snowy River valley. In places the gradient was -30%. That means for every 100m horizontal distance we dropped 30m. Yep, that’s steep. The track surface was also very loose gravel and rocks with some sharp turns. All good for your heart rate.

We reached the Pinch River and the end of our ride at 4:30pm and were met by our driver and a trailer to take us back to Thredbo. Our transport also came with cold beer which was very much enjoyed purely for the purpose of rehydration.

A hot shower and a couple of beers at the pub brought the day to an end.

Travel Log One Hundred and Fifteen will cover the next two days of our adventure…….

20 November 2024

After our trip to South Africa we took a break from travel for a little while. There are always lots of jobs around the house that are waiting for you after any absence.

We have however enjoyed a recent weekend camping trip to Honeysuckle Creek, a campground in the Brindabellas, just out of Canberra.

Honeysuckle Creek has a very special place in history. On 16 July 1969 Neil Armstrong planted his feet on the moon and the whole world got to view that event via a signal received by the Honeysuckle Creek space antenna.

It turns out that grainy TV picture of Neil stepping down the ladder uttering those famous words was received at the Honeysuckle Creek tracking station. The signal was then relayed out of the hills surrounding Canberra and on to Houston.

The antenna that was in place in 1969 is now located at the Tidbinbilla Space Tracking Station where they continue to track Voyager 1 and 2. The site of the tracking station is now an excellent camp ground. A great place for roasting marshmallows and cooking breakfast over an open fire.

There was a small contingent of boy scouts who were also camping at Honeysuckle Creek. We watched them cook their evening meal on the provided gas barbecues. I wonder when Baden Powell came up with the scouting motto ‘Be Prepared’ that he meant make sure you bring along a spare gas bottle. We stayed with the pioneer spirit and cooked over a fire. The marshmallows were excellent as were the eggs for breakfast.

We spent some time bush walking and scrambling over massive granite rock formations known as Lego Land along with some mountain bike riding.

Plans are in hand for more bike rides on rail trails that aren’t too far away and perfect for a three day get away.

16 October 2024

Time for one last download.

We are in that waiting time. First it’s the cab to the airport and then it will be the line through security, a flight to Johannesburg, more waiting for the flight to Sydney and then a 15 hour movie watching session. By Friday we will be back home thinking just yesterday we were in Africa!

Yesterday we travelled around Cape Tour at our own pace and discretion. We explored the city’s recent history and the sad clearance of neighbourhoods as part of the apartheid regime.

The Cape Town botanic gardens are simply stunning with proteas around every corner. The day ended with cocktails as the sunset over Camp Bay. There was a whale close to shore and a huge pod of dolphins feeding on a school of fish. Amazing.

A couple of final observations:

• I have never seen some many security fences either electrified or comprising razor wire. Some of these fences surround entire farms and some just a house and its yard. I was not sure whether these fences were to keep animals in or animals out or maybe to keep bad people out. I now think they are for all those reasons. In towns the fences keep the baboons out, for game parks they keep animals in and poachers out. In other settings it’s just to keep the bad guys out.

• South Africans seem to be caring of each other. When we stopped for road works our driver went to the back of the bus, collected bottles of water and gave them to the road crew. Truck drivers would move to the left to let faster traffic pass. Drivers would reverse out of a parking space and into traffic. Everyone would just stop and give them room. No agro or road rage. Often we were introduced to locals by our guide as ‘my sisters’ or ‘my brothers’.

Final comment, South Africa is still facing major challenges especially with regard to financial and economic equality across its communities. It might take another 30 years and maybe more to get there but I hope they keep on the path.

14 October 2024

Our final safari and we spotted more lions and this time in the act of procreation. After an earlier viewing of a lion pride sleeping off a meal after a kill I guess this completes the day in the life of a lion. We were told that we were very lucky to see this event. It’s rarely observed.

Our time at the game park has been so much better than we could have expected. We have met so many fellow travellers who visited other parks and felt lucky to see some giraffes and zebra.

We had a long drive back to Johannesburg to catch a two hour flight to Port Elizabeth and hence to southern parts of the country. Sadly the Johannesburg CBD has become a ruin of abandoned buildings and decaying infrastructure. We did not visit downtown J’burg.

We travelled through the ‘garden route’, a green expanse of farmland that contrasts with the dry savanna of the game park in the north. After visits to an ostrich farm, a limestone cave system and protea farm we made it to Cape Town, the most southern tip of the African continent. We have a few days in Cape Town before the long flight home.

Last night it was an African meal and entertainment that included the hundreds of guests playing African drums. I had images of the drums from those old black and white movies about deepest, darkest Africa.

We were conducted by an expect drummer who had amazing patience with so many drummers unable to follow directions. Huge noise and so much fun. It is one way to exercise the arthritis out of your wrists.

The meal last night included fish, prawns and chicken. The African dishes also included Namibian ostrich, impala and venison. Apparently Namibian ostrich is the better ostrich, who knew.

Before finishing this series of stories I thought I would regale you with some of my recent observations of South Africa and the world in general, prompted by this trip.

• Shopping malls the world over are so similar, same stores, same products. It’s just the faces and the voices that differ.
• Civilisation is not defined by science, the arts, literature or politics. It’s all about the coffee and South Africa is civilised.

• Every coffee shop the world over has tables that wobble.
• African people, adults and kids, love to dance and sing. They love colour and style. It’s not unusual to see the cashier quietly singing while waiting on customers.
• In all countries the tourist is fascinated by what the locals consider passé. In Australia the locals would consider a kangaroo just another kangaroo. The tourist would freeze, stop and take photos. In Africa we would exclaim Impala, stop, we must take photos. To the locals, nah, it’s just another Impala!
• The roads and highways here are the same as home. We just don’t have baboons and monkeys crossing the road.
• We might have BT50s, HiLux and Ford Rangers at home. You just wouldn’t see three guys lounging in the back without seatbelts or any restraints.
• Inequality in South Africa can be jarring. In Cape Town there are Ferraris parked in the streets not far from ramshackle huts made of plastic and sticks.

One last day before the long trip home. Then it will be time to unpack, edit photos and consider where to next….

7 October 2024

We have now done four trips into the bush. We are now focussed on finding the final couple of animals that make up the Big Five.

Last night was one of the highlights of the trip. During our dinner we were joined by our coach driver. He had an amazing story to tell. He was raised in SOWETO in the 1970’s during the times of the strikes and the bus boycotts. This was the history we had lived through but from afar. Isaac speaks 11 languages and is now learning Chinese so that he might communicate with Chinese tourists. He spoke to us in a wide range of African languages some with tongue clicks and pops. Try as we might we were unable to duplicate his skills.

It sounds a little cliched but it’s these brief interludes that make travel to places like South Africa so worthwhile.

Yesterday evening we saw Cape Buffalo and a female cheetah lying in the shade. It looks like we will hit the five.

This morning we were out again at 5:00am and we completed the big five challenge. We saw a small herd of elephants destroying trees to get to the roots and later 3 cheetahs who are brothers. They were calmly walking along the road beside the perimetre fence. Again our tracker out did himself. He exclaimed cheetah when they were a mere three dots at least a kilometre distant.

Tomorrow we have one more safari and then back to J’burg for a flight south.

5 October 2024

We are now in the midst of doing what we came for, namely seeing African animals in the wild. Three nights at a private game park that abuts Kruger National Park should give us a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the Big Five.

The drive north from Johannesburg covered wide open farming country dotted with coal mines and power stations. We visited landscapes of massive canyons and towering mountains. Our journey included freeways, toll roads and country roads with potholes very similar to home.

The old hatched roof huts of mud brick have gone and people are now building brick homes with steel roofs and driveways for their cars. This change has happened in just the last 20 years.

South Africa has a population twice the size of Australia and yet a land area smaller than Queensland. The things Australia lacks and South Africa enjoys however are some seriously big native animals and apex predators.

We have now done two, 3 hour safari tours of the game park and have seen so many animals. We have covered pretty much the cast from the Lion King.

On board our 4WD vehicle we have a tracker and a guide. What our tracker can spot in the bush is impressive. He will suddenly point in a direction into the thick bush and exclaim ‘rhino’ to which we all respond ‘where!’. After some intense peering we will see the slightest movement at a 100 meters whereupon a rhino will quietly amble towards us. For the leopard the only hint was the movement of the white tip of her tail 50 metres into the scrub. The tracker’s ability to spot these animals is a wonder in itself.

We have now seen and photographed rhino, hippo, leopard, giraffe, warthog, kudu, a pride of lions, baboons, gazelle, crocodile and wildebeest. We have three more safaris to go so maybe we will hit the Big Five.

Maybe this evening we will see cape buffalo and elephant.

3 October 2024

After a brief hiatus between trips we are on the road again or maybe that should be in the air. We have arrived in Johannesburg for a two week adventure that will include time in Kruger National Park and travelling down through South Africa finishing in Cape Town.

Today was Day 1 and an opportunity to get over the 15 hour flight from Sydney and any jet lag. We were up at 6:00am on Tuesday and arrived at our hotel in Johannesburg at 2:30am the next day.

It hasn’t been a particularly adventurous day although we did manage to get lost in the shopping mall bedside our hotel. After being surprised to find ourselves right back where we started we decided to pause and rethink our landmarks. We did manage to get back to our hotel without incident and after an excellent coffee.

Our discovery today was that shopping malls the world over are pretty much the same. The same stores, the same number of coffee shops and the same wide, tiled concourse. The big difference in Sandton Mall however is the number of diamond outlets, many with their own security guard at the entrance to the store. There were diamond sellers and fine jewellery shops everywhere. We were also surprised to see many security guards armed with assault weapons.

Needless to say the African faces are a pretty good indicator you are not in Australia anymore.

Tomorrow the adventure begins……