Yass area MTBing

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countryteen
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Yass area MTBing

Postby countryteen » Sat Apr 25, 2015 8:06 pm

Maybe this is the wrong place to post this and not really an appropriate question but anyway here goes. Does anyone know of any MTB trails around Yass?
And also what can be done to try and get an MTB park? Thanks if not appropriate just delete.
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WarrenH
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby WarrenH » Tue May 12, 2015 12:04 am

Countryteen, G'day Mate.

The Yass Valley and the SW Slopes are very enjoyable to ride around. I live just a few klicks from the edge of the Yass Valley close to the NW ACT Border.

So, where have you ridden so-far Mate? So, we can compare notes.

Have you explored any of the unformed roads on the many Travelling Stock Routes and TS Reserves, in the Yass Region? There is plenty of skinny on the TSRs. This is at Waroo TSR.

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The view at the top of Waroo TSR is nice ... above Murderers Gully.

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If you want access to the TSRs, you'll need to contact/phone the LHPA Regional Ranger in Yass. The LHPA info is on the web.

Have you ridden up Cavan Road yet, along the Murrumbidgee towards Dog Trap Crossing?

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Turning off Cavan Road into Glenrock Road to join Mountain Creek Road is absolutely beautiful. Or scooting along the roller coaster called Sawyers Gully Road, that is magic. Mountain biking doesn't get much better than where you are, if you like quiet back country roads. The back country roads out towards Cavan and Wee Jasper are some of the best dirt roads that I've ridden.

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There are plenty of back tracks around Burrunjuck.

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Do you know that the Hume and Hovell Walking Track has an alternate cycle route? ... for suspicious looking people obviously.

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You are not far from the Bramina Wilderness. Entering the Bramina is well worth the torment. There is plenty of hike-a-bike in this neck of the bush, if you like it rough. There are good camp sites along the Goodradigbee River and up through the Nottingham Hills and toward Micalong Swamp. Go exploring.

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Warren.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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countryteen
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby countryteen » Tue May 12, 2015 9:18 pm

I've only ridden around my area in a radius of about 20-30km (not super fit yet). I'll have to try some of those places, nice looking photos. I was kind of thinking more singletrack, which there doesn't seem to be any.
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WarrenH
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby WarrenH » Thu May 14, 2015 12:55 pm

Unfortunately, there isn't any dedicated MTB single tracks, that's why I suggested the unformed roads and tracks on the TSRs as a rewarding alternative. Don't dismiss the TSR's, as not worth exploring, some of them are amazing to ride around. Particularly those on the Yass-Wee Jasper Road.

The LHPA Office in Yass, has had a name change. It is now called Local Land Services. The Rangers there are Chris Harris and Ben Serafin. They have a copy of The Long Paddock The Directory and Maps of the Travelling Stock Routes and Reserves of NSW. Maps 51 and 57 are your region, they will make photocopies for you.There are 3 TSRs within 10 klicks of Yass.

If you're not familiar with the TSRs they look like this ... http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page ... 66476&v=Pz" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is always another option, if you're really desperate for single track, close to home? Look for a hilly sheep paddock and then befriend the shepherd who lives there.

Image

Image


In this neck-of-the-bush, there are plenty of sheep moguls ... get good at doing sharp turns, they're absolutely perfect.

Image


I don't know what you'll find on the Mundoonen Range and in the Mundoonen Nature Reserve, it looks wild out there. It's about 10-12 klicks out of town on the Hume Hwy. I bet there are tracks out there to scare yourself on.

Otherwise you know where the MTB tracks in Canberra are, like the flow track at Bruce Ridge/O'Connor Ridge and the amazing variety of stuff Stromlo affords ... et al.

Here is another option. Do you or your friends know of anyone who rides motocross or supercross and has a training track on their property, which is probably mostly a single lane. The track will have berms and jumps and maybe even a rhythm section. Offering to do a bit of track maintenance will help.

Image

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Warren.
Last edited by WarrenH on Thu May 14, 2015 2:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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countryteen
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby countryteen » Thu May 14, 2015 2:15 pm

I am on a farm so sheep tracks and other general riding is not really a problem. I have been to stromlo, not bruce ridge yet... Do you think there would be enough interest in the yass valley to try and get a mtb track/singletrack?
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WarrenH
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby WarrenH » Thu May 14, 2015 2:31 pm

Skinny sheep trails ... all too easy, now.

When you see how many cars travel on the Barton Hwy with loaded bike racks, heading for Canberra, daily, there has to be a need.

The track at 0'Connor Ridge is very enjoyable, I find. Tight and twisty. Not wanting to send you away from BNA Forum, if you're not familiar with the tracks in the ACT, 'The Berm' is a good site to join as well.

Or how about the old Full Bore Motocross Track. If I remember correctly, it opened in 2009 or there abouts and closed shortly after, in 2011. Closed by the Council for safety reasons. Reasons not necessarily applicable to MTBs. You could ring Yass Shire Council and ask what has happened to the track. That could be a good place to start. A large dusty BMX track ... with deep ruts and turn it into a 4X track.

Cheers Mate.

Warren.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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countryteen
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby countryteen » Thu May 14, 2015 6:38 pm

Sounds like there could be plenty of interest then. If we can get enough people on side there will be more chance council will listen. Do you have any idea how to 'find' interested people? On a slightly different topic, is there a cycling club in Yass?
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WarrenH
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby WarrenH » Fri May 15, 2015 7:51 pm

countryteen wrote:Sounds like there could be plenty of interest then.
Unfortunately and fortunately ... Canberra's tracks are less than an hour away. That perhaps makes it harder.
countryteen wrote:If we can get enough people on side there will be more chance council will listen. Do you have any idea how to 'find' interested people? On a slightly different topic, is there a cycling club in Yass?
The serious riders who compete from Yass, who could be worth talking to, are most likely members of CORC, Canberra Off Road Cyclists. You could make contact with them on The Berm. I wonder if the CORC members who live in the Yass district, have somewhere where they train, that's not on the road. When I think of some of the larger regional centres that I've visited like Wagga Wagga, Albury and Bathurst, there are trails and unofficial circuits around the fringes of those town, where tracks have been made/linked by default.

I know that at the Yass Tourist Information Centre, there is a gentleman there who thinks that Yass could benefit from having even a basic MTB track. Perhaps go and have a chat. I'm sorry that I cant remember his name. He shouldn't be too hard to find.

Good luck Mate.

Warren.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

cp123
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby cp123 » Sun May 17, 2015 12:52 pm

while i don't know anything about where to mtb in or around yass (other than say perhaps the horse cross country course at the back of the murrumbateman showground), i just wanted to say warren that your photos are superb!!! they look brilliant and just capture a lot of the essence of the aussie bush. i like the one of the gravel cavan road with the big tree on the right and the sun on the hills in the background.

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countryteen
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby countryteen » Mon May 18, 2015 10:47 am

No one has ridden any singletrack/off road round Yass and uploaded it on strava. Have posted a thread on The Berm. Might try and find that fellow form the tourist info centre.
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby WarrenH » Tue May 19, 2015 11:33 am

cp123, thank you Mate for your appreciation of the shots. I called into the cross-country course, to check it out.

The Murrumbateman Cross-country Equestrian Course, it isn't built around a well-worn trail, unfortunately. It is a very large, well grassed paddock with a grid of gravel roads. It isn't suitable for mountain biking, unless you want to do hilly circuits on gravel without vehicles but for Observed Trials riders, it could be interesting. There are heaps of features, including a fallen trees, a stone wall, brush hurdles, benches, cavaletties and a hanging log, amongst others. It is open to the public. The liability is carried by those who visit the place, not by the Horse Riding Club.

There's not even a hint of a well-worn track out there. There was a lot of bird life. Yesterday, I saw 4 Superb Parrots, and several thousand Galahs picking over newly ploughed paddocks.

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There is an old vehicle track with an entrance in the SE corner of the Equestrian Park. That could have a bit of potential. If you don't count your bike being a vehicle, many don't. It could be Murrumbateman's version of Stromlo's Terminal Velocity. The track is on an easement.

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Warren.

PS, I couldn't help having a play out on Dog Trap Road yesterday. I parked at Jeir Marchment RFS and went towards Connors Lane at Oakvale. Dog Trap is a great dirt surface, it's in top shape and still as-slippery-as. I scared a few sheep ... or maybe, the other way around.

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"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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countryteen
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby countryteen » Tue May 19, 2015 9:44 pm

I have started a thread on the berm and get a bit of info. Just out of curiosity, if you don't mind me asking, what camera do you? (curious because I am wondering about carrying it on a bike)
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby wellington_street » Wed May 27, 2015 7:33 pm

Hey Warren, is Dog Trap Crossing a public road?
Would like to go down there at some point
Ditto Horseshoe Rd through to McCarthy Rd

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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby WarrenH » Thu May 28, 2015 8:18 pm

countryteen wrote:I have started a thread on the berm and get a bit of info. Just out of curiosity, if you don't mind me asking, what camera do you? (curious because I am wondering about carrying it on a bike)
countryteen, G'day again Mate. Thank you for waiting for my reply. Have you seen this, to add to your arsenal ... http://www.corc.asn.au/?s=yass" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Concerning my cameras. The cameras that I use are both Canon DSLRs. A 40D and a 7D, with kit lenses and professional quality lenses. My camera gear is heavy, probably more heavy than most riders would enjoy carrying, I'm guessing. I also ride with a tripod most times. I go riding to take photos, having a ride is the bonus. The ride happens by default with me, the photography is given the priority. One of my most memorable rides was 100+ photographs in 3 kilometres. Not 100 kilometres and 3 photos, like others do. One thing is, when I've taken several bits of camera gear riding, I've take fewer shots. Taking only one camera and one lens, I take heaps of shots.
wellington_street wrote:Hey Warren, is Dog Trap Crossing a public road?
Would like to go down there at some point
Ditto Horseshoe Rd through to McCarthy Rd
wellington_street, G'day.

The original Dog Trap Crossing, the historic wet crossing, which is still there, was part of the old coach road that went from Yass to the cattle trucking hub at Bungendore Railway Station, and is the extension of Dog Trap Road across the property of Adnamira, to the property of Esdale. The bridge crossing is through Carkella Station. When I first visited Carkella, I chatted to Mrs Carter and asked permission to cross her property. Which was Ok'ed. But recently, only last week, one of the adjoining property owners told me that the road still remains a public road and permission doesn't need to be granted. Last week was the second time that an adjoining property owner, adjoining Carkella, told me that from Dog Trap Road to Cavan Road remains a public road. Do you take odds to what free advice you pay for, on the web?

Mrs Carter has given me permission to travel across her property, so I respect that. If you want to be in the good books, and avoid any hassle, it might pay to call in and tell her what you would like to do. The phone number is on the farm gate but she told me that she doesn't answer the phone.

Horseshoe to McCarthy Road. I think that Vintage Tourer may have crossed the property there some time ago. I think that he wrote on here, that he gave a wave to the property owner, when spotted and all was OK. Hopefully Graeme will see this post and add more. I'm a sometime caretaker of a property on the eastern side of Googong Dam. Cyclists, walkers and horses and riders are no problem to the owners of the property there, if they want to join the Queanbeyan River Fire Trail by crossing the property ... but motorbikes and vehicles transgressing, watch out. If you tell a property owner that you're a bike rider ... they'll automatically thing motor bike or trail bike.

I'll find some shots of these beautiful roads that you've mentioned ... back shortly.

Warren.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby WarrenH » Fri May 29, 2015 6:13 pm

A shot from the road crossing Carkella Station.

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Downhill to the Historic Dogtrap Crossing on Esdale Road. This is the wet crossing of the Murrumbidgee River, when the river is low.

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Dog Trap Road heading towards Adnamira and the wet crossing. One of the good things about this region is that the roads are in good condition.

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The bridge at Dog Trap Crossing that links Dog Trap Road through Carkella Station to Cavan Road.

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There is sand mining on the Murrumbidgee, mid week it can be dusty. I found the drivers to be very courteous.

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A Blakelys Red Gum on Horseshoe Road.

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Glenrock Road is very good to ride, it is mostly unfenced and undulating. It links Mountain Creek Road to Cavan Road.

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Two more shots of my favourite, Sawyers Gully Road ... and the Razor Back Ridge.

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Warren.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby wellington_street » Fri May 29, 2015 9:49 pm

Fantastic shots of beautiful country. What is that on the front of your bike?

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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby KGB » Fri May 29, 2015 11:20 pm

I can't add anything useful but just wanted to say well done to warren - such great posts with awesome, detailed info and so many cool pics.

Country teen - sick of hanging out at the the skate park? Are you or were you a student of Yass High?
Image

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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby WarrenH » Sat May 30, 2015 9:36 pm

wellington_street wrote: What is that on the front of your bike?
It is a Maxxis UST tubeless 26x2.0" Larson TT or that orange box? Which is a Vaude Roadmaster 3 bar box, sporting an orange rain and dust jacket. The bar box clicks on and off with a quick release bracket. The bracket stays on the bike. The bar box is a real plus for off-road touring. I used a bike-packing bar roll, before I got the bar box, but it was lame and too inefficient.

Thanks for your nice comments.

Warren.
Last edited by WarrenH on Sat May 30, 2015 9:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.

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countryteen
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby countryteen » Sat May 30, 2015 9:40 pm

I am still a schooling but I don't go to Yass high. Never been to the skate park.
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penseleit
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby penseleit » Thu Feb 04, 2016 8:59 pm

I'm in Yass. Woild love to start. Mtb track. Get in touch. I know 5-10 othets in Yass who would join in.

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KGB
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby KGB » Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:04 pm

Pretty old thread mate. Send him a PM and you'll have a better chance of him responding.
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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby trailgumby » Thu Feb 04, 2016 9:26 pm

I'l be down in the Yass area later this year, looking to invest in some more housing once I get this reno done in Sanctuary Point.

Would be good to hook up with some locals for a ride. :) You can all laugh at my car, which is worth less than my bike ;)

PS, love the photos Warren.

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Re: Yass area MTBing

Postby Full bore » Sun Mar 20, 2016 10:16 am

WarrenH wrote:Unfortunately, there isn't any dedicated MTB single tracks, that's why I suggested the unformed roads and tracks on the TSRs as a rewarding alternative. Don't dismiss the TSR's, as not worth exploring, some of them are amazing to ride around. Particularly those on the Yass-Wee Jasper Road.

The LHPA Office in Yass, has had a name change. It is now called Local Land Services. The Rangers there are Chris Harris and Ben Serafin. They have a copy of The Long Paddock The Directory and Maps of the Travelling Stock Routes and Reserves of NSW. Maps 51 and 57 are your region, they will make photocopies for you.There are 3 TSRs within 10 klicks of Yass.

If you're not familiar with the TSRs they look like this ... http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page ... 66476&v=Pz" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is always another option, if you're really desperate for single track, close to home? Look for a hilly sheep paddock and then befriend the shepherd who lives there.



Image

Image


In this neck-of-the-bush, there are plenty of sheep moguls ... get good at doing sharp turns, they're absolutely perfect.

Image


I don't know what you'll find on the Mundoonen Range and in the Mundoonen Nature Reserve, it looks wild out there. It's about 10-12 klicks out of town on the Hume Hwy. I bet there are tracks out there to scare yourself on.

Otherwise you know where the MTB tracks in Canberra are, like the flow track at Bruce Ridge/O'Connor Ridge and the amazing variety of stuff Stromlo affords ... et al.

Here is another option. Do you or your friends know of anyone who rides motocross or supercross and has a training track on their property, which is probably mostly a single lane. The track will have berms and jumps and maybe even a rhythm section. Offering to do a bit of track maintenance will help.

Image

Image


Warren.
Hi Warren, I own Full Bore MX Park (which is now not operational and has been closed for over 5 years now) not sure what you are looking for, I still have all the Mx tracks and kms of single trail. I used to race MTB, downhill and XC, you are welcome to come and have a look and I'm open to ideas etc. contact me via email privatepropertymx@hormail.com
Cheers
Mick

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