The Australian Bicentennial National Trail

[Leigh_caines]

Today as I sat down town having a coffee a guy {who I’ve seen around but don’t know} sat down and started talking
He told me he was part of the 300 volunteers who try to keep this Trail going/alive
He said that the Horse riders were a big group and that a lot of them would like the trail to be for horse riders alone and not walkers or MTB riders
He went on to say “I know you are into bike and I wonder if you could get bike riders interested “

Now I thought to myself that that sounds like a tall order for an old cripple like me, I am into bike riding of all types but am not one who’s into ‘meeting’ or ‘groups’
But I do like the idea that the ‘Trail’ is there and open for bike riders to use. And I have being thinking that I’d get a mate or two together and ride one of the section next year sometime [maybe Jenolan Caves to Kosciusko]

I told him I’d give it some thought
So anyone got any ideas on how to get MTB riders interested?
It seems that if they can get more clubs or groups interested they would have more members and be able to get more ‘fed funding’ {they don’t seem to get anything at the moment and the 300 volunteers just do what they can].

Any ideas?

[L'iota]

The BNT has some great riding possibilities. I have done a 4WD reconnaissance from the Qld border almost to the Vic border to check the route viability and ridable alternatives. I have ridden from Nowendoc to Nullo Mtn (about 300 km) and done day rides and out and backs on several other parts. I am very interested in doing more. On our trip we used a 4WD with a box trailer fitted with a lid and 5 bike 'Toast rack' on top of the lid. One person drove while the other 3 rode and we stopped for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea after about 1 hr riding of about 15 to 20 km and changed drivers. So we each rode for about 3 hrs and 45 to 60 kms. If it was too hard in places for some they simply put their bike on the rack and swapped or jumped in with the driver. Food and camping gear was carried in the trailer. We had hardtail MTB's and some had a change of wheels with nobblies on one set and slicks on the other (some sections are sealed). We are members of the BNT. It was a very memorable experience.
L'iota

[L'iota]

The BNT has some great riding possibilities. I have done a 4WD reconnaissance from the Qld border almost to the Vic border to check the route viability and ridable alternatives. I have ridden from Nowendoc to Nullo Mtn (about 300 km) and done day rides and out and backs on several other parts. I am very interested in doing more. On our trip we used a 4WD with a box trailer fitted with a lid and 5 bike 'Toast rack' on top of the lid. One person drove while the other 3 rode and we stopped for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea after about 1 hr riding of about 15 to 20 km and changed drivers. So we each rode for about 3 hrs and 45 to 60 kms. If it was too hard in places for some they simply put their bike on the rack and swapped or jumped in with the driver. Food and camping gear was carried in the trailer. We had hardtail MTB's and some had a change of wheels with nobblies on one set and slicks on the other (some sections are sealed). We are members of the BNT. It was a very memorable experience.
L'iota

[colcam]

(first post)

I hope to do from mittagong to wombeyan caves then tarago and on to canberra on it, before it gets to hot.

currently am running 1.5 road(ish) tyres on my XC (mainly used for commuting and weekend forays) with which i did the Canberra to Sydney run a couple of weeks back on the highway/backroads (about 270km, took 16hrs).

provided the tracks not to rough.

anyone been on this section?

i think its a great idea promote it, although its hard to find the trail guide books(a portent of things to come, perhaps)

regards
Col

[L'iota]

G'day Colcam
Mittagong to Wombeyan Caves was a bit rough surface a few years ago when I did it in my 4WD, but I've heard that it is better now. This section has some long steep climbs and would be the toughest part of the trip. From Richlands to Canberra the roads are mostly dirt but generally with a reasonably good surface. There is a few kilometres of basalt clay surface in the Mt Rae to Willigam Hill area (Map 5 BNT Guidebook) which could be slippery in the wet. The 1.5 tyres should be fine. There are several sections of sealed roads along the way. On reaching the outskirts of Canberra at Gungahlin (Map 12 top right) the BNT follows horse trails which in places are not good. My suggestion (which worked for me) was to get a detailed street map of Canberra and follow the many good cycleways. Make sure your map has the street names on it as it is very easy to take a wrong turn and get lost. You can quickly relocate yourself if you see a street name and then find it on the map. You will be able to choose your own route through Canberra or find your stopping point using the cycleways or, using the cycleway detail follow a route close to the BNT around the perimeter of Canberra if that is your wish. For the detail of the BNT route you will need 'BNT Guidebook No.5: Jenolan Caves to Yaouk', available from the BNT. PM me if you need more detail. Enjoy the great view overlooking Lake George at the marked lookout midway Map 10. Have a great trip as this is one of the best sections to ride on the BNT in NSW.
L'iota

[WarrenH]

Leigh and Col G'day. If you order the Guide Books which are readily available from the BNT Association, allow a longer period of time (about 2 weeks extra) for posting than you will see advised on the site.

The BNT was originally the National Horse Trail. The original Trail in NSW is difficult but doable, with portage and pack rafts. Not everyone is hard core or has the time (for places like Demon Creek in the Washpool Wilderness, Guy Fawkes Wilderness and Rocky Creek in the Mann Wilderness), on the BNT site alternate routes are suggested for the difficult parts.

A couple of posts have been put on Rotorburn recently by Spoon Boy and by me for Jenolan to Canberra, from post #226 onwards, don't miss looking at Spoonies links as well ... http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthr ... %29/page23

I've done several other sections in NSW, including from North Canberra (Mulligan's Flat) down to 15 Mile Ridge and further to Keeble's Hut. A side trip into Jagungal (Jagungal is possibly the best MTB ride one can do in SE OZ, I think) is fully recommended. I'm thinking if you do start at Jenolan, perhaps you might even consider starting further north at Aberdeen so you get to do Bells Gap, the extraordinary Phipps Cutting (on the historic old road) north of Widden. At Myrtle Creek there is Keith's Lookout then down to the Gardens of Stone up Baal Bone Gap then onto Jenolan. I've included that section because once you finish the Great Divide Fire Trail off Mounts Werong and Chalker, it is then all rural riding (through extremely beautiful open woodland country though) into Canberra. Just something to think about if bush touring appeals mostly.

Some posts that I put on MTBR, post #8 ... http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=559593

Posts #2 and #8 ... http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=593448

Also, there are many BNT images on my DA site ... http://wildwassa.deviantart.com/

Warren.

[colcam]

thanks for the info guys...

much appreciated...

(posting from work and the network won't let me post a long response, it gags)

[Leigh_caines]

Warren
Yeah some real nice pics and some good info…thanks
Photos like those fire up the blood and make one want to get out there and go

No one (me as well) has come up with any ideas on
>>
So anyone got any ideas on how to get MTB riders interested?
It seems that if they can get more clubs or groups interested they would have more members and be able to get more ‘fed funding’ {they don’t seem to get anything at the moment and the 300 volunteers just do what they can].

Any ideas? <<

[WarrenH]

So anyone got any ideas on how to get MTB riders interested?

I do!

Ride the BNT and put a post about what you did and found, here on ACF, on Rotorburn and on 'crazyguy'. 'crazyguyonabike' is an archive for touring journals.

There are not that many bike-packing mountain bikers who commit to long-distance off road touring and it helps to know what others have done. It costs a small fortune to seriously kit-out and stay out on something like the BNT.

A guy in the US has a blog where he has costed long-distance off-road touring on several major national trails. His figures were something like $1.78US per mile minimum to $5 per mile maximum on days when he needed accommodation. He is a retired person so he didn't include a loss of salary in his accounting. I find the guy's figure(s) well in keeping with what I spend and where does one find accommodation on 95% the BNT? ... I'm close to being self sufficient, for accommodation, water filtration, food processing (dehydrating and vacuum sealing food) and off-road touring still remains extremely expensive.

When the US bloke crossed the US east to west on the Continental Divide Trail he wrote that it cost him and his wife something like $15,000 ... with accommodation when they needed it. My best tip is before you commit to the BNT be prepared for what it costs. It is a great way to spend the bucks unexpectedly. I can assure anyone who might be starting out and thinking about being self-sufficient/self-reliant on a trail like the BNT, being self-reliant is not cheap. Long gone are the days when the simple bushman's holiday was looked down on as being a poor man's holiday.

In the Northern Rivers District of New South Wales, there is now a fee of $25 a day to camp on the Travelling Stock Routes and in the Travelling Stock Reserves, if one follows any of the alternate bike routes.

The BNT has an amazing back door into Kosciuszko.








Warren.

[Leigh_caines]

Never thought of it in ‘$s per mile’ terms just ‘how much a week to stay on the road’
But looking back over some of my ‘on road’ trips looks like $1 or more a mile is about right. Not counting the cost of bike and gear.
{I think in terms of 400 a week for on the road and then air fares to the start and the cost of getting home) (I am going riding to have ‘fun’ so don’t try and go on the cheep)

But doing the full trail is a big one and would take some planning
To say nothing of what to do about the Mob back home
I can see doing bits of it each year not the lot at once, but you have me thinking.

But you are right… the more people that ride it and write about it the better.