Tallarook to Warburton July 2012

[KenGS]

I'm planning a small tour for the first week of July with thecaptn. The plan is to take the train from Melbourne to Tallarook then follow the new rail trail to Alexandra then on road to Thornton, Taggerty, Marysville and Warburton. Then take the rail trail to Lilydale and train back to Melbourne.
We'll be camping in tents at caravan parks in Yea, Thornton, Marysville and Warburton and aim to eat most evening meals in pubs at those places.
Not exactly an epic journey compared to some in these forums. Each day is a fairly short ride and overall it's not very hilly.
Just looking for any input on things to watch for especially as regards road conditions that time of year. I've heard that the Acheron Way can get snowed in even though its only at 800 odd metres and the road can be slippery. Is that likely? Should we instead go around through Reefton Spur to get to Warburton
Are the roads around Marysville a problem with people visiting Lake Mountain? We'll be travelling mid-week.

[il padrone]

A great tour idea...... but best for an early autumn tour I reckon.

The Acheron Way would be much better than Reefton Spur. Reefton Spur is much steeper and higher, more likely to get snow dumps up there. The surface of the Acheron Way is very good and should be quite OK even in winter. However it will be wet and damp along there in July.

For a similar type of July tour I'd recommend going further north and riding the Murray to Montains Trail to Beechworth and Bright. We did it one year in July with the kids - photos are here. We had cold but sunny winter days. It rained every night on us, but we were happily esconced in our caravan park cabins at each town we stayed in. Too cold for camping at that time for the family.

[WestcoastPete]

I read this plan out to those in my household and their eyes glazed with wanderlust and I was inspired.

I love the idea of these simple trips in our own backyards...

[KenGS]

Thanks for the input folks. We don't mind the cold or a bit of wet - it's a part of the adventure and we are prepared for that. The main worry was if the road was impassable that time of year due to deep snow or boggy mud. But sounds like the Acheron Way should be all right. Worst case scenario if it too muddy is that we bug out back to Marysville or Narbethong and call in the recovery vehicle (the missus) as I'm not keen on riding over Black Spur.

[Uncle Just]

From my experience of riding the AW it's the flatter ridgeline section to Cement Creek that can get quite muddy after rain. Tyre choice will assist here but it's only a short section. I've ridden the Black Spur a few times but not recently. If as you say you're going mid week it will be better than weekends as the boy racer motorbikes aren't so prevalent.

+1 to Pete's suggestion for a NE tour or training it to Wang and riding the back roads to Beechworth, Rutherglen, Yacka and back via Stanley to Wang. At that time of year anywhere inland will be quite cold overnight but you are more likely to get some sunny days up that way than around Melbourne's hilly hinterland.

[KenGS]

From my experience of riding the AW it's the flatter ridgeline section to Cement Creek that can get quite muddy after rain. Tyre choice will assist here but it's only a short section. I've ridden the Black Spur a few times but not recently. If as you say you're going mid week it will be better than weekends as the boy racer motorbikes aren't so prevalent.

I'll be on Vittoria Randonneur Cross 44mm while thecaptn will be on (I think) Marathon ??? 38mm. If we get a lot of rain prior to getting to Marysville we also have the option to return to Tallarook. Luckily on a short trip like this it's not very far to anywhere.

[Mike Ayling]

I'm planning a small tour for the first week of July with thecaptn. The plan is to take the train from Melbourne to Tallarook then follow the new rail trail to Alexandra then on road to Thornton, Taggerty, Marysville and Warburton. Then take the rail trail to Lilydale and train back to Melbourne.
We'll be camping in tents at caravan parks in Yea, Thornton, Marysville and Warburton and aim to eat most evening meals in pubs at those places.

The camping ground at Molesworth has a pub 500 metres away and during the Labour Day was $16 per night for a tent site.

Not exactly an epic journey compared to some in these forums. Each day is a fairly short ride and overall it's not very hilly.
Just looking for any input on things to watch for especially as regards road conditions that time of year. I've heard that the Acheron Way can get snowed in even though its only at 800 odd metres and the road can be slippery. Is that likely? Should we instead go around through Reefton Spur to get to Warburton
Are the roads around Marysville a problem with people visiting Lake Mountain? We'll be travelling mid-week.

I believe the Acheron Way to be an easier climb than Reefton. Some of the road markings there (Reefton) are yellow instead of white to make them visible under snow.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page ... 71909&v=1G

If there is snow there may well be mid week school parties in coaches.

Enjoy your ride.

Mike

[Riddley]

Acheron Way is a lovely ride. Stop to rug up before the descent, it is a fast and chilly run. Turn left at the bttom for the caravan park.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1 ... =7192&v=17

[KenGS]

Acheron Way is a lovely ride. Stop to rug up before the descent, it is a fast and chilly run.

Thanks for the reminder. So easy to forget after chugging uphill for so long. I wonder how I can plug that into the Garmin?

[Uncle Just]

Was out that way today for a long ride but not on the AW. We came up Don Road to Pantons Gap and climbed the temporarily closed gravel road to just below the Donna Buang Summit. Coming down to Warburton was bluddy freezing in the shaded sections particularly from Cement Creek. I'm normally a confident descender but today I had to back off despite all the layers of clothing and due to the amount of debris, mud and newly laid seal on sections of the road. Take care during winter as some parts never see the sun and can be very slippery. Have a great trip wherever you go.

[KenGS]

Just returned from our tour so a short report before doing a full writeup on CGOAB.
Started with a lot of rain for the ride to the station to get into town. Caught the train from Southern Cross to Tallarook and watched as the rain cleared. Got a bit lost in Tallarook looking for the trail start then got on our way.The track was rather soft and made it hard going. Overnight at Yea where we were surprised by how much the river rose overnight - almost to the top of the levee bank keeping our tents dry. I also came down with a bad cold. Continued on the GVHCT to Alexandra with only a bit of rain as we descended into the town - the last rain for the trip. From there took to the road to Thornton which was a welcome relief. Day 3 on road again through Taggerty and Buxton to Marysville. A good shoulder on the Maroondah Hwy made it an easy ride. Marysville was COLD and my tent iced up. Day 4 descended from Marysville to the Acheron Way. The sun was shining and the Acheron Way was in fine condition. The only dodgy bits came after the gap and descent to Cement Creek where there were some short muddy sections and bike unfriendly pothole repairs with big sharp rocks. We rugged up for the descent to Warburton but still froze but it was still fun although not as fast as on the road bike.
Warburton was also a bit chilly but we had light winds and a bit of sunshine for the final leg to Lilydale on the rail trail. Train back to Camberwell then a ride home on various trails.
A couple of new bits of kit were in use: Second Arrow tent worked well once I worked out how to set it up properly. Exped ultralight downmat was a winner
Edit:
Also used a Vittoria Randonneur Pro on the front after replacing my rear Vittoria Randonneur Cross which lasted only 9000ks and got holed by a chunk of glass after the wear indicator was well and truly visible causing a slow leak in the tube.

[KenGS]

Report up on CGOAB:
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=1 ... 10988&v=3a

[footloose]

Ken, enjoyed the writeup of your ride and was pleased to read that the chicken soup in Warburton did the trick for your cold. I'll have to remember that place. : )
That's a neat idea, putting the map at the end of each days report, it's better than flipping between the writeup and Google Maps to keep track.
You mentioned that the newly laid granitic sand was still soft when wet, would it be fair to say that it will have hardened nicely by the end of Spring as it dries up as it sounds like it wasn't rolled and compacted after being laid?
It will probably still be showing your wheel ruts. : )

[KenGS]

I guess the condition of the track is going to depend on how wet it is over spring. It probably needs a fair bit of dry weather, a lot more traffic and some patching up to bring it up to scratch.