FLINDERS RANGES BIKE TOUR EASTER 2009 - PART 2

by Chopper Bob and Loris

It was on this section that I felt Loris's helmet bang into the back of mine. I couldn't believe it, she had gone to sleep so we pulled up in a creek bed, lay her jacket under a gum tree and she had 30 mins sleep. Talk about relaxed. I wasn't sure whether to be flattered because she trusts my riding implicitly or miffed because she was bored. Anyway, after a kip and a drink she was ready to go again. Hmm! she looked all nice and warm and desirable under that gum tree... maybe I should have... oh never mind!

We continued on to the T-junction, just north of Wilpena and rode about 5 km down the bitumen to the turn off to Sacred Canyon. I have wanted to visit here for some time as there are Aboriginal rock chippings and ochre paintings to see. I work with indigenous people in the oil and gas fields and have an interest in their art, ceremonies and dreaming; so I wanted to make the short 15 km ride to their site.

What a grotty little track it was. They obviously do not encourage travellers to visit their site. A mixture of big corrugations, sharp rocks and, just to keep me honest, bloody vicious little washaways which if hit at speed would in all likelihood rip the front end off. Or at least buckle a rim.

Despite the track we made it to where vehicles had to be abandoned and enjoyed the short walk through the canyon to the chippings and paintings. I am glad we made the effort to travel to this place but in all honesty I have seen a lot better sites up north and would not bother to go there again considering the state of the track.

Sacred Canyon

From Sacred Canyon we backtracked up the poor excuse for a track to the bitumen, then rode to Wilpena for a drink and refuel. There is no fuel available at Blinman and we needed return fuel for our homeward journey.

It was then back to Blinman via the excellent bitumen ride and back onto the dirt for the 25 km to Blinman. I had found my dirt legs by then and with the right tyre pressures we enjoyed a spirited ride back to Blinman, er, maintaining the speed limit of course!

That night turned out to be enjoyable at the pub with our new found Land Rover friends supplying the entertainment. Oh yeah, we were forced to drink again as well.

Next morning Loris and I both pulled up a bit sore so we decided to have a day off the bike and do some local exploring. Blinman was originally built because of the copper mining activity to the north of the town. The mine is still there and is well worth a visit. Unfortunately the underground tunnel had suffered a cave in and was closed to visitors but we spent a good two hours wandering around the mine on the surface. It never ceases to amaze me how tough those miners were around the turn of the century. It was tough, hard work and the local cemetery bears testament to the short life spans of the unfortunate souls who toiled in the nearby mines. Given the remoteness of the town at the turn of the century, even a broken leg would have been a death sentence as medical help was at least 2 weeks away. They were tough men supported by even tougher women who gave them comfort and bore their children, many of whom made premature departures from this life, which is also chronicled on the cemetery headstones.

Blinman - a town with a hundred year old copper mine

After a quiet night and a check over of the bike it was time to pack up and head south. We enjoyed our time in Blinman and vowed to return at a later date.

We departed at 0630 and rode yet again that lovely strip of dirt and bitumen down to Wilpena. A little more sedate this time as the wildlife at that time of day was lurking around most corners and in the creek beds just biding their time to turn our fantastic ride into a heart stopping moment.

As we came down off the range the temperature plummeted to below 10 degrees so we stopped at the Wilpena turnoff to insert the inner liners into our jackets. Wouldn't you know it, less than 10 km later the temperature was back to 22 degrees so once we got to our refuel point at Hawker, out came the liners again.

This time we travelled a different way to the Clare Valley going via Quorn, Willmington, Melrose, Gladstone and to our overnight stop, again at Leasingham. We arrived in the region with enough time to visit a couple of favourite wineries and have them send a couple of boxes of wine to our home in Port Noarlunga. It would have been easy to get home that day normally, but being Easter Monday, we had no desire to get caught up in the traffic mêlée which always occurs at this time of year. Instead of fighting the traffic we went to the Auburn pub and enjoyed a good meal and a nice bottle of Shiraz.

Well, that's about it. We arrived home safe and sound with no scratches, dents or speeding tickets.

Ergo, a successful ride.

We are hopeless though, we are already planning the next ride. Why don't you come with us? All you need is a bike, some luggage, a sense of adventure and a bloody good sense of humour. Oh, and it helps if you like a glass of wine.

Loris gets a rosy glow as the shiraz settles