Mullum Wanderings part II

This was to be the culmination of the whole weekend, and what I'd been planning since my first visit to Minyon Falls over a year ago. The early part of the ride passed through Mullumbimby and Repentance Creek, passing the Crystal Castle along the way. Those names indicate the type of area it is, a series of 2-4km climbs and descents, with stunning scenery all the way.





It's at Coopers Creek that the climb to Minyon Falls begins. The early part of this climb is the steepest, averaging around 11% for the first kilometre before settling down into a slightly more civilised pattern. It's only upon reaching Minyon Grass that the falls come into view. I was a little disappointed at the volume of water coming over the falls -- given the early rainfall this year. One assumes more is needed.



I opted for the walk to the base of the falls and back. Doing the full loop was an option I considered, but I had a lot to cram into this day as it was. The track passed through pretty rainforest virutally all the way, followed by a climb over some rocks to reach the falls. Typically, this was when the rain started. I managed to evade any mishaps on the rock climbs, and returned to Minyon Grass for the ride across to the top of the falls, to take in a different view.







Now the real ride began, I started with the climb to the summit of Peates Mountain, around 640 above sea level. The road was "officially" closed, but apparently few people pay any attention to this, if the tracks through the mud were any indication. The climb passed through some of the oldest rainforest in Australia, and the speed I was riding left plenty of time to take it in. There are also views to be had at the very summit if you take a short detour out on North Rocks Road.





Next came the long descent on Gibbergunyah Range Road. This is quite an interesting descent, 18km in total, passing first through the rainforest, then more open country at the bottom. A strange problem arose here -- lantana. This is a spiky weed that grows in former farming areas and tends to take over everything in it's path. When you're riding down a narrow dirt road with lantana closing in on both sides, it's possible to lose some skin without crashing. Taking one hand of the handlebars at the right time is one possible defence, but beware of having handlebars caught in the vines.





With this descent out of the way, I had a couple of options for returning home. I opted for one more ride in the rainforest, climbing the plateau again on Nightcap Range Road (probably the easiest climb of all the different approaches), before a screaming descent back to Coopers Creek, and a ride home over the rolling hills. There was, of course, the obligatory spectacular save on the descent to avoid a spectacular injury, and a nice, relaxing, pretty ride "home". 108km and over 1,900 metres of climing is all in day's work.



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I made a rather interesting discovery during the weekend. The climb that I had previously been referring to as Mt Jerusalem, isn't actually Mt Jerusalem. It passes through the Mt Jerusalem National Park, but the real climb of Mt Jerusalem is somewhere off to the South West. I will, of course, be riding the real one before the year is out, but to get back to the Gold Coast, I had to deal with the impostor.





There's something about the fourth day of a tour that makes the legs grow stronger, and makes climbs like this easier. I've actually taken longer to climb this on days when I wasn't carrying a load. I had been told I'd find a waterfall with a slight detour from the saddle at the top of the range, so being the inquisitive sort that I am, I opted to look for it. South Chowan Road plummets 100 metres in little more than a kilometre -- a nice short detour, but it would take a little longer to come back. The waterfall was easy to find, not of the spectacular "Minyon Falls" type, but very pretty nevertheless.





There is a campsite here that has potential for a few nights away later in the year. I could base myself here overnight, and spend time exploring the whole area -- assuming my back has healed sufficiently to transport a Camelbak by then. In the meantime, I had to contend with a screaming descent on wearing brake pads, a descent made more vicious by the load I still carried. The normally spectacular views to Mt Warning were obscured, but there was still plenty to see.



After this, it was all straightforward. Uki, Murwillumbah, Urliup, Bilambil and home. I absolutely scorched the section between Uki and Murwillumbah, producing the sort of performance that will probably be impossible to replicate ever again, covering it in 30 minutes with a full touring load. The ride through Urliup was pleasant as usual -- even climbing over Bilambil seemed tolerable. The 'Coast was it's usual combination of Road rage and general stupidity, but that just made me even more glad to have escaped for the weekend.



One would think that after the third "tour" in three different states throughout the year, I would be satisfied. Not so, in fact, I've already "noted" a long weekend in late April that I can use for the next adventure. That said, the images of this weekend will stay with me for a long time, a reminder that this truly is a special part of the world. Hopefully I'll find time to fully explore some of the other places I've discovered later this year.