Jordans Crossing Gazette

Fling yourself – Five rides around Bundy We’re so lucky to live in such a fine part of the world for riding bikes, whether on-road, off-road or mixing the two. Regular local riders, of which there are hundreds, will well know the best places to ride, their favourite circuits and well- timed coffee stops. Here follows some ideas for new riders, young riders, or those new to town. 1 - Lookouts of Morton National Park 12km, Easy. An easy ride on mainly good dirt roads checking out some of the spectacular lookouts in Morton NP. Ride down Church St turning right after 80 metres into Gullies Rd (continuing straight leads down the very steep Constitution Hill). This dirt road descends to a T-junction at the base of Constitution Hill. Turn right and follow the road into Morton NP at Gambells Rest (toilets/ water). No entry fee for cyclists! The ride now follows single lane dirt roads in a loop around the park – watch out for lyrebirds and wallabies. 1.2 km after entering the park you come to an intersection. Head left to continue past Grand Canyon and Sunrise lookouts. Soon you’ll have completed the loop back to Gambells Rest. The brave and the fit will accept the challenge of climbing Constitution Hill; most will turn left to climb back up the easier angled Gullies Rd. 2 - Bridge to Bridge and beyond 11 km, Moderate. A full loop taking in the extremities of the village via two railway bridges. Head east along Railway Parade past all the shops and after 2km, just before you leave the village, turn left into Erith St across the railway bridge. Once across the bridge turn immediately right into a dirt track and take the left fork. After 80 metres turn left into an unmarked track. The start of the track is very narrow and begins just a few metres before the gatepost of “Corinda Grange”. This, Blue Gum Road, soon improves to a sealed road. Continue on to turn left into Ellsmore Rd then right into Old Wingello Road. 1.3 kms down Old Wingello Road, the major road swings right to become Ferndale Road but you take the minor road to the left, a continuation of Old Wingello Road. This soon becomes a descending dirt track to a T junction. Turn left onto the dirt Quarry Road which winds along to cross your second railway bridge to reach Penrose Rd. Turn left, enjoy a brief climb, and then cruise back into the centre of the village. 3 - Ferndale/Old Argyle/Ellsmore Circuit 18km, Moderate. A very enjoyable ride on generally quiet country roads. Head across the pedestrian level crossing at the railway station and follow Ellsmore Rd for 1.4km to a T-junction. Turn left and up and down with pretty rural views before turning left into Cornwall Rd and right into Westgrove Rd. Head left onto Sallys Corner Rd at the T-intersection and after a short distance turn right to sample the wines of St Maur or left into Old Argyle Rd. Follow this tree lined road on dirt for 3km which then becomes the sealed Ferndale Rd at a sharp left hand corner. From here enjoy a long downhill before the road undulates back into Bundanoon. 4 - Stingray Swamp 18km, Moderate An introduction to mountain biking with a swim at the end perhaps. From the shops, cross over the railway line, go straight ahead then turn into Old Wingello Rd. 3.5km from the start, the road dips down and turns sharp right before climbing up to another sharp right turn after some 5km. Here the main road turns to dirt. Turn left here onto a lesser track and follow this very rough, sometimes rocky track. After 3km keep your eyes peeled for a couple of old gateposts amongst some large concrete blocks. Turn in here and ride down to a large billabong: always cool, always refreshing in summer. Retrace your route back to Bundy. 5 - Wingello State Forest MTB Trails Various distances and grades An amazing network of purpose-built and signposted mountain bike trails If you have mountain bikes then it’s more than worthwhile throwing them on your car and heading to Wingello State Forest, 21km from Bundanoon. Park at the Forest Camp trailhead. Here arrows will guide you onto loops of various distances – Brown (12km), Orange (12km), Pink (18km), Red (24km) – which snake through the forest on purpose built singletrack renowned for its flow and scenic nature. Enjoy! Now just imagine how good it would be to have a safe off-road bike track for kids close to town. Somewhere like Bundanoon Oval perhaps. Now there’s an idea... — Huw Kingston day breaks Cycle tracks in Wingello State Forest – Juanita Manahan December 2017 30 jcg