Day 3: 75km, 1700m. Gnar.
Red. Blue. Creaturetarianism.
The morning pre-dawn patrol has us up to
greet the sunrise. The rays burst through
the clouds, shedding light onto a much-
photographed little tree precariously attached
to the seaside rocks. We consider day three:
75 km and 1700m. On paper this seems almost
a rest day, but numbers can be misleading.
For me this was the toughest, yet possibly most
rewarding day of the ride.
The ride from St Helens to Mathinna through
the Huntsmans Cap Forest Reserve was by far
the most remote riding of the trip. This is off-grid
gravel at its best, the only signs of human
habitation the thin wisps of smoke from the
logging coupes on the horizon. The surface
deteriorates as the roads push further into the
bush; we and our bikes begin to feel truly beat
up. We crest the final hill of the day and are
greeted with a view worth all the day’s pain. The
road improves rapidly as we bomb our way to
The Creech in the fading light of the day.
The fire is roaring in the outdoor lounge, the
spirited kelpies Red and Blue and rehomed
greyhound sisters Ginny and Lola greet us. This
is The Creech, run by Justin and Sharyn as a
farm accommodation concept of horses, food
and uninterrupted landscapes of forests, rivers
and mountains on the doorstep. We follow
smoke from behind one of the many inviting
buildings to find Justin cooking dinner, a side
of lamb racked over an open fire pit -- “total
food miles: 50m paddock to plate.” Later
discussions with Sharyn had us considering
the sustainability of the meal, which could
be considered 'creaturetarian.' What do
we know about the food we eat? Did the
creature live a happy stress-free life? Couldwe have encountered another 'spirit,' the non-
physical part of a being or entity, its essences,
emotions, character or soul? The evening is
whittled away chatting with our hosts by the
fire, scratching the ears of the dogs as they
share themselves around.Day 4: 105km, 2200m. Frost. Ben
Lomond. Last stop for biscuits.
The morning comes cold, white cold. Frost
is removed from the contact points of the
bikes. We are rolling early trying to keep any
extremities not required covered. Coming
home strong is expected on a day that
includes Ben Lomond and the iconic gravel
switchbacks of Jacob’s Ladder. Getting there
takes us through another warren of remote
gravel roads, including a descent to our
morning tea which can only be described as
a dirt roller coaster. It has you battling with
yourself -- “go faster go faster...shit that’s too
fast am I going to make that corner?” The Ben
and the Ladder greet us with perfect autumn
conditions and sinuous champagne gravel.
The 18km climb to the lookout never fails to
hurt but for today at least the view from the top
back down the Ladder makes it all worthwhile.
Spread out before us is the balance of the
ride back into Evandale on the smooth rolling
gravel of Sawpit road. The final kilometres flow
by as we reflect four days of riding in near-
perfect conditions. We were lucky to have
experienced the North East at its very best.
Spirit can mean different things, but I think
this ride might well be all of these rolled into
one. In the end I cannot say I am closer to
a conclusion; I can only suggest that you
experience it for yourself -- what is the Spirit of
Gravel for you?paddocks and forests in all directions, waiting
to be discovered by curious gravel grinders.
Just beyond Derby we roll into the beautiful
Mutual Valley on one of these many roads and
our accommodation for the night at the Derby
Forest Cabins. We settle in for the night around
an open pit fire, tired but content with our day.
Day 2: 80km, 1500m.
Fog. Falls. Fish and chips.
The world’s shortest swim.
A thick fog covers us like a blanket as we set
off. The layers go on and we head off into the
early morning. The day’s 80km and 1500m of
climbing provides a slight reprieve as we make
our way from Ringarooma to the coast through
an area I have passed frequently and often
wondered about, Mt Victoria and Ralphs Falls.
The steady climb out of town in the fog provides
an eerie backdrop as we hit Ralph Falls which
at over 90m is the highest single drop falls in
Tasmania. After a quick stop for a hot beverage
we lose all our gain and more on a series of
long descents and short climbs as we descend
toward the east coast. One good thing about
fog is that when it burns off you are promised a
great day and as we roll onto the rolling quartz
gravel roads of the region we are greeted with
stunning blue skies. We decide to push through
hard for a late lunch and find ourselves in St
Helens in time for fish and chips on the wharf.
From here it is a flat 10km roll on the only
sealed road we had seen all day to our
destination, the Bay of Fires. Bay of Fires is so
named not after the ruddy lichen on its granite
rock but because of the fires of the Aboriginals
spotted by Tobias Furneaux as he sailed past
in 1773. It is mid-May but the white sand and
saltwater is too good to resist. We endure the
shortest swim in history and then stand and take
in the scene as our legs relax in the chilly water.
Our accommodation for the night is with
good friends Tom and Anna at the Bay of Fires
Bush Retreat. I stay with these guys regularly, but
I still never tire of arriving at their place. We settle
into the bunk house; beer in hand in the dying
light of the day we each wander in our own
direction either exploring our accommodation
or grabbing a well-deserved hot shower, smiles
all around. The 'spirit' of this place is not lost on
any of us; all agreeing the accommodation is
on point and an experience in its own right.
That evening we slip into St Helens to catch
up with the World Trail Crew at The Social.
The beer is cold, the menu concise and tasty
and the company friendly as we discuss the
construction of the St Helens trails, the next
big development for mountain biking in this
region. Imagining the 40km link through from
the Derby trails at Blue Tier to the beach at Bay
of Fires, my mind wanders dreaming of the
possibilities of adventure.
THE SPIRIT OF GRAVELThe lodgings were a perfect
blend of nature and comfort.