Wilsons Promontory to Cape York by bike - Mirboo North to Aberfeldy Bridge

Day: 003
Date: Sunday, 30 July 2006
Summary: Riding from Mirboo North to the Aberfeldy Bridge Campground.
Start: Mirboo North
Finish: Aberfeldy Bridge Campground
Daily Kilometres: 103
Total Kilometres: 231
Weather: Mostly sunny with occasional strong north winds and quite cool.
Accommodation: Tent in Aberfeldy Bridge Campground in Baw Baw National Park .
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli
  Lunch:  Hamburger and chips
  Dinner:  Peanut butter roll and a block of chocolate
Encounters: None really.
Highlights: It was great to get high into the forests of the Great Dividing Range .
Lowlights: Some very long hills, some of which I had to walk.

Journal:
I could hear the wind howling outside the Yarntons all night and was a bit worried about the weather when I set out.  The wind-chill was low and I wore a beanie and extra top to keep warm.  I left soon after 7:00am with the goal of stopping in at John Duck’s, and old running friend, in Trafalgar some 30km away in time to have a cup of coffee with him before he headed up to Melbourne to go to the footy.  Since Trafalgar is down in the Latrobe Valley , I mistakenly assumed it would be an easy ride and I could make it in 60 to 90 minutes.  It turned out to be a very hilly ride through more scenic rural country, with only the last 5km downhill.  I didn’t arrive until after 9:00am, but we still managed to have a quick catch-up over coffee before they left.

I then rode via Moe to Erica which is well up in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range where I enjoyed a burger, chips and milkshake for lunch.  Like yesterday, I found myself running very low on energy in the late morning and really needed the food. The scenery was a mix of hilly rural grazing country and occasional eucalypt forest.  Revived by lunch I set out along winding forest roads to Walhalla which is a well-preserved and pretty old mining town, surviving on tourism these days, nestled in a narrow steep-sided valley.  The road to this point was mostly uphill but sealed.  After Walhalla it changed to rough gravel and occasionally became steep enough for me to walk.  I was still conscious of not overdoing it in the first few days.  The road seemed to go upwards forever, but I finally reached a ridge adjacent to Baw Baw National Park and the road turned to undulating.  I finally descended steeply along a very rough track to reach the Aberfeldy Bridge Campground shortly after 5:00pm and found I had it all to myself.  It was a pleasant campsite with tables, grassy areas and bordered the shallow Aberfeldy River .  As the sun had gone down it became very cold and I quickly put on several layers of warm clothes, erected my tent, and had a quick dinner before updating my diary and going to the warmth of my sleeping bag around 7:30pm.  The forecast is for a cold front to pass through tonight with rain and snow at higher elevations. I hope it’s not too bad for packing up in the morning.  I’m sure it’s going to be very cold regardless.