Launch to Powelly Pub. MTB Fat Gravel Loop. 60km, 1200vm, hard.
Details
Launching Place to Powelltown loop. Pub lunch. Pub finish. Car based.
Tall forests. Fern gullies. Historic timber town & hidden sites. Lake. Waterfall. Autumnal vineyards. Valley views. Hills (see ride profile). Photos form part of ride description.
60km, 1200vm. Hard. Hilly. NOT for beginners.
60% good gravel, 10% sealed, 10% coarser gravel / unsealed, 10% steeper fireline track, 10% walking / single track.
Suitable for off-roadworthy XC MTB or all-terrain / gravel bikes with min. 2.00”/ 50C semi-knobby tyres preferred. Good FITNESS, fair PACE, & off-road skills essential. Carry your own tools & spares, and know how to use them, plus snacks & water.
Parking 8.30am behind the old Launching Place general store (closed), just past the pub. We’ll warm up with a short 3km ride to RED RELISH Cafe in Yarra Junction (2465 Warburton Hwy, near traffic lights, backs onto railtrail) for coffee. The ride proper leaves the cafe at 9.30am SHARP.
We follow Britannia Creek, climbing into the forest, passing the caves, and stopping to check out some old, hidden wood drying kilns along the way.
Joining Mt Bride Road at an old mill sawdust heap, we continue winding up and on to the closed Big Bertha Fireline Track, which then rapidly descends 400m in 5kms! There are a couple of short, 15-20% declines with water bars (slippery when wet), so good brakes, tyre grip & descending skills are essential!
We get onto the Reid’s Tramline Walk through a cool, damp, temperate rainforest gully (expect a few leeches), and into Powelly for a well deserved lunch break! (see menu in pics).
After lunch, we cruise out along ‘blowfly alley’, past a recent fuel reduction burn, & onto the undulating Torbets Road. Time depending, we might take a quick sidetrack to view a lake, and maybe another to a waterfall, then past vineyards and orchards and hilly, scenic backroads & tracks to the finish at the Launch Pub (about 100m from the parked car start).
Route here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42283662
Now the usual club stuff:
“RIDE REGISTRATION FORM Preferably it is to be completed when you RSVP, but no later than the day before the ride. It can be found at https://www.mbtc.org.au/registration-forms-rider. WATER It's your responsibility to check the temperature and distance for the day and carry an appropriate amount of water. When riding outside suburbia remember that carrying too much water is better than not enough as the distances between water availability may vary greatly from the planned route due to road closures or other unforeseen circumstances. Check your app for any changes the day before a the ride, as the ride may be cancelled in the event of extreme weather or other unforeseen circumstances. If you cannot make it to the ride please change your RSVP to 'NO' at least one day before the ride day. This ride is for MBTC club members, or those who have not yet done 3 days riding with us. To join our club check out https://www.mbtc.org.au/membership When I RSVP for this event/activity I acknowledge that the activity of bicycle riding can be dangerous and that I may suffer loss or injury or death and I agree that in consideration of my participation in any event conducted by the MBTC that I will absolve from liability the MBTC, its officers, and any event organiser from all claims, demands, or suits whether for personal injury or property loss suffered whether by negligence or breach of contract or otherwise, save for any right I may have pursuant to the Australian Consumer law. I acknowledge that photos may be taken of me during MBTC rides and social events, and that it is club practice that these photos will be published on Meetup, Facebook, and the club website. I will notify the ride leader and other riders if I wish to not be photographed. MBTC cannot guarantee that my photo will not be published and will promptly honour requests to be removed from MBTC controlled sites .”