Sydney to Melbourne BNT by MTB - Day 003 - Jenolan Caves to Crookwell

Day:  003
Date:  Wednesday, 10 November 2004
Start:  Jenolan Caves
Finish:  Crookwell
Daily Kilometres:  150
Total Kilometres:  440
Accommodation:  Hotel room
Nutrition:
  Breakfast:  Muesli
  Lunch:  Bread and peanut butter
  Dinner:  Hotel counter tea
Animals Seen:  Kangaroos, echidnas, platypus

Journal:
I got up at 6:00am and left Jenolan Caves soon after 7:00am.  It was drizzling slightly and quite coldalthough I soon took off my Goretex as I struggled walking up the 5km of steep road out of Jenolan Caves.  At the top it was quite alpine and very foggy.  I began riding again and soon turned south along a gravel road. The road was surprisingly good but I was apprehensive about what the roads ahead would be like and hadn't finally decided what route to take.

The roads crossed a mix of alpine grazing land, pine forests and snowgum forests.  It was easy to believe that it snowed up here in winter.  Somehow I missed a turn I meant to make and ended up on Drogheda Forest Road.  It was going in the right direction, but I wasn't sure where it would end up.  There was some traffic including a few logging trucks to which I gave a wide berth.  I recognised a cross road and took it with the aim of getting onto the Oberon-Goulburn Road but at one of the final turns met a minibus of prisoners being driven by a friendly guard who said I couldn't go the planned route because the road led to the prison.  They suggested continuing along another road and I eventually reached the Werong gate to the Blue Mountains National Park.  There was a map which seemed to indicate that the Bicentennial National Trail route would be OK (I was planning to avoid it).

I headed into the National Park and didn't see anyone until I exited 40km later.  It was a great wilderness trail and for the latter part followed the Great Dividing Range ridge at around 1000m.  There were some tough hills, but it wasn't as bad as expected and the views and forests were great.  Before the ridge I stopped at the abandoned Mt Weong homestead/picnic area for lunch.  A bit surreal.

From the mountains I emerged into grazing country which was very green and scenic.  There were still tough hills but I made good time despite some bad chafing (lots of Vaseline).  I stopped at Taralga at 4:00pm for an ice-cream and then turned west for Crookwell where I arrived at 7:00pm and checked into a basic room at a hotel.  I had a counter tea there and went to bed at 10:00pm.