The challenge was on! Kylie and Matthew were going to run through Woodlands and I was to find them on my bike. NedKellyChase style. http://www.nedkellychase.com.au/events/ ; and if you’re looking for a bush setting to do it, there’s no better (outside of Glenrown itself I suppose) than Woodlands Homestead in Greenvale.
I set off early as it was a perfect day for a ride. Still, warm, maybe a bit humid. Still a bit unseasonal for April in Melbourne. It had bucketed down the night before, so I was slightly apprehensive that the trails would be mud, but the rain had just settled a lot of the trail surface. I thought I had Buckley’s chance of finding them. The planets had to align for me to time my ride with the pace and location of their run, but that wasn’t really the point.
The trail alongside Attwood Creek (otherwise known as the Broad St Drain) gives an early taste of
what’s in store in Woodlands. It has that affect on you; that thought of “how good is this so close to home”. The path heads through Attwood and through the village of Westmeadows where it meets the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail. Passing both of the Westmeadows Sporting Grounds and under Mickleham Rd, you follow the path straddling Westmeadows and Cambridge Gardens, veer right, cross Moonee Ponds Creek, over a gate, ride uphill and through another gate and into the historic park. This section you’ve just come through is the most boring scenery of the trail and in someway the most frustrating. Covered with crushed rock it grabs at your back wheel in such a way that you harder you push, the more it bites back.
Good for a workout, but not great if you’re in a hurry to make a rendezvous. The scenic bush setting returns as soon as you head through the dodgy looking concrete culvert, after which the path presents two options.
A hard burn uphill towards Gellibrand Hill or a slow ascent, continuing on the creek path, towards the Homestead. Today’s ride I followed the bike path, more or less following the creek itself. More often than not, mobs of kangaroos are near both sides of the path as you getting closer to the Homestead. If you’re into horses and enjoy the scent of horse manure, you couldn’t be in a better place as you ride around the front of the homestead itself and between the paddocks of the Living Legends.
Personally, I enjoy the slightly out of control descent towards Oaklands Junction Rd before the steady incline on bush tracks alongside the creek heading towards the picnic area and across Providence Rd. The track is of varying width and degrees of difficulty, depending on how wet it is and how many ant nests you want to avoid. Go too fast and you’re in danger of taking a spill.
Once across Providence Rd, the path opens into grassland and peters out as you wander through Greenvale Recreation Reserve and onto Section Rd for the chance to increase your average pace rushing downhill via Mickelham Rd and Attwood Creek Bike Paths.
This is an enjoyable 22 km ride on varying surfaces best suited to mountain or sports bikes. Unfortunately today I didn’t see any kangaroos, maybe due to it being mid-afternoon or maybe it was the amount of people in the park scaring them into hiding. Usually the trick of my youngest son, I did manage to stand on an ants nest whilst taking some photos. If he ever got wind of it, I’m sure he’d have a laugh. (I’m told there is no chance of him reading this blog – so I’m safe 🙂 ).
Oh and if you are wandering if I ever caught up with Kylie and Matt, I did spot the car in the picnic area and rode like a skun cat across the other side of the creek and back again in a figure of eight, madly chasing my tail in an endeavor to find them. On return to the car, they were both happily stretching off the run. Matthew had that look of satisfaction that teenage boys get in victory. You’ve gotta love the competitive spirit. As if I had any hope!!!