jarradwrites: Brindies Circ: Day 1

Day 1: 123km / 3390vm

I was lucky to find participants for this ride as most were either on the 3Fidi ride or otherwise previously engaged, however Monty and Steve were keen. The plan was for the Brindabella Circuit Beth suggested (and Martin recently soloed in a day), however in reverse and overnighting at Oldfields Hut.

7am Saturday I left home riding with Po, and then Pat out toward Piccadilly Circus. Monty and Steve were getting dropped off there at 9, however as luck would have it I was running late, and they were running early, so they caught me at Uriarra Homestead and treated me with a lift the rest of the way. All together now, we started the ride with the descent down in to the Brindabella Valley.

The descent from Piccadilly Circus in to Brindabella Valley

After crossing the Goodradigbee River it was only 11kms further along Brindabella Road until we turned off on to Boundary Road and left the good roads behind. The climbs along Boundary, Powerline and Bramina Roads were steep and rocky, and so were the descents, so it was pretty slow going.

Powerline Road

Turning on to Broken Cart Fire Trail things began to improve with slightly smoother roads, beautiful little valleys and our first pack of Brumbies.

Refilling at a creek on Broken Cart FT

Brumbies on Broken Cart FT

Gradually though, the valleys became broader, and it wasn't long before we rode down Long Plain Rd on to the vast Cooleman Plains. A few quick km's later and we were pulled in to the Blue Waterholes campground for a breather.

Long Plain Rd

The trail between Blue Waterholes and Pockets Hut was pretty overgrown and grassy, but easy to follow and surprisingly comfortable after all the rocky stuff we'd dealt with earlier in the day.

Monty crossing a creek near Blue Waterholes

The best sites for overnighting along this ride are concentrated within about a 10km stretch. Starting with 2 great options at Blue Waterholes, there's Pockets Hut and then finally Oldfields Hut. We pressed on to the latter so it meant one last hill to climb.