Mapleton Community Ride Summary – 04/06/2017
Ubajee Walkers Camp lookout
I came to this ride without a specific route in mind so when Will suggested a the route from the Ubajee Walkers Camp to the Lookout track I said done and off we went just past 7:30am. It was a small group today with 12 starting off and 11 making it to the lookout as Nick had another appointment (I know right, what’s more important than riding??). Many of the others were at the club camping trip in Hiddenvale. Since it was a smaller group of good riders the pace was turned up a bit with probably a few less stops than usual.
Di was on her new bike so we made sure to ride every stick and rock strewn trail between the two lookouts. Actually it wasn’t too bad and QPWS have been keeping the access trails clear of debris. Although a few of us risked a stick in the spokes doing a little bit of exploring of a possible shortcut that would have prevented back tracking but it stopped 80m short of lookout trail…
We took the perimeter track around Lynda Garret Park which had quite a few trees laying across it and was slow going. Turning left at the end took us along the cleared access track to the walkers camp. This track is pretty cool as the undergrowth has been cleared but the larger trees left with the track winding between them making for a scenic ride without having to concentrate too much on the track itself.
There were campers at the walkers camp so we made sure to skirt around it to the lookout where we rested up a bit before continuing along the access track towards the lookout road. As with many of the tracks around the area it was a bit up and down and probably a bit more up than we wanted on a community ride but the group handled it without complaint.
The rest of the way to the Oaky Creek Lookout was uneventful and we made good time getting there so we stayed a while to sit sun ourselves on the rocks like a bunch of MTB lizards while enjoying the view on a perfect day. After a few happy snaps we smashed our the way back to the cars for coffee and cake at the Mapleton bakery.
Ben Johns
Club President
