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Trail Head to St Helena Trail Intersection (5.93km)
The OaksLast Update: 7/1/2013
Some trail names are made up, if there is a different name please let us know.
Difficulty - Easy - Intermediate
Slope - Moderate - Undulating
Space - Open
Surface - Dirt - Loose rocks on dirt - Sand
Trail type - Firetrail
Notes:
CLOSE YOUR EYES - TAKE A DEEP BREATH - AND CRANK THAT FIRST PEDAL!!
The trail starts with a few easy ups and downs providing a great opportunity to get into your rhythm (and you’re going to need it). As you pedal on the descents become longer and faster and the climbs become harder and harder and harder .. and harder. Use my breathing on the video as an intensity meter. The trail quality is good (as at the time of riding), pretty smooth and clear with some loose rocks.
About 8 minutes into the video is a clearing on the right at the top of a steep climb, I believe this is where the Aboriginal rock carvings are. I was concentrating so hard on getting up the bloody hill that I missed it.
The end of this section is not really “a section” however, it seemed like a logical place to break the video and also one day I hope to ride the St Helena track that goes off the left. I’ve read on the Fat Hippy that this has been voted one of the greatest single tracks by readers of AMB Mag. But .. from a “Riding this the Oaks fire trail” point of view, this intersection is of little consequence and you could ride right by it in an oxygen depleted moment of downhill inebriation.
IMPORTANT - Don’t take a piss at the trail head! A quick look left and right and you will realise you are next to residences. How would you feel if every Saturday and Sunday hundreds of blokes took a piss next to your house!
FILL UP YOUR WATER - There is a tap at the gate, fill up your water bottles and hydration packs before you head off.
IMPORTANT - CHECK THE STATUS OF THE CAUSEWAY WITH THE NPWS BEFORE YOU HEAD OFF - Its a long way back if you can't cross the river.