Ramble Out Yonder

6 October 2026 – Cheynes Bridge – 0 kms

Gunaikurnai Country

The morning brings clear skies and cold temperatures. We could move on to the series of campsites at the bottom of Tamboritha Road. That’s just another 40 or so kays, depending on where we stay. I think we should have time to ride that before the rain comes, even though there’s a gap and a bunch of climbing up Tamboritha Road.

I’m tempted. But I have a good spot here. It is at low elevation, so the low temps predicted tonight shouldn’t be as much of an issue. I’ve got good water here I can filter whereas the other spots are on river that may still be running muddy.

I mull it over and finally decide we’ll stick here. Mostly because of our water source. I think the little store in Licola is closed today but may be open tomorrow, so we could get water there if we can’t get water at the public toilets in Licola and the river still looks muddy there.

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5 October 2026 – Heyfield to Cheynes Bridge – 35kms

Gunaikurnai Country

The sun has gone away again. It’s damp and dark, even after sunrise, with low cloud skulking about. Combined with the lack of sleep last night, I am not exactly bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and raring to go this morning. However, I am not a procrastinator when it comes to getting on the road in the mornings (if only I could transfer this discipline to the rest of my normal life!). So I pack up the wet tent and roll away by 7.15am. No one in the caravans has emerged from their metal cocoons yet.

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4 October 2026 – Rawson to Heyfield – 58 kms

Gunaikurnai Country

After more than 48 hours in our little cube, with the rain pouring down on that flat, metal-sheeted roof, I am kinda relieved when the rain finally stops and the de facto white noise machine ceases.

The rain had a good hard go from 10pm last night before tapering off in the wee hours. Then there was one last hurrah around 5am.

Now, at 7am, there is still low cloud around that looks like low, misty fog. I lie there until 7.30am, waiting for that to lift and for the sun to finally peek through.

I am experiencing the laws of physics today – an object at rest tends to stay at rest. After two days of rest, it takes me awhile to get going. Pack-up is slow because everything has made its way out of the panniers over the two days and things have been spread out to dry. I don’t leave until around 9am which is super late for me.

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2-3 October 2026 – Rawson – 0 kms

Gunaikurnai Country

It rains and rains and rains. There are tropical strength deluges, there are periods of lighter drops. But there are no showers. It is just rain, rain, rain. It is impressive just to see sheets of it outside and across the valley for hours and hours.

The weather forecast had deteriorated each day I had phone reception this week. And they were not overestimating the size of the event. I am grateful for my little cube to stay in – my tent would not have withstood this much rain over this time period.

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1 October 2026 – Ezards Road to Rawson – 15 kms

Gunaikurnai Country

The pitter patter of rain on the fly momentarily ceases. There is a bit of brightness that I can detect through the tent fly. I unzip the tent body and then the fly. I fling it back, so the wet outer fly sticks to the other bit of the wet outer fly.

The sky is dark to the southwest, but the sun is trying to wrest the clouds apart to the northeast. It is a bit muddy out there in places with no grass.

I retreat. I turn on the phone. It is 6am. Oh! We need to go! The radar indicates we have a brief break in the showers. If we hustle, we might make it to town dry.

The race is on!

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30 September 2026 – Shaws Camp to Ezards Road Camp – 69 kms

Taungurung and Gunaikurnai Country

The wind still roars. And roars. All the ash tree leaves are showing off their undersides as they ripple hard in the wind. The sunrise is a dark angry red, too. If you were somewhere with a clear view, the deep maroon of the morning would compete with any of the Outback sunrises I saw over winter.

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29 September 2026 – Little River Camp to Shaw’s Camp – 64 kms

Taungurung Country

We climb up out of the river valley, the bike tyres crunching over small-diameter gravel as my lungs send puffs of condensation into the air. It’s cool and crisp. The wind already pushes the top tips of the trees back high above me. I cut through the calm air down at road level, feeling strong and capable as we pedal uphill.

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28 September 2026 – Marysville to Little River Campsite – 38 kms

Taungurung Country

You can see your breath in the air. The chill immediately hits bare skin and leaves that slight burning feeling and some goosebumps behind. The sun is not yet over the hill and will take a bit of time to create some warmth in the day. High up here on the hill, the dew is light. The predicted fog has whispered itself away if it ever arrived at all.

I zoom down the hill with the high-speed zing of the freewheel singing out the laws of physics, testifying to weight and gravity and friction. I brake here and there, but mostly I just fling myself down through the quiet streets to the public toilets on the main street. Again, the only vehicle out and about is the garbage truck.

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27 September 2026 – Ault Beeac Track to Marysville – 47 kms

Taungurung Country

I hear the watch alarm. I ignore the watch alarm. I sleep some more.

Eventually, I rise. The rain has cleared and there is a light southwesterly tickling the tree leaves high above.

Water drops stand on leaves, the tent, the bike and other horizontal surfaces. It feels fresh and clean, and I manage to pack the tent up without getting it muddy.

Still, pack-up is slow this morning and I don’t pedal away until after 7am.

It must be a sleep hangover from sleeping so much yesterday and then sleeping straight through last night.

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26 September 2026 – Toolangi State Forest: Boundary to Ault Beeac Track – 9 kms

Taungurung Country

Today, the real ride starts. The first five days were just the warm-up, a precursor to the real ride where we climb up gravel roads in the forest, crest ranges and zoom down to valleys. That town-to-town stuff as the main feature of a tour can wait until I’m old and boring.

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