Ramble Out Yonder

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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25 September 2026 – Seymour to Toolangi State Forest – 64 kms

Taungurung Country

The chipseal is damp, except beneath the trees. Later on, I’ll see remnant puddles from rain overnight. But, ah, we’ve not had to pack up a wet tent this morning since we stayed in the motel. I don’t think you really need to celebrate much stuff in life, but you definitely need to appreciate small victories.

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24 September 2026 – Longwood to Seymour – 47 kms

Taungurung Country

I leave the dogs and the sleeping caravan occupants behind. The click of my folding tent poles and clink of the tent pegs sliding into their little sack are the only sounds I make as I pack up in my far corner of the rec reserve.

The sun is not quite to the horizon and the birds are just starting in with their morning chatter. It is so much easier to rise early on the road than it is for a day of work, even though there is more time involved in getting ready for the day on the road. But soon, I’ll start waking before the alarm, as my body adjusts to the rhythms of the road.

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23 September 2026 – Winton Wetlands to Longwood – 99 kms

Yorta Yorta and Taungurung Country

The frogs are quiet. So are the crickets. And everything else. It is a peaceful, quiet and cold morning there in my saturated tent on a gentle rise among the wetlands.

Still, I’m up at 6am and away at 7am with wet feet from carrying my bike, and then my gear on a second trip, through the dew-laden grass back to the road. Kangaroos, whole mobs of them, bound away in long Qantas-logo leaps over the open ground under a crystal clear blue sky.

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