Mountain biking Echuca-Moama

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(This blog will grow as we explore the tracks in and around Echuca-Moama)

Well we finally got ourselves some bikes! We invested in 2 really good quality mountain bikes and set out to explore the forests and river lands that surround Echuca & Moama. I began to surf the world wide interweb in order to hunt down some tracks and all I could find was information on the “5 mile MTB park” which is obviously a council funded recreation park. Im guessing the locals don’t want their secrets to get out because we could not find any track details anywhere. There were a few websites with some vague references but no actual shots of the track locations, so here are the hidden secrets.

A few sad things about these explorations around the park lands is the destruction cause by recreational 4×4 drivers, these people really don’t give a shit about the damage that they are causing and the sad part is, neither do Parks Victoria. We have not seen any government vehicles on any of our rides and I tell you what, 4×4 destruction is a huge problem in all forests around this area. Another problem that we encountered is, a lot of websites that we read on MTB tracks in the area talked about people camping along the river and so on, well this is a light exaggeration. A majority of these “camper” aren’t campers by choice. Most of the camps that we came across were homeless people. So please respect these people on your way past them, they are all pretty nice. Lastly, the rubbish! This place is fucking disgusting when it comes to rubbish. Its seems the the local council seem to only be concerned about the Historic Port Precinct. Please take your rubbish with you.

Scenic Drive, Victoria Park Reserve (Very easy)

Screenshot_20160616-203000Just so you know, when we first map a route we always cruise so the gps can give an accurate map.

The route that is shown is the main road. This is a dirt road and is open to cars so be careful along here. This is our go to track if we just want to go out for a quick peddle. Its a very easy and fast track and when you get going at a decent pace, you could nock it over in about 20 minutes. Do be careful though, its very popular with walkers.

As you can see there are load of tracks that shoot off the main route. These tracks are pretty fun to explore with no real fear of getting lost. This is a good area if you have children with you.

Banyule Park State Forest (Easy-Intermediate)

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This track is a combination of dirt roads and singles tracks. Whether you’re a novice or an intermediate rider, this track is fun. Easy enough just to cruise around and if you want to step it up a notch just up the pace. There are some really good technical sections through the singles parts.

The best starting point is just behind the library and head under the Cobb Hwy bridge. There is a road to the right and a singles track to the left. follow the singles track, it always seems to be to the left of the road. If you stick to to singles tracks it will take you to a small cut out where some loverly person has made a few jumps, I have not yet mustered up the courage to hit these. They’re not big jumps but I am a pretty novice rider. All in all this is a fun track. Heaps to explore in this park. (This is the track with so called “campers”)

 

The dirt side of the Campaspe esplanade w\ Single tracks (Easy-Intermediate)

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This has some really good technical sections. Its the same deal as the second track. If you want to make it a bit harder, just up the pace. I don’t think this track gets used too often as it was fairly over grown in some sections. When you get passed the boat ramp there is a road that shoots off to the right, if you follow that it will take you to a XC motor bike track. Its nothing special but it takes you around the back of the wet lands which would be pretty cool in the bird season. Unfortunately it does come out at a 4×4 waste land, sounds cool until you see it.

Pyramid Hill, Victoria

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As you drive through the central Victorian flat plain lands you slowly see a bump growing on the horizon. We weren’t actually looking for Pyramid Hill, we got lost looking for another sight. But us being us, we didn’t care and kept following the route that we were on. Knowing that eventually we would get somewhere different we just followed that bump in the horizon. As we get closer this bump slowly turned in a huge mound of boulders in the shape of a pyramid standing there alone, all by itself with no other hills to accompany him on that vast flat plains.

We finally make it to the base of this huge natural structure. Being summer it was very dry and the flies were ruthless. The grass was brown and rocks would crumble in your hands. At the time of year that we were there it would be fair to compare it to a vast baron waste land. So we park the car in a poorly maintained car park that had once had a lot of time put into it. You could see that they put in some natural feel landscape projects to try and suit the surrounds. I just thought to myself “maybe they’re just trying to keep the natural feel for the place” So we start following the tracks that take you around the base just to find that the lack of care had been continued right through the park with rubbish everywhere, graffiti on the rocks  on just all round poor maintenance. We thought that maybe the track would take us to the summit of this hill, but we were wrong. It only took us around the base. This was okay, we weren’t too fussed and we were quite happy to climb to the top. So we suddenly found some bouldering skills that we were both unaware that we had and climbed our way to the top. On our way up we discovered that there was a much easier way to do this because race goer had actually painted white arrows onto the rocks.

So by this time we are quite annoyed that such a unique wonder of nature is just treated like its worthless and to be honest it gets worse. We hear this loud explosion then a few minutes later a horrible smell that resembles rotten eggs, clearly a quarry very close by. As you can imagine by this this time we are pretty bummed out. Yet this has not killed our motivation to reach the summit. We keep climbing and climbing until we get there. We are and the top! And I couldn’t believe it. After all the crap that was making it a horrible experience, we are presented with the most spectacular 360 degree view. We could see for hundreds of kilometres. It was so clear and the plain was so flat that on the horizon you could see the curve of the earth. A nice light cool breeze made it the perfect moment for us to embrace each other and be taken away with the view. This was so incredible and clearly Pyramid Hill as a community really need to get their act together and protect this area from vandals and put in some bins. It is so sad to see such a beautiful thing looked after so poorly. Where are the greens on this one?

My conclusion. Go in winter when you know that it will be good wether for a couple of days. It is defiantly worth the drive. We will be doing it again this coming winter and hopefully I will be writing a much nicer blog next time.

Top 10 Family activities in Echuca – Moama

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Fun with family can leave you with some burn marks in the wallet, so I have decided to put together a small guide to help you have a great time in Echuca on a budget.

  • Adventure Park playground can be found tucked in behind the Moama Sports Club. This is hands down the best playground in Echuca – Moama. At the playground they also have a substantial BBQ area and also a small fitness circuit around the perimeter of the playground which makes for a perfect early morning workout while the kids aren’t getting bored. All they ask for is an optional gold coin donation to help with the upkeep and maintenance. Address: Perricoota Rd Moama
  • Campaspe Regional Library Echuca offers a massive schedule of activities during the school holidays as well as regular weekly schedule throughout the year. Check out their website for upcoming activities http://swft.cprl.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/cprl/  Address: 310 Hare St Echuca
  • Historic Port of Echuca, Take a stroll down memory lane with this historical area that will take you back to the 1800s. Don’t get too excited though, if you do veer off the path you will quite easily burn over $100 on activities that to be honest are pretty bad. There is a Penny arcade which is a complete waste of money for kids, as most of the machines don’t work properly or even at all. There is also exhibits that display adult material that isn’t suitable for children. The Discovery Centre on the port has an amazing display of the history in regards to the area and the Paddle steamer trade. My advice is, if you have a family jump on the net and see what kid’s activities they have. The first time we went, we spent $85 on the Discovery centre and paddle steamer cruise package. But, during the school holidays they do special Pirate kids cruise and treasure hunts that cost us $40 and that included nibbles, Pirate party on a paddle steamer cruise and then a treasure hunt through the discover centre after the cruise. Address: 52 Murray Esplanade Echuca
  • Cheap Tuesdays @ Paramount Cinema Centre. Now I am not too sure if this available all year round, but this is a nice little cinema that is always clean and unlike most, they don’t go crazy on the air conditioner. Address: 329 High St Echuca
  • Horseshoe Lagoons walk can be found just on the other side of the bridge in Moama. This is a great walk for kids and adults. It has an elevated board walk and bush tracks that takes you around the lagoons. These tracks will lead you to a multi-tiered pier where you can either use the look out to check out the surroundings or go for a dip in the Murray. Address: Cobb Hwy Moama
  • Moama Beach is the best and safest place to swim in the Murray around this area. I do warn you though, there are no life guards and the current is quite strong. Address: Blair St Moama
  • Live Music, Echuca has a huge music scene with a lot of venues putting on live acts for free. My personal pick is The Bridge Hotel, it’s a friendly little pub that usually has an awesome Sunday Session featuring local musicians, directly across from the pub is a playground to help keep the kids out of your hair. Address: 1 Hopwood Place Echuca
  • Canoeing is available at Victoria Park just near the Boat ramp. 1 hour canoe hire will set you back $30 and is a great way to experience the river life and to see all of the house boats as well as a close up of the Paddle steamers. Address: Scenic Drive Echuca
  • Squiggles play house and Jurassic Water Park, Not really for the adults but you can still have fun. At $8 each, it a great way to kill a hot afternoon. Address: 1 Edward Street,  Moama
  • Great value food can be found at The Echuca Hotel. They have a Restaurant Menu that has a great variety of pub fare and modern cuisine at a reasonable price. If your wallet is feeling a little light or you’re just not that hungry, then they have a Bar Menu that offers almost the same thing as the restaurant menu, just smaller. They have great lunch deals and a good selection of kid’s meals. All in all this is a great food pub in an elegant dining environment. Be warned, it is very popular so make sure you book or you may not get in. Address: 571 High St Echuca.

A little hidden gem. We stumbled across Lake Boga on a failed adventure to horrible Swan Hill. Tempted by the signs for the Catalina Museum, we decided to head off to the lake where we discovered an wonder of War time secrets within a shed like building. Lake Boga was used in World War II as a TOP SECRET military base, housing 719 people at its peak. The Lake and it surrounds isn’t just a giant floating aeroplane in a shed and flat fields. Its a marvel of mystery. When the Lake drained a few years back they found a treasure trove of dumped ammunition and military surplus. If you take a stroll through the paddocks that surround the lake I will guarantee that you will find abandoned military buildings with cacti growing from the roof tops that resemble Mexican shanties. This little discovery made our crappy trip to Swan Hill, a trip worthwhile. Swan Hill crap, Lake Boga good

Lake Boga, Victoria

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