It’s been a while but I finally made it back out to Ourimbah State Forest to hit the cross country track. It’s one of my favourite rides but a bit of a hike to get to at roughly 1.5 - 2 hours north of Sydney. They often hold races in the Forest and it’s also home to a gnarly downhill section that I mistook for the cross country track on my first trip there. I only made that mistake once. 
Emily and I packed the van, loaded up on some tasty snacks and got rolling. It was superb day, lots of sunshine and not too hot, although you quickly warm up on the trails. For some reason the start of the trail is now called ‘bong alley’. It’s not far until you come to a ‘caution’ sign and ‘the drop off’ which also has a chicken run if you’re not feeling too confident. There’s a little stream to pass through and a lot’s of ups and downs, before you come to the ‘jelly legs’ climb. Once you’ve made it to the top you get to my favourite section the ‘roller coaster’. It’s a lovely, fast, flowy downhill ride with a few rocky sections to keep you on your toes. Or off them in my case. I got a bit excited and stacked it but luckily everything came out in working order.
Once you get to the bottom again you head into the ‘grave yard’, this is the most beautiful section of the ride, it’s a sub tropical rainforest and a stark comparison to the gum trees and open scrub on the top sections of the ride. Overall the ride is not too technical, it has nice switchbacks, a couple of steep drops that get the heart fluttering and a few log piles but good for both beginners and the more experienced rider. I just love being in nature and surrounded by so many trees. It’s awesome.
More pics here.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Mischa // Jul 29, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Sweet, sweet singletrack. The smooth stuff always makes me jealous. Down in Tassie it’s rocks all round.
2 Renee-Boston // Jul 29, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Ohhh, that does look like fun!! Doesn’t look too much like winter there. Love the trail junction signs too!
3 Emily // Jul 30, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Thanks for the awesome ride Meg - love your description, and the pics. Nothing like riding through the bush with a cool chick, keen to tackle the ups and downs, and then do it all over again… Can’t wait for the next one
4 Meg - Sydney // Jul 31, 2009 at 9:20 am
Yeah, it’s a gorgeous ride alright, I’d love to get down to Tassie for a spin, I hear it’s beautiful!
Haha, we have been kind spoilt so far this winter, lots of beautiful sunny days.
Yeha! You too Emily, I had a blast, we need to do it more often, I forget how great it is when I don’t go for a while. Next one coming soon! I’m building my cross country bike back up so will be dead keen to get him back out!
Leave a Comment