Hey guys, I’ve just done a bunch of longish (120-150km) gravel grindy dirt road ridey style rides in Melbourne and have been really enjoying them. I’m keen to continue these rides when I come back up to Canberra and was hoping you guys would help me compile a short list and participate in some rides (and probably some hut overnighters). I’m looking for dirt road/fire trail (even single track or a lil bit of HAB) accessible peaks (would be good to find some in the +1000 meters range) in the ACT (preferably closer to the city). So far I’ve got Mt Ginini, Mt Gingera, Mt Franklin and Bimbera peak (though not sure on summit access for this one). Do the closest/most accessible mountains tend to be in the Brindabellas? Keith and Adam and I always seem to spot these sweet dirt roads but there are so many it’s hard to pick which are worth riding.
I think a bunch of the more western ones, like Ginini, aren’t very accessible. When I get home I’ll dig around for some blogs of people that have done week trips through the brindys. I know that Mt franklin is accessible and there’s lots of trails off Mt franklin road
Franklin and Ginini are accessible by road. Gingira is a ~1km walk up a dirt track from the road, and Bimbiri is a ~1 hour bash through the bush from Murrays Gap (a solid climb in itself). As for other roads in Namadgi, Bobyan Road/Mt Clear and the road that heads back North to the Naas Valley from there is worth a look, and Mt Morgan and the Yaouk Valley is bloody nice (all rough mountain bike roads). Also, theres a ride from Uriara over the mountain to Wee Jasper which is meant to be nice.
Another ride, which Im looking to do on a road bike with some 28cc tyres, is Canberra>Michelago (via Burra Road)>Tinderry Road>Canberra (via Captains Flat). 160km
Finally, there are a lot of nice rides in Tallagandra State Forest/National Park has some nice rides.
You’re right, Ginini is at the end of Mt Franklin road. That would be a great ride. Turn left at Picadilly and keep going til the end. I since I don’t have a gravel roady/cx bike, I reckon I could get dropped at the base of Brindabella Rd and we could ride to and around Ginini in one day, then return on the second via some sweet trails.
Sound like a plan???
I rode my cx bike to mt Franklin a while back, was fine going up, not very steep but going down I was running pretty slow as I didn’t want to flat there are a few rocks. The ridge nce you are near mt Franklin is really nice with views north and south I think. I think Ed McDonalds blog Ed rides bikes? Might be a good resource I have checked it out a couple of times he seems to ride around Canberra a bit.
I think Grumpy stopped updating that about when Strava came out, but for a while it was a completely invaluable resource. Now it’s a completely invaluable resource, but for a different reason
