# Foa overnighter!! - cancelled!!! :( **URL:** \ **Category:** FOA events\ **Created:** [April 8, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046 "2013-04-08T17:49:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![horatio](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/horatio/32/42_2.png) [@horatio](https://fixed.org.au/u/horatio)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/121 "2013-04-29T23:29:33Z")
> [@rolly](#): > > without having to fork out the hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars needed to setup a decent bikecamping kit. But lets be honest- you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to go camping with a bike. It’s not that hard. ---
**Author:** ![HeavyMetalCyclist](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/heavymetalcyclist/32/209_2.png) [@HeavyMetalCyclist](https://fixed.org.au/u/HeavyMetalCyclist)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/122 "2013-04-29T23:30:20Z")
> [@horatio](#): > > But lets be honest- you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to go camping with a bike. It’s not that hard. it’s lucky it’s only fifty bucks then! FUUUUUUUU ---
**Author:** ![rolly](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/rolly/32/280_2.png) [@rolly](https://fixed.org.au/u/rolly)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/123 "2013-04-29T23:31:29Z")
> [@nexus](#): > > $50 for the chance to make out in a tent is totally worth it! Jim tried to pay me actually. ---
**Author:** ![rolly](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/rolly/32/280_2.png) [@rolly](https://fixed.org.au/u/rolly)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/124 "2013-04-29T23:34:13Z")
> [@horatio](#): > > But lets be honest- you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to go camping with a bike. It’s not that hard. i’ll give you my own personal setup as an example H: bike - ~$600 (which was a sweet deal) tent - $365 mat - $200 sleeping bag - $185 panniers - $210 i have no doubt it could be done less, but i don’t think the above would be particularly surprising to most people with a tourer and camping gear. ---
**Author:** ![rolly](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/rolly/32/280_2.png) [@rolly](https://fixed.org.au/u/rolly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/125 "2013-04-30T00:20:56Z")
ok, here it is, the write up. City - Warburton So, due the lack of participants, I decided that I was going to make the most of the long weekend and head out to the Upper Yarra Reservoir Park as originally planned. As a bonus, Jimmy ‘dead legs’ was keen as mustard to come along and had managed to secure plenty of top quality camping gear through the “Enablers”, Mike D and Blakey (as well as Incomplete Streets). Despite getting accidentally inebriated the night before and only getting 4 hours sleep, I rolled down to Flinders Street Station to meet Jim for the 8:36am train to Lilydale. Jim nearly didn’t make it due to the lack of an escalator, road shoes with MTB cleats and a dicey trip down the stairs with a very heavy touring bike. Many lolz were enjoyed on the train to Lilydale discussing the shower I had given myself the night before at Southpaw containing hot wax, the “SONIC BOOM” action from Street Fighter and a candle filled lantern. Both of us were very relaxed about the day and decided to get coffee and hot jam donuts at Lilydale before heading off. Rolling out we realised that the weather was pretty amazing despite the blustery conditions and we were pretty stoked we’d decided to head out even if no one else was able to join us. We hoped that the headwind we were encountering wouldn’t play too much of a part in the overall difficulty of the day and were occasionally rewarded with a sweet tailwind for sections of the Warby Rail Trail. Once we had passed the fields with all the crazy animals (Jim lost his mind at the size of the ostrich’s head that came to say hey, I think he later regaled it was “like the size of a Jack Russell’s head”) we started climbing north up Don Road towards the start of the O’Shannassy Aqueduct Trail. ![](http://cyclebucket.com/images/img4475sml.jpg) Upon arrival we discovered that the gate was padlocked shut for some reason and we had to unload our panniers etc in order to scale it. Then there was the short, steep unsealed section that I estimate was approximately 400% gradient. Tyres were deflated to get traction and I gassed it up the hill, having to stop twice before the top to have a rest. 25kg’s of bike will do that. Jim was unfortunately (for him) still in a very small gearing and wasn’t able to get going without doing sweeeeet mono’s, so he had to push it all the way up in his ill equipped road shoes. Fortunately (for me), this was rather funny to watch from high above 😉 Once we got to the top, we were rewarded with some of the greenest forest I’ve ever had the pleasure of cycling through. The trail was pretty well maintained but still had plenty of rocks and sticks/branches to keep things interesting and two hands on the bars. ![](http://cyclebucket.com/images/img4505sml.jpg) There were also plenty of great views to take in and load onto Instagram to make everyone jealous they weren’t there with us. ![](http://cyclebucket.com/images/img4527sml.jpg) After about 11km’s we came across a very well signposted turnoff (Lennox St) indicating it was time to head downhill to Warburton for lunch. Descending very quickly through ‘suburban’ Warburton we were at the Warburton bakery smashing pastry treats within 5 minutes, as well as some very average coffee. Theeeeeeeeeeen things got a little more difficult…… Warburton - Upper Yarra Reservoir Park Heading out of Warburton, we quickly found our turnoff (Yuonga Rd) and headed north. Once again, we encountered a steep climb to the start of the O’Shannassy Aqueduct Trail, though this time I’m pretty sure it was at least 800%, and I was swearing quite heavily by the top. Actually, it was so steep, that Jim forgot how to ride a bike and I came around a bend to find him hangin out in the ditch on the side of the road. Seems he’d gotten distracted and decided it looked nice in the ditch, so in he went. Now the trail from here isn’t technically very long, but after a few km’s it is meant to end according to the map. Luckily for us, and eventually you, there is a fire track that carries on where the trail ends, so we followed that deep into the forest. It was obvious that this was used much less frequently than the first part of the trail as the sticks became bigger and much more frequent, the leaf litter thicker and the concentration required much higher! But it was still green, there were still massive ferns and awesome views, and even some old aqueduct infrastructure that kept things interesting (or spooky in the case of some creepy old huts. I don’t know how the workers felt having to stay there overnight back in the day, but it was kinda eery). ![](http://cyclebucket.com/images/img4530sml.jpg) Because the track was much less maintained, the direction we needed to go started to become a little trickier. Occasionally other tracks would veer off and we’d have to decide which way to go, but thankfully these all ended up being the ‘obvious’ route and we plodded along following our noses quite happy knowing there wasn’t anyone else around. There was much more climbing involved in this section, nothing major, but the weight of the bikes and the lack of sleep was starting to catch up with us, as was the clock. We estimated being at camp by 3-4pm and it was rapidly becoming evident there was no way we would make that timeframe. We had just started to set a decent pace when Jim got a stick through the rear tyre, the first and only puncture of the trip. 10 minutes later we were rolling again, but we were now both pretty damn tired! The rest of the ride was a bit of a blur as we made our way back to Warburton - Woods Point Road for the last of the rolling hills to the campsite. As the name suggests though, the UPPER Yarra Reservoir Park is all uphill, and the last of the climbs had us longing for the BBQ at the end. Once we arrived we spotted Rhys (iwearmoccos) lurking near the ‘duns’ waiting for us with beers and firewood (what a guy!!) and setup camp under Rhys’ instruction (he kept telling us to get changed before we got cold!! haha). Quick tent erection…. and we were crackin beers and cooking the BBQ, tired laughs a’plenty as we smashed a couple of steak burgers and some snags. Rhys hung around for a little while but eventually hit the road, leaving Jim and I to get the fire going and get some sleep. It was so windy I expected my tent to take off during the night, and when Jim emerged in the morning he said much the same. Upper Yarra Reservoir Park - City Day two was, once again, pretty sweet weather wise but we decided that we would just bee-line it straight back to the rail trail and head for home. I was keen to check out the sealed alternative as well as not get back to the city too late, so we rolled out after a bacon and egg feast (as well as coffee out of an egg carton……) about 10am. The road back to Warburton was pretty sweet despite the lack of a decent shoulder, but there were others out riding on their roadies (and a singlespeed) so I was confident people were aware of cyclists using the road. Apart from a giant Rottweiller barking at me from the back of a ute (and flat out scaring the shit outta me), the ride back was pretty uneventful. Relaxed lunch at Warburton before rolling home along the Warby trail, with a brief pause to take a photo of the biggest cow I’ve ever seen for Rhys. All in all, it was a rad weekend. Much harder than I had anticipated (I’ll amend the route before we do this again for those that may want an easier option) but totally worth it. Beautiful scenery, quiet trails and very few people along the way. The campsite was massive and well equipped and the showers were indeed hot, which was awesome. I’m confident that we can make this event happen, and without all the weight of the gear, would be much less of a strain on those that come along. Massive thanks to Jim, Rhys, Mike D, Blakey/Kate and anyone else that helped out along the way. R ---
**Author:** ![rolly](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/rolly/32/280_2.png) [@rolly](https://fixed.org.au/u/rolly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 12:22am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/126 "2013-04-30T00:22:40Z")
oh, and here’s a pic of us eating dinner and jim drinking coffee from an egg carton… ![](http://cyclebucket.com/images/img4552sml.jpg) ![](http://cyclebucket.com/images/img4564sml.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Lemontime](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/lemontime/32/215_2.png) [@Lemontime](https://fixed.org.au/u/Lemontime)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 12:45am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/127 "2013-04-30T00:45:43Z")
You KNOW I woulda been there if you didn’t do it in (jerk) Melburn! But then that wouldn’t have made any sense. Maybe I’ll fly (move?) down for the next one. ---
**Author:** ![iwearmoccos](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/iwearmoccos/32/26_2.png) [@iwearmoccos](https://fixed.org.au/u/iwearmoccos)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/128 "2013-04-30T03:21:08Z")
> [@rolly](#): > > Once we arrived we spotted Rhys (iwearmoccos) lurking near the ‘duns’ waiting for us with beers and firewood (what a guy!!) and setup camp under Rhys’ instruction (he kept telling us to get changed before we got cold!! haha). Quick tent erection…. and we were crackin beers and cooking the BBQ, tired laughs a’plenty as we smashed a couple of steak burgers and some snags. It was really cold, and you guys were wearing shorts and tshirt!! Good erection mention also… And no issues with coming out to drop off vital supplies, the drive out there and seeing the biggest deer ever on the way home was worth it!! ---
**Author:** ![Rooster](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/rooster/32/169_2.png) [@Rooster](https://fixed.org.au/u/Rooster)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/129 "2013-04-30T06:06:23Z")
You guys have officially made me jealous. ---
**Author:** ![p-dub](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/p-dub/32/332_2.png) [@p-dub](https://fixed.org.au/u/p-dub)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/130 "2013-04-30T16:40:06Z")
Looks awesome Rolly. What size tyres were you running, and were they adequate for the trail? ---
**Author:** ![HeavyMetalCyclist](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/heavymetalcyclist/32/209_2.png) [@HeavyMetalCyclist](https://fixed.org.au/u/HeavyMetalCyclist)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/131 "2013-04-30T17:19:15Z")
you guys look like you are having lots of fun in the photos ---
**Author:** ![rolly](https://fixed.org.au/user_avatar/fixed.org.au/rolly/32/280_2.png) [@rolly](https://fixed.org.au/u/rolly)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/132 "2013-04-30T21:58:24Z")
> [@Rooster](#): > > You guys have officially made me jealous. excellent. > [@p-dub](#): > > Looks awesome Rolly. What size tyres were you running, and were they adequate for the trail? I had 35’s on I’m pretty sure. they were fine, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend anything less than a 32mm. > [@HeavyMetalCyclist](#): > > you guys look like you are having lots of fun in the photos not really, but totez were. ---
**Author:** ![MikeD](https://fixed.org.au/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ed655f/32.png) [@MikeD](https://fixed.org.au/u/MikeD)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/133 "2013-04-30T22:10:00Z")
> [@p-dub](#): > > Looks awesome Rolly. What size tyres were you running, and were they adequate for the trail? I’ve roden that trail on ‘file’ tread 30’s with no probs. But the wider the better really. and it does get sticky and overgrown near the end. ![](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8200/8285575041_cd0ba6d7d2_z.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://fixed.org.au/uploads/default/original/2X/a/aa2ad6da781f23ba9f77a46c6fd6d05b415d278a.png) [@system](https://fixed.org.au/u/system)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046/134 "2013-11-06T02:30:38Z")
I would think if the pups are even with the rings they wouldn’t need to be lowered, but maybe I am wrong, and someone else can give you some better input!! [Previous page](https://fixed.org.au/t/foa-overnighter-cancelled/61046.md?page=6)