48 km • 545 m climbing • 33% gravel
Fifteen riders set off from Gumeracha under a flawless blue sky, heading for coffee and cake in Williamstown via Forreston, Watts Gully and South Para Roads. On the busier sections we sensibly split into three safer groups: slow, medium and fast, each finding its own pace.
After refuelling and topping up water bottles in Williamstown, the ride turned upward toward the 428 m summit on Warren Road before a welcome left turn into the cool shade of Mount Crawford Forest, just after the bridge over Warren Reservoir.
Lunch was a relaxed affair perched on rocks at Rocky Paddock Campground. The return to Gumeracha followed a pleasant mix of forest track, a 2 km boardwalk, and the wonderfully quiet Forreston Road. Along the way we met a friendly forest ranger who gave us an impromptu explanation of the area’s logging operations