Day 6 New Norfolk to Dover, (well nearly)

    Day six was promised to be the big one, the long push from New Norfolk to Dover, the big climb up Jefferies Track, the descent into Judbury for lunch adding to around 40km before heading off again with more big climbs an timber plantations before descending into to Dover totalling close to 90km for the day, but that was not to be....
    After packing our gear we all met up at the New Norfolk caravan park, at the usual 8am start, Dale gave the briefing on what lay ahead. Steve on the big Kona 29er had headed off a few hours before us so we would be following his tracks. We all saddled up and headed out of town, we would not see Cheryl and Barry again until we reached Judbury at lunch time for well needed food. Dale lead us out of town via Lachlan Road on through the small town of Lachlan and then turned onto Hydehurst Road a short way and onto Jefferies Track and the real climbing began.

Packing ready to leave New Norfolk

 Heading out of Town

 Riding through Lachlan

    The Jefferies track starts out as a decent grade climb on smooth gravel up and out of the last signs of civilization. As the track progressed the small detours on the side of the track where four wheel drives intentionally bog themselves became the whole track with huge holes deep enough to swallow a bus. On no circumstances would you ride through any puddle on this part of the track as you could quite likely be swimming. The track came to a sharp climb so steep at one point to where no one in the group could climb the slippery and rocky track so pushing was the only option. Fortunately it was only a short pinch and we were back to dodging our way around the bog holes before turning onto White Timber Trail where the track improved and the whole area around us was timber plantation. The track went on and on with big long descents and a few climbs but we were getting lower and lower but the track kept turning North West, not the direction of Judbury. We hadn't seen Steve's tire tracks for a while no red and yellow Tasmania Trail triangles which was a bit concerning. We reached a four way intersection at a bridge over a creek and though about what to do. There was no phone reception and it was two hours past the time we were supposed to arrive at Judbury. We were lost!

 Jefferies Track begins

 One of the little puddles we encountered

 The steep rocky pinch

Out of the mist

    Well not really lost we knew where we came from, it just was a long way back with the thought that we once were at 700+ meters and now down around 200 meters, so a soul robbing climb would be needed and even then where did we go wrong? After a short climb up one track to see if the was any phone reception and if we could see any land marks, we were disappointed on both counts, no phone and tree plantation as far as the eye could see in all directions. We had no other choice, we did not know where any of the other tracks went so it was back from where we came....up that long climbing track. We met two guys coming the other way in Fieldwicks  vehicles, they had been working breaking rocks in a quarry we had passed hours before. They said that the track we had been following headed back to New Norfolk, so we were riding in a big circle. We continued on and as we got higher Ross managed to get some phone reception and called Barry and Cheryl to let them know we were ok and were on our way back to find the right trail. Des, not long later was able to call Steve who had now gone through Judbury and was on the second leg. He gave us directions to where the turn off was and even with his GPS found it hard to find having gone down one dead end and having to back track. After a slow ride back up checking every side track we found Steve's dead end track an then further back the real trail that would have been on our left when we first came through. It was obscured by two big piles of blue metal and off part of the main track with the large chunky blue metal surface. There were three arrow markers pointing it out but the trail map did not show a sharp left turn and it was on a good descent so a speed, we all had missed it.

 The two piles of blue metal over the entrance to the trail to the left

This is where we should have gone four hours earlier

As you can see we went way off track

All were relieved that the right trail was found but disappointed knowing that there now was not enough time to complete the last leg from Judbury to Dover as we had blown four hours with the detour. We headed down the trail which has a steep rocky slope down onto a smoother trail which improved the further we descended and was fairly easy to navigate down to civilization and the little town of Judbury with Cheryl and Barry waiting with out now very late lunch, but it still went down a treat. My wife Selina and my two children Dane and Shae were heading down to meet me in Dover that afternoon so I gave them a call a they had only just passed the Judbury turn off so they were able to swing by and pick me up. It was really good to seem them again after a long week away. 

 The bottom of the first steep, rocky trail towards Judbury

 Judbury in sight!

 The park where we met back up with Barry and Cheryl

 Ross contemplating the day

My trust steed loaded up on the mighty Triton

Day 6 GPS