We'll take that ride
[Road to Nowhere - Song by Talking Heads]

Yesterday there was an invitation from Steve to go for a ride. 
"Late notice for a tomorrow. Bernie T and I are heading off from Jerra Ampol at 8.00am and heading to Uriarra Rd up Fairlight Rd, Mountain Creek Rd, Wee Jasper Rd, Doctors Flat Rd, Webbs Ridge Trail and then a few tracks to get back on to Gentle Annie Trail, Brindabella Rd through Piccadilly Circus, Paddy’s River Rd towards Tharwa and back to Jerra.  Happy to swing by Ampol Weston Creek for any northern riders. I can add a GPX file if anyone wants one."

Adrian and I suggested taking Sawyers Gully Rd, a great stretch of dirt that cuts through many monotonous kilometres of bitumen. There was some talk about Doctors Flat Rd being locked and on private property, to which I thought, "Yeah, but..."

I was eager to join the ride but had to juggle taking the kids to vacation care and getting the wife to the tram. If I timed things right and everything lined up, I might have made it to the second meeting spot Adrian suggested, at the Fairlight RFS Brigade Fireshed on Mountain Creek Rd. But, of course, I didn’t quite manage to hit the 8:30 am meeting time.

Still, I was determined to get out for a ride and had a hunch I’d find something interesting. I arrived at the fireshed just after 9:00 am, and as expected, no one was there. I pressed on to Sawyers Gully Rd, stopping briefly to snap a photo of the old Mullion school. Then, it was on to Sawyers Gully Rd where I took a moment to lower my tyre pressure before diving into the dirt. This stretch of road is fantastic, winding through a scenic gully, offering plenty of photo opportunities.

After receiving some feedback on my logo design, I’ve made some revisions. The main points of critique were:

• The inclusion of the N, S, E, W points wasn’t necessary.
• The central spline wasn’t working well.
• The holes in the sprocket lacked balance.
• The intercardinal points were too large.

Based on this feedback, I revised the first three points. You can check out the original concepts here.
I felt that removing the spline left the logo feeling too bare, so I added an explorer figure in the center to fill that gap. This also helps tie into the foot section of the page title.

This morning, after doing a bit of pruning on our bottlebrushes, it started getting too warm to continue. I decided it was the perfect time for a ride before the heat made outdoor activities unbearable. I opened up the GAIA maps and reviewed the rides I’d done around the area, searching for a nearby route with dirt tracks I hadn’t yet explored. It took some time, but I eventually spotted a potential route. Each time I’d ridden in or out of Namadgi National Park, I’d noticed Sunshine Road, which leads to Angle Crossing, but I’d never ventured down it. That seemed like as good an excuse as any to explore.
On the way to Burra, I stopped at Jerrabomberra to refuel. With a full tank, I had no worries about running out of petrol during the ride. From there, I headed towards Googong, turned onto Burra Road, and followed it to Williamsdale Road, which brought me to the Monaro Highway. This alternative kept me off the main highway for most of the route, added a short dirt section, and meant fewer vehicles to contend with. I only needed to travel a few hundred metres on the Monaro Highway before turning off towards Angle Crossing. The road to the crossing was mostly dirt, with a steep paved section near the end.

At the Murrumbidgee River crossing, I made a quick stop to assess the water depth and check for slippery algae on the bottom. A young man was fishing on the near side, while an older man floated in the cool water on the far side. The crossing looked safe enough today, so I stood on the pegs and rode through. It was a benign crossing, though I could see how it might quickly become hazardous with more water. I paused just past the river for some obligatory photos and to enjoy the scenery.
With that done, I headed towards Sunshine Road. The climb out was less winding than the descent but felt longer. At the T-junction with Smith’s Road, I turned left and quickly veered onto Sunshine Road, wondering where Smith’s Road might lead — perhaps a ride for another day. Sunshine Road returned to dirt, winding through trees and leading to a causeway over the Gudgenby River. There, I spotted a 4WD and waved to the driver as he headed upriver to join his partner, who was walking their dog. After taking a few photos at the crossing, I continued to the end of Sunshine Road, where it met Naas Road.
Although I could have followed Naas Road into Tharwa, riding a paved road didn’t appeal to me. Instead, I backtracked across the Gudgenby River and climbed back up to Smith’s Road. Continuing on Smith’s, I passed a woman riding a horse and leading two others. I wasn’t sure if she was local or had unloaded her horses at Angle Crossing, where I’d noticed a horse float earlier. Further along, I took a quick detour into Tharwa Sandwash, a pleasant spot with access to the shallow, sandy-bottomed river.
Leaving the Sandwash, I rejoined Naas Road for the short ride into Tharwa. I turned onto Tidbinbilla Road and made a rest stop at Clarrie’s Café for a refreshing drink. After that, I followed Tidbinbilla Road briefly before detouring to Lambrigg Lookout, which offered some interesting historical information (captured in a photo of the sign).
From the lookout, I followed the road down to Point Hut Crossing and then made my way home. It was an enjoyable ride and a pleasure to explore a new area.

It was an enjoyable ride and a pleasure to explore a new area.

You can view my map of the ride here.

A huge thank you to The Cranberries for inspiring the title and theme of this post.
These days, many people have YouTube channels or websites, often accompanied by a branding logo to represent their identity—something they can even trademark. While I have no immediate plans to turn this into a business venture, I thought it would be fun to create my own logo to represent my site and the activities I enjoy.​

I wanted my logo to reflect the things I love doing:

1. Exploring
2. Riding mountain bikes
3. Riding motorbikes
4. Four wheel driving
5. Photography

​Combining all four into a simple logo was a bit of a challenge. However, I came up with the idea of a container-style design: a logo where the central icon could be swapped to reflect a specific interest. The final design features a compass, symbolising exploration, with a cog in the background to give it a unique touch—setting it apart from other compass-based logos.

The colour of the compass rose can be adjusted to complement different background colours—for instance, a version designed to stand out on a red T-shirt.
​
As of today (Tuesday, 21 January 2025), I officially have a logo!

Some of you may know that I also dabble in photography, and one of my passions is capturing historic churches. To do this, I need to know their locations, orientations, and whether they are worth photographing. I’ve identified around 150 churches within 100 km of Parliament House, most of which are over a century old. Occasionally, I come across a church I can’t pinpoint, either in terms of location, orientation to the sun, or history.

St Patrick’s Catholic Church at Adjungbilly was one such discovery – I found mention of it but little else. The second church in the area, Holy Advent Anglican Church, sits opposite Tumorrama Hall in Adjungbilly. I knew it was built around 1923 and had a rough idea of its orientation from Google Maps, but I wanted a closer look before heading out with my full-frame camera.

With this in mind, I planned a motorbike ride to visit both churches, or at least where I believed St Patrick’s might be. Normally, I’d invite friends along, but this time I posted the ride in the ACT Adventure Riders group to gauge interest. I received one response – from someone I knew but had no idea rode an adventure bike.

After a brief mix-up over which Ampol in Weston we were meeting at, Mike arrived, and we set off towards Sawyers Gully Rd – the start of the dirt tracks. A quick stop to lower tyre pressure and snap a photo, and we were on our way to Wee Jasper. We paused in Wee Jasper to check out the restored police station and see if the general store was open. It wasn’t – barbed wire now blocked the entrance, suggesting it won’t be reopening soon.

​From Wee Jasper, we rode past Micalong Campgrounds and up Nottingham Rd towards Adjungbilly. At some point along Threeways Rd, the gravel unexpectedly gave way to asphalt. In Adjungbilly, I rode to where I thought the church might be – but found the public school instead. As we left, I spotted someone standing outside their house and stopped to ask for directions. Luckily, the church was along the road we were already planning to take back to Canberra.

We found it soon after, though it wasn’t at all what I expected – a simple 1960s-style demountable building. Still, we stopped to take a look around. The door was open, so we ventured inside and took a few photos.

​Leaving Adjungbilly, our next stop was Holy Advent at Tumorrama. We found it easily, stopping to explore the church and nearby memorials to local pioneers. Continuing on, we turned down Lee Archers Rd but soon encountered private property. A quick detour got us back on track.

Later, we ended up on a disused forestry track for the final kilometre before reaching Cockatoo Rd, which wasn’t too bad. From there, we made our way to Brindabella Rd to finish the loop. About 2 km from Gentle Annie Rd, Mike ran out of fuel. Fortunately, we’d planned for this – he had 5L strapped to his bike. A quick refill and we were on our way again.

At Piccadilly Circus, we paused briefly so I could explain the various roads branching from there. Then we descended Brindabella Rd, passed through Uriarra, and returned to our starting point.

The 228 km ride was incident-free, blessed with great weather – and all of it was new to Mike.

Route Map.

Still in recovery from sinusitis surgery, I debated whether to take the motorbike out. With the kids at vacation care and my wife at work, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) had forecast a partly cloudy 34°C, and I knew I needed to ride before the heat became unbearable. By the time I had drawn up a route and seen the kids off, it was already 9:00 am. Time was slipping away.
The ride began with a fuel stop at Eaglehawk, followed by a route through Sutton via Majura Lane. 

​From Collector, I ventured north along Breadalbane Road. Riding this road for the first time, I admired the picturesque scenery, especially after passing under the Hume Highway. I stopped briefly at St Brigid’s Catholic Church and Cemetery on Old Sydney Road, where I inadvertently startled an artist painting the scene. After capturing some photos, I continued through Cullerin, navigating winding dirt roads that crossed the rail line multiple times.

​Backtracking along Cullerin Road, I turned onto Lerida Road North, a dirt track running past a wind turbine farm. Crossing the Hume Highway, I picked up Lerida Road South, which meandered through the turbines before returning to dirt near Lerida Station. The breeze from the turbines helped keep the heat manageable—thankfully, someone had turned on the “fans”!

Eventually, I rejoined Marked Tree Road and retraced my path through Gundaroo, taking Mulligans Flat Road home. It was a rewarding ride, blending scenic views, dirt tracks, and a hint of adventure.
Some stats for the ride:
Distance: ~170kms
Highest Temperature: 30.7°C at 1152
Relative Humidity: 44%

Ride Map

Photos of upgrades that I have done over time. Some have been done due breakage, others to improve comfort, and the rest to allow me to adventure further.
​Some mods were for the better and the others not so good.

Today, I finally ticked off a goal from my bucket list—riding up to Big Badja! I joined Steve Burge and Bernie Te for a spontaneous adventure ride, and it turned into an epic day on the trails. Steve had mapped out our route: we’d start by riding through Namadgi National Park to Cooma, head to Big Badja, and potentially explore Misty Mountain to see if we could find a way through.
We met at the Ampol station in Jerrabomberra to fuel up and check our bikes. From there, we passed through Tharwa and entered Namadgi National Park. Steve’s GAIA Maps app was playing up a bit, freezing and causing occasional detours. After a quick stop at Brayshaws Hut (a first visit for Steve and Bernie), we crossed the border and continued on towards Shannons Flat.
As we rode through Shannons Flat, Steve’s maps acted up again, and we realised we’d missed a turn. We quickly doubled back onto Shannons Flat Road, where some roadwork was underway. Shortly after, we hit the tarmac and rolled into Cooma for fuel and a quick stop at Kuma’s Pie Shop. Steve mentioned that a friend, Brendan, was on his way up from Cobargo to meet us somewhere along Tom Groggin Road.
Once back on track, we rode along the Snowy Mountains Highway to the Tom Groggin turnoff, then onto dirt roads towards Nimmatabel. Soon enough, we met Brendan on the track. A quick hello, and we continued through Nimmatabel, turning onto Kybeyan Road and winding our way through Countegany and Tuross Road until we hit Badja Forest Road. This was where the real adventure began as we turned onto Badja Fire Trail to make our way up to Big Badja.
The trail was steep, rocky, and technical in parts, and it threw a few surprises our way. Bernie’s bike lost a rack-mounted pack when it got caught up in his back wheel, and Brendan had a minor spill further up the trail. After a few stops to recover, regroup, and check directions, we were back on course.
Finding the final turn to the summit took a bit of map-checking, but once we were on it, the short, steep climb led us to the top of Big Badja—a bald mound </titter> of rock offering a 360-degree view. I stalled once on the way up, but we all eventually reached the summit. Brendan opted to park near the base and walk up, and we spent some time taking in the incredible views from this high vantage point.
After the summit, the trail down was smoother, and we rejoined Badja Road at Pike’s Saddle. From there, we cruised along Krawarree and Cooma Roads—some of the smoothest dirt roads I’ve ridden in ages. Near Braidwood, we detoured onto Farringdon Road for a river crossing, then accidentally took Bombay Road (thanks to an easy-to-miss turn) before finding our way back to Little Bombay Road. Bernie pulled an impressive power turn, only to be surprised by a car just a couple of metres away—one of those spontaneous moments that make rides so memorable!
We finished the day with tarmac back to Queanbeyan, where we said our farewells. Brendan had a long ride back to Cobargo, and I headed west to wrap up an unforgettable day.
Huge thanks to Steve for organising the ride and to Bernie for joining—it was brilliant catching up and sharing the adventure with you both. And it was great to meet Brendan too. Here’s to more epic rides and new trails!

Ride Map

Dirt = 60-70%
​
Today started off on a better note—no headache, thanks to a solid effort at staying hydrated with plenty of water, two Hydralytes, and a Powerade.
Leaving Orange, I was surprised by how long it took to hit dirt roads. Back in the ACT, I can usually find dirt much quicker! Eventually, we got off-road, bypassing Millthorpe and Blayney as we made our way south toward Carcoar.
In Carcoar, we stopped at the Stoke Stable Museum, but unfortunately, like the Rockley Museum, it was closed. One of the challenges of weekday travel! A quick navigation slip had us briefly backtracking from what looked like the highway entrance. Looking back at the map, we could have followed Fell Timber Rd to reconnect with our original route near Mandurama.
We passed through the small towns of Mandurama and Lyndhurst, then hit more stretches of dirt heading south toward Wyangala Dam. Along the way, we checked out Tanisa Pools, the Helm Standing Stones, and Elliots Lookout, which had a fantastic view over Lake Wyangala.
When we reached Wyangala, we stopped for fuel, a drink, and a look at the dam wall. Unfortunately, the maps misled me, as I thought we’d be able to cross over the dam wall—but we had to reroute around the township instead.
Continuing south, we rode through some amazing twists and turns, paved but starting on dirt. Not too many road bikes would likely tackle these curves! Then it was back to dirt again through Reids Flat and Frogmore before reaching Boorowa, where we enjoyed a well-earned stop for some delicious baked goods.
Dave was running low on fuel, but he had just enough to get to Yass, so we pressed on through Rye Park and took the dirt roads to Yass. Here, Dave had a mishap—overdoing it on one corner and running off the road. All we heard on the radio was some colorful language, so we turned back to check on him. I reached him first and found him lying in a ditch under his bike, winded and nursing a sore leg and chest. Fortunately, he was okay overall. We lifted his bike back onto the road, assessing only minor damage—a broken blinker and a scratched Barkbuster.
After a break, we fueled up in Yass and geared up for the final dirt stretch back to the ACT, covering Gums Lane, Long Rail Gully Rd, Dog Trap Rd, and Kaveneys Rd.
Finally, we rolled into Gold Creek McDonald’s to call the ride complete.
This trip was a fantastic loop, and checking the Bridle Track off my bucket list was a real highlight. Next up: an overnight camping trip!