South Australia - Mawson Trail

Hi Sue

No problems. I have ridden the all of the mawson and have photos and blogs that recorded the ride.

Hey, will you be here around June Longweekend? Fat Tyre Festival at Melrose
http://melrosemountainbike.com/melrose-fat-tire-festival-news-archives/6-9th-june-2014-fat-tyre-festival/

Do you have the maps? I can send you PDFs (don't print very well) and you are welcome to borrow mine. They are good. I am uploading one to Google for you to download and check out.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4KZOwUvgPZabjdFSWNhMFVZNzQ/edit?usp=sharing

More questions...
Are you planning to ride the whole 900kms?

How many days will you take? If you are pressed for time, I suggest bypass MtBryan (ride from Spalding to Burra by road and save one day). Another day can be saved by catching the train from Gawler (leaving the Mawson at Tanunda). The northern 2 thirds is the BEST. Take the longest time from Blinman to Clare.

I assume you will be happy to bush camp. That said, there are good caravan parks along the way (stay at Rawnsley Park in preference to Wilpena). Bush camping in the last 70kms to Adelaide is tricky and no good caravan parks. I can show you a spot I used (or catch the train and bypass the last 70ks).

For supplies and repairs, the northern third is the most remote, but there is a town-a-day, so only one day's water and food supply needed. That said, supplies are expensive in the northern third, so you may choose to buy stuff in adelaide to start your trip. Water is REALLY BAD, so you will be buying bottled water or boxes of water at each town. You may find a rainwater tank, but not in the northern third.

Bus service to Blinman (parachilna, then ride across) is (or was... I can't find their timetable) http://www.genesistours.com.au/

Melrose (Fat Tyre Festival June longweekend) is about halfway. A GREAT bike shop is http://otesports.com.au/ and if you have any trouble with the bus service, ring these guys and ask if they can help. A couple of years ago they helped 4 friends of mine and cut of a section by taking them in a van. Split between 4 people they may take you to Blinman for a reasonable cost!

Not much bike shop help in the northern 2 thirds other than Melrose, in fact, NO bike shops.

The trail is not rough. See my photos of "quorn to Blinman" and you will see two guys I met, one on a road bike and one on a tourer. That said, if wet, the mud is a bit sticky... ROAD TYRES are better in mud than knobby, if fact, road tyres on the back is all you need. When I supported a rider team in the non-stop Blinman to Melrose, they took off their expensive knobby rear tyre and opted for my Schwalbe off my bike.

Click on 2010 in the right side of my blog, then scroll down
http://mawsontrail.blogspot.com.au/

Weather... VERY COLD. If wet the mud can be a challenge.

I would seriously consider my suggestion to a road tyre on the rear. The gravel does not need a knobbly. They are mostly roads or fire roads. Where it is rocks, sand or gravel it is only for a very short section (ie less than 100 metres).
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/au/en/schwalbe-marathon-plus-26-bike-tyre-smartguard/rp-prod24542
(Schwalbe Marathon Plus 26" Bike Tyre - SmartGuard). A knobby on the front is ok.. get one that rolls easy (small knobs with a constant contact section in the centre of the tyre - ie QUIET when on hard surface).

I did not get any punctures. I ran slime though, so prickles would have re-sealed themselves. The better the tyre the less chance of a puncture. A 16in trailer tyre may be a hassle to buy if you shredded it. I have an old one here you are welcome to borrow. Car seat belt is a good gater and tyre repair in the event of a slashed tyre.

Chain oil - Wet grass will wipe all the oil off.

Warm bedding... spare no expense

Blinman Hotel has a campground out the back, but the ground is rough, the generator runs all night, and I think it wasn't cheap. Consider just having a beer and bush camp 10 ks down the road.

Bounce me the answers to the questions and I can suggest how to section up your ride. If you enjoy bush walking, take an extra day at Rawnsley to walk to the top. It is as good as St Mary's peak, but if you have 2 days to put aside you can do both.

If you are new to touring I can give you more suggestions. If you have done 60+ kms per day touing riding on mixed dirt roads then you will have as much bike set up knowledge as me.

Staying at my place is no problem. If my bedrooms have boarders, then the garage and lounge floor will be available.

Oh.. and a Spray bottle is handy. Either a pump up weedsprayer, or a hand squirter. Good for washing off mud, dishes etc when water usage has to be kept to a minimum.

Mossie/fly face nets.

sunburn cream (yep, even in June)

Not much mobile phone coverage north of Quorn, but it is here and there along the way.

Cheers

Jim

Two Way Radios:
You are right. North of Hawker you have little phone coverage, and basically only at Wilpena and maybe Ransley Park. AND that is only if you are on Telstra. the other providers have very little coverage north of CLARE.

A 2 way is not essential, but handy. If you do buy one you need a 40Channel UHF WITH REPEATER. That said, stay in touch as I may have one I can lend you. We are spending a week in the northern section (Blinman to Hawker) from Oct 6 to Oct 12 (2014).

Snakes:
Snakes are an issue. There are some common sense things, but easy to overlook, as did a friend of mine on the mawson. He wasn't bitten, but STOOD on a snake that was curled up having a snooze in the sun! THey both got a fright and ran off! That was near Spalding (alongside the water channels). In hindsight, a water channel is a habitat for all sorts of animals (mice, birds, rabbits etc), hence snakes are more likely.

Snakes don't chase humans, just defend themselves. If they hear you coming, the go!

If you need to walk off the track in grass, walk slowly, and loudly!

Snakes don't live in the middle of nowhere. They need a food source, so if there is human food waste, livestock, water and rubbish (ie old tin, logs, car bodies, tanks etc) to live in/under, then be careful.

Bushfires:
There is not enough fuel up north to be a risk (north of Melrose). In summer, there has been fires in the forest(s) between Melrose and Spalding, but it would have to be hot and dry. Same applies near Adelaide (south of Rowland Flat). Except for the forests, the Mawson passes through grazing and farming county, and there is little chance of being caught in a bushfire. Care needs to be taken when camping though, especially if dry/hot/windy.

I have copied the above to my "discussion" spreadsheet. It has multiple sheets, and your question has prompted me to add this to the discussion. Here is the link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yuYC31IRUSmHqxWY_J5tVtUpM7TyBe6h8_bRbanRaMg/edit?usp=sharing

I am happy to provide more information. NOTE my comments re the Maps.. Well worth having. I am happy to lend you mine if you want to save $$.

Jim