I did finally manage to get out on my new (from the tip shop) bike before work yesterday.
That chair I've been working on needs re-upholstering and I'd really like to do it using the original method. This will require me to reinforce the base with webbing so I decided I would put my bush survival skills to use and source some stuff from a car graveyard off Lee Point Rd. The scrub out there is full of dumped cars and burned out wrecks!
Grevillea sp.
It's kind of a paradoxical place. On one hand there is quite a bit of really interesting native plant and animal life but on the other it is infested with weeds, vandals, thieves and the kind of feral animals that are inclined to hunt you down and eat you if you don't put up a good fight!
As I veered away from the road and entered the scrub I had an uncomfortable feeling that I wouldn't like to come across anybody out here, who knows what they might be up to! Recreational 4X4 drivers, motocross riders and kids in stolen cars have created a maze of tracks through the bush and these are all strewn with illegally dumped building waste and all kinds of other junk, I never know what I'm going to happen across out there. One thing can be guaranteed though; there's bound to be dumped cars! It just so happened that this is exactly what I wanted to find, the hardest thing was to find one that wasn't completely burned out.
As I rode along a path that wove it's way between infested Gamba grass wastelands and near pristine Melaleuca wetlands I did manage to see heaps of interesting birds. These included a Red headed honey-eater, a pair of Pheasant coucals, a couple of unidentified waders and large flocks of Long-tailed finches and Mannequins. Awesome! Although the high ground has dried, a lot of the tracks were flooded with clear flowing streams and deep pools of fresh water. It's not likely too many people would have been able to get a car through during the wet season.
This car won't be moved any time soon
Finally I came across a car that had been smashed up and dumped some time ago so I pulled up to check that it still had seat belts, (for those who don't know the webbing I'm looking for is basically seat belt material).
Just as I was dismounting my bike I heard a deep growl! I looked towards the source of this ominous sound and discovered a couple of wild dogs about 15 meters away! One looked mostly Dingo the other some kind of large tan and black hunting dog, they both had their hackles up and the larger one began to bark at me in a frighteningly aggressive manner. He fiercely lunged forward with each bark and it looked like they were about to charge me! OH SHIT!
I immediately started to roar back at the dogs and quickly scanned the bush all around me to see if there were any more of the little mongrels lurking around. I've been attacked by dogs before and they used a decoy to confront me while a sneakier animal would quietly approach from behind! I looked over my shoulder and could see nothing. I listened for other dogs or maybe another person but there appeared to be none. It was a stand off! In my most authoritative voice I commanded they 'Go-onnn Git Outuvit!' They stood for another moment silently then confidently entered the bush and skirted around the car. I thought this is it they're coming in for the kill! I faced them, the whole time expecting them to launch an attack from the cover of the car but instead the yellow dog ran off through the bush so the big hunter took of with it! Thank goodness for that!
I grabbed what I needed and got out of there. Following the track back to the Buffalo creek road I came across a lot more dumped cars and amazingly saw a fair bit of wildlife. Once I had recovered from the adrenalin pumping ordeal with the dogs I actually felt quite calm and enjoyed the rest of my ride. The morning light made the whole place seem kind of magical and a different species of bird presented itself as I rounded every corner. We are now on the ebb of the wet season heading into the dry. There is an abundance of food available in the bush as many of the plants are flowering or have gone to seed, there is water everywhere but the skys are turning blue. What an awesome time and place to exist!
The old sewerage pond: now the resting place of many a lost family vehicle
The Bike
I did have some trouble with the gears on the bike and I think the rear dérailleur might be stuffed but the suspension was awesome! The fat semi inflated tires got me across some really sandy tracks without sinking and the suspension enabled me to glide over some pretty deep corrugations and washouts in the track. A bit slow on the road but awesome in the rough! The bike tracks kind of funny though and I can't figure it out. When I'm riding the front wheel doesn't turn smoothly. It tends to want to track straight but sort of flips when I make a turn. This could be dangerous on gravel as exaggerated front wheel movement could easily lead to a slide out! I wonder if it has something to do with the geometry in the angle of the front forks? If there's too much rake this may interfere with the turning and it's likely there's nothing I can do about that. I'll try and fix the gears this week but have no experience with this so don't fancy my chances of improving anything.
That chair I've been working on needs re-upholstering and I'd really like to do it using the original method. This will require me to reinforce the base with webbing so I decided I would put my bush survival skills to use and source some stuff from a car graveyard off Lee Point Rd. The scrub out there is full of dumped cars and burned out wrecks!
Grevillea sp.
It's kind of a paradoxical place. On one hand there is quite a bit of really interesting native plant and animal life but on the other it is infested with weeds, vandals, thieves and the kind of feral animals that are inclined to hunt you down and eat you if you don't put up a good fight!
As I veered away from the road and entered the scrub I had an uncomfortable feeling that I wouldn't like to come across anybody out here, who knows what they might be up to! Recreational 4X4 drivers, motocross riders and kids in stolen cars have created a maze of tracks through the bush and these are all strewn with illegally dumped building waste and all kinds of other junk, I never know what I'm going to happen across out there. One thing can be guaranteed though; there's bound to be dumped cars! It just so happened that this is exactly what I wanted to find, the hardest thing was to find one that wasn't completely burned out.
As I rode along a path that wove it's way between infested Gamba grass wastelands and near pristine Melaleuca wetlands I did manage to see heaps of interesting birds. These included a Red headed honey-eater, a pair of Pheasant coucals, a couple of unidentified waders and large flocks of Long-tailed finches and Mannequins. Awesome! Although the high ground has dried, a lot of the tracks were flooded with clear flowing streams and deep pools of fresh water. It's not likely too many people would have been able to get a car through during the wet season.
This car won't be moved any time soon
Finally I came across a car that had been smashed up and dumped some time ago so I pulled up to check that it still had seat belts, (for those who don't know the webbing I'm looking for is basically seat belt material).
Just as I was dismounting my bike I heard a deep growl! I looked towards the source of this ominous sound and discovered a couple of wild dogs about 15 meters away! One looked mostly Dingo the other some kind of large tan and black hunting dog, they both had their hackles up and the larger one began to bark at me in a frighteningly aggressive manner. He fiercely lunged forward with each bark and it looked like they were about to charge me! OH SHIT!
I immediately started to roar back at the dogs and quickly scanned the bush all around me to see if there were any more of the little mongrels lurking around. I've been attacked by dogs before and they used a decoy to confront me while a sneakier animal would quietly approach from behind! I looked over my shoulder and could see nothing. I listened for other dogs or maybe another person but there appeared to be none. It was a stand off! In my most authoritative voice I commanded they 'Go-onnn Git Outuvit!' They stood for another moment silently then confidently entered the bush and skirted around the car. I thought this is it they're coming in for the kill! I faced them, the whole time expecting them to launch an attack from the cover of the car but instead the yellow dog ran off through the bush so the big hunter took of with it! Thank goodness for that!
I grabbed what I needed and got out of there. Following the track back to the Buffalo creek road I came across a lot more dumped cars and amazingly saw a fair bit of wildlife. Once I had recovered from the adrenalin pumping ordeal with the dogs I actually felt quite calm and enjoyed the rest of my ride. The morning light made the whole place seem kind of magical and a different species of bird presented itself as I rounded every corner. We are now on the ebb of the wet season heading into the dry. There is an abundance of food available in the bush as many of the plants are flowering or have gone to seed, there is water everywhere but the skys are turning blue. What an awesome time and place to exist!
The old sewerage pond: now the resting place of many a lost family vehicle
The Bike
I did have some trouble with the gears on the bike and I think the rear dérailleur might be stuffed but the suspension was awesome! The fat semi inflated tires got me across some really sandy tracks without sinking and the suspension enabled me to glide over some pretty deep corrugations and washouts in the track. A bit slow on the road but awesome in the rough! The bike tracks kind of funny though and I can't figure it out. When I'm riding the front wheel doesn't turn smoothly. It tends to want to track straight but sort of flips when I make a turn. This could be dangerous on gravel as exaggerated front wheel movement could easily lead to a slide out! I wonder if it has something to do with the geometry in the angle of the front forks? If there's too much rake this may interfere with the turning and it's likely there's nothing I can do about that. I'll try and fix the gears this week but have no experience with this so don't fancy my chances of improving anything.
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