Pt 5. Nanga Brook to Lake Brockman
Camping under pine trees instead of a Munda Biddi campsite bunk makes for a nice change. It was quite cold though — about 7Cº. My 5Cº-rated sleeping bag just barely kept the cold at bay.
The next Munda Biddi campsite is Yarri but it’s at least a 2-day easy ride to get there and since the trail skirts Lake Brockman on its way south, Lake Brockman Tourist Park seems to be choice of accommodation for the night instead. The only down-side is that it’s a paid campsite.
Sandy leaves before me, so as to ride his own route. We’ll meet at Lake Brockman later in the day.
Off Nanga Road and enroute to Munda Biddi, I ride through this tunnel. A sign on the right proclaims this to be a mining area. Quite a blot on the landscape. ALCOA’s Huntly bauxite mine somewhere in this region is the 2nd largest such mine in the world.
Maybe that’s why they’re giving back to the Munda BIddi.
The bush fire in the area seems to have covered quite a large swath of forest, but the trees have clawed back to life though; notice the greens sprouting out from the blackened trunks.
No go for anything else except 2-wheelers.
A quiet lunch break on the trail. So, what’s on the menu?
When there’s no oversized Hawaiian pizzas to be had, it’s usually this… peanut butter, Lebanese flat bread and canned stuff.
I got some of these cheap at $1 each from IGA. Delicious…
About 15 kms from Lake Brockman, I spot Sandy by the side of the trail — he’s brewing his afternoon cuppa. Life should be slow and easy when cycle-touring. Why the rush?
As we get nearer Lake Brockman, the trail becomes harder to ride through. It’s covered with charred wood, thick in some places. Sandy goes on ahead of me and soon I’m riding alone.
Oh look…a dry bag that looks familiarly like Sandy’s. It is. Seeing as there’s no way to carry it, I sit down and wait for Sandy to come back, which he does about 45 minutes later when he realises that he seems to be suddenly riding ‘stronger’ than he’s ever felt before.
Later, it was my turn to get a taste of shit luck… the brush-covered trail snucked a piece of wood into my rear fender and twisted the fender brace, breaking it into 3 pieces
What’s left of the twisted fender brace that came off and wrapped itself between cassette and spokes.
What’s left of the fender. I took the whole thing out and threw it away in frustration. The lesson here is : fenders don’t work on the Munda Biddi.
I lost Sandy somewhere before the Munda Biddi veers to the right of the lake. I took a wrong turn and went left, taking a longer route on the eastern side before finally ending up at the entrance to the park.
Serene Lake Brockman. Not much to look at actually.
The park is totally devoid of tourists and campers. We’re the only 2 visitors to the park today.
Tenting sites are anywhere in the open space around the kitchen. Next to the kitchen are the toilets, which meant … long hot showers! $13 a head well spent.
Fully equipped kitchen. It’s so nice I decided to camp inside instead, anything to ward off the cold. Sandy being the purist set up his tent under the trees instead.
My familiar pasta and eggs routine. I need a change of menu soon.
But…I can’t complain. It’s been a great ride so far. And Sandy’s been great company.
