My previous post highlighted the magnificent landscape we rode through on the Wollumbin Circuit, its geological, cultural and spiritual significance. In this post you’ll read about the communities, their people and livelihoods that we encountered while riding the Wollumbin Circuit on a Good Good Friday. But first the news… (play first 20 seconds of video)..
In this bulletin,
- Hare Krishna visitors cross creek in early morning hurry.
- Wild fruit feeds bike-rider’s memory.
- E-bikes a gogo!
- Small village plans life off-grid.
- Temporary peak in roadside stall sales.
- Tiny horses tell tales of future stardom.
Now for the details:
On Good Good Friday, two women left Murwillumbah travelling by bicycles, passing cows grazing and road cyclists racing. Nine kilometres later, they stopped at the turn off to the Hare Krishna village at Eungella. A single lane road descended steeply to a creek spanned by a timber bridge. The creek waters gurgled quickly generating a feeling of peace and tranquillity. In their seven minute stop to film and feel the beautiful creek, five cars left and two arrived, all scurried across the bridge, one driver was seen to wave.
The tropical fruit known as the guava is fondly remembered by many Queensland-born baby boomers. With a skidding of rubber tyres, an end-to-end bicycle crash was narrowly avoided after a bicycle rider, reported to be a Queensland-born baby boomer, saw a wild guava tree, flush with fruit, while riding downhill. Surviving the near miss, the bicycle rider wheeled back to the guava tree to feast on the sun-ripened fruit. The thick yellow skin with a pink, seeded interior delivered high doses of vitamin C, ensuring scurvy would not be an issue on this expedition.
Eyewitnesses reported two electric bikes parked outside a cafe in Tyalgum on Good Good Friday. One was a mountain bike design in matte black with a battery built into its frame and the other a white step-through with a battery mounted under its rear rack. Both are part of an initiative by the owners of the Tyalgum General Store to establish an e-bike rental and tour service in and around the village.
While e-bikes are soon to be a gogo in Tyalgum, this is only a small part of bigger plans. The Tyalgum Energy Project aims to see the village of about 300 people live completely off the grid. This would make it the first Australian town to voluntarily become 100% reliant on renewable energy. A planned re-development of the town’s historic butter factory will showcase renewable energy alternatives, acting as an educational experience for visitors and a hub for innovation within the town.
In economic news, roadside stalls reported a spike in sales on Good Good Friday. Tahitian limes, organic mandarins and passionfruit were among the highest sellers. Early indications suggest this was only a temporary rise attributed to two female bicycle riders trading gold coins for fruit in the Murwillumbah district during the day.
And finally in the arts, sources report seeing two bicycle-riders negotiating with four Tiny Horses in a field east of Chillingham. While details are still to be confirmed, it’s imagined the Tiny Horses could star in a re-interpretation of the 1960s sitcom Mister Ed the Talking Horse expected to be filmed on the Gold Coast.
And now for the weather:
Sunny skies seen ahead.
END OF BROADCAST
Enjoy the slideshow…
Wollumbin’s been around a long time.
Over 23 million years ago, a shield volcano filled the landscape near where I live. Its diameter was over 100 kilometres (62mi) and its height 1156 metres (3,793ft). This large round shape and low profile resembled a warrior’s shield, hence its geological name.
All that remains now is the eroded caldera around a volcanic plug. Yet what remains is significant. A caldera is the large cauldron-like crater that remains after a major eruption collapses the volcano. This volcano left the largest erosion caldera in the Southern Hemisphere. The rim of this magnificent caldera brings dramatic escarpments to the landscape and its valley carries water and soil rich with nutrients.
And as for the volcanic plug, well it’s the first place on the Australian continent to receive the morning sun. English explorer James Cook named it Mt. Warning in 1770 as a reference point for sailors. Yet long before this, Indigenous custodians knew it as Wollumbin. And it was more than a navigational reference point. For tens of thousands of years, Wollumbin has been of spiritual and cultural significance to the Bundjalung people.
UNESCO declared this area Heritage Listed as part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia for its “Outstanding Universal Value”.
I’ve driven, hiked and camped in this wonderful caldera but never had I biked it. So with Easter approaching and a Tweed Visitor Guide in our hands, we decided to cycle one of the themed driving trails named: Wollumbin Circuit.
Early Good Friday we drove to the regional town of Murwillumbah, about 40kms south of Currumbin. In the centre of town, Knox Park, was a good location to park the car for the day. After unloading the bikes, stocking them with our picnic food, and eating some breakfast, we pedalled out of town. Right from the beginning, the magnificent Wollumbin was in sight and that’s where it stayed for most of our ride.
At the beginning of the ride, we were able to stay off the road by using the bike paths connecting Murwillumbah High School with the outer suburb of Bray Park. Beyond that, it was all road riding, and with very narrow or non-existent shoulders. At first, I found this a bit daunting and breathed an extra breath after each car passed. Then I settled in and enjoyed the views; and even took some photos while rolling.
Leaving Murwillumbah, our Wollumbin Circuit took us via Eungella to the vibrant village of Tyalgum, then up and down some long rolling hills to Chillingham, along narrow winding roads to Crystal Creek and then returning to Murwillumbah via the whispering sugar cane fields.
Our Wollumbin Circuit saw us ride 52.6kms (33mi) and gain 706 metres (2,316ft) in elevation. Our actual riding time was 3 hours 44 minutes but with views to linger over, wild fruit to pick, and locals to yarn with, it was seven hours before we finished our ride in Murwillumbah.
It was a Good Good Friday. I felt relaxed, invigorated and in awe of this beautiful caldera and its sacred heart, Wollumbin.
To be continued…
Scroll over or tap each photo below to read its caption or enlarge….
Wollumbin Circuit in red. Wollumbin National Park at the bottom of the map in green.
Elevation profile. The two large peaks are the hills between Tyalgum and Chillingham.
Riding towards Wollumbin.
A Good Good Friday
- Take one or more bicycles with riders
- Drive to regional town of Murwillumbah
- Separate bicycles from car rack
- Add picnic foods and water to bicycles
- Roll bicycles out of town
- Serve over southern hemisphere’s largest erosion caldera
- Soak in views of sacred mountain: Wollumbin
- Sprinkle with tastes of wild guavas
- Steep in conversations with locals at Tyalgum
- Spin pedals slowly to climb long hills
- Add passionfruit, limes and mandarins bought from roadside stalls
- Weave with flowing freshwater creeks; and
- Top with sparkling clear skies and autumn sunshine.
Serving more stories about the Wollumbin Circuit soon – stay tuned!
Downhill ride under sparkling blue skies. The rim of the caldera in the distance.
a bike for all seasons 