Mountain Biking in Perth, Western Australia

By Nate Morse , May 1999

In my previous post (Part 1), I left off when Frank Palermo dropped us off at the Midland train station after taking Jess and I for a GREAT ride. We were to meet up with Rob Merrels at about 4:00pm and go out for another ride.

Jess ended up having to go back to the ship since we were unsure of what time we would get back from the ride. So after Rob got there and we all made our acquaintances, he hopped the train for Fremantle. Rob and I loaded up my bike into his car and we were off to the trailhead.

We arrived about 15 minutes later unloaded the bikes and hit the trail. The terrain was similar to the ride earlier in the morning but on this ride we encountered a couple of large granite slabs that we could ride on for hundreds on feet. It reminded me of the pictures I've seen of Moab, but on a smaller scale. The temps were still comfortably in the low 80's and all conditions were perfect.

The trail started out as a nice wide doubletrack road that used to be an old railway bed. It gently climbed far up into the hills for about 2.5 miles twisting through the hills and valleys all the while climbing higher and higher. We paused on one occasion to take a look at a gray kangaroo that was about 75 yards away, hopping down the steep slope and onto the trail behind us. I had never seen one out in the wild before so that was pretty unique for me.

We turned off the rail track and onto a smaller smooth trail that continued up for another 1.5 miles at a much steeper pace. Rob was very nice about not letting me fall too far behind and waited for me several times by the time we reached the top. I'm not trying to make excuses or anything, but after that first ride/BBQ, my legs were NOT wanting to work like they had earlier in the day. It was rather frustrating really, since the climb was not a tough one; just long. I was still sportin' a smile though :-)

With the last of the major climbing out of the way, we turned onto a narrow singletrack that twisted it's way down through the hills and onto the first large granite slab where we stopped to take a short break for a photo or two. There was a maze of hills we were looking down over from where we were and with the sun getting low in the sky, it really provided a nice effect on the scenery. We made our way across the granite and back onto the trail where we saw our second kangaroo that was sitting maybe 10 feet off the trail. Rob gave it a whistle which caused it to stand straight up and stare back at us. It stayed around just long enough for me to take a couple of shots with my camera before it hopped away. Those "roos" are so kewl!!

From there the trail spilled out onto the second big granite slab where we got back onto the railtrail since the sun was starting to get pretty low in the sky. From there, it was a fast, smooth descent all the way back to the car. What a fantastic ride through some of the most beautiful countryside I've ever ridden through!!

We loaded up the bikes once again and Rob dropped me off at the train station for the return trip to Fremantle. Rob wasn't able to come on the ship himself for a tour since he had school/work, but we did arrange for his two younger brothers to come the following day along with Tina and her two boys.

I'd like to thank Rob Merrels for his hospitality and for taking the time out of his busy schedule to take me out on this fantastic ride. I REALLY enjoyed it. Hopefully, I can return the favor some day. This visit to Oz has proven once again that some of the nicest people in the world are neatly tucked away in this magical land called Australia!! There should be a law requiring everyone to come here at least once in a lifetime to experience it for themselves.

Well that's about it from Perth, W. Australia. My next stop is Hobart, Tasmania where I hope to get some more good rides in. I can't wait!! Till then, keep the rubber side down. . .

Nate Morse
Bremerton, WA
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)