La Larr Ba Gauwa Park, Harcourt. Any info??

Checking in - hit up all the blue runs (limited to xc bike right now)

1: surprisingly good for a green run.
2: medium climb that isn't too long (maybe I had fresh legs) the return downhill is pretty good I washed out once due to the buckets of soft sand at awaiting after the table top.
3: Nice intro to the park smooth and silky - some minor techy climbing back up.
4: Same as 4 practically
7: This was probably the hardest on I did on the day with clown wheel bikcycle and not enough cush. The climb caught me out twice and some of the downhill bits were a little too much for my bike (user error haha)
10: had to find this one a bit but once there it's a nice tidy loop
6: Much easier climb than 7 but only gets you part way to the top.
9: Crashed here in slow motion but it's a nice loop too.

When the bouncy bike returns I'll give the blacks a shot but the grading is on the harder side for XC folks. Aside from that that trails are mad and the climbs are well designed so you get tired but definately feels like one of the better bang for buck up/down ratio courses.

The cons are minor points but the place is quite exposed so you'll need sunscreen etc. Also if you are like me and suffer hayfever, wait until after spring. I sneezed the whole ride and my throat burns now. The grass there is nasty! Also the prickly plants you shins will inevitably collect so I'd recommend thigh high socks minimum lol. My shins are pretty itchy now haha.

On a side note: what sort of tyre do you guys recommend for sort sandy terrain? It was the only bit I had trouble with. Everything else gripped, just user was a bit ham fisted lol.
 
cogs19 said:
I did the same on the same track. Curious to know if it was same spot. I went over while going down a steep little left-hand switchback. It was ultra slow-mo.
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Yes. Steep and tight left hander. I could choose to keep the wheel turning and find out what was on the other side of that sallow berm (not really a berm, more like raised lip), or wrestle with the front wheel to get it to turn - back wheel dealing with whatever chatter I rolled over lol. Next minute wheel bogs and I'm not seeing any nice options to fall onto haha.
 
I had my first experience at Harcourt on the weekend, so I thought I'd drop in my 2c worth.

We rode in from the public toilets in town and covered every track, which included a bit of stopping to check out trail features and the approach we needed to take. Rolling time was 3 hours on the dot, with near enough to 1000m of climbing for the day.
Initially we rode the northern trails and really struggled with some corners, they seemed to get tighter as you go and kill momentum.
When we rode the southern trails, we either got used to it or it didn't occur as often.

Due to the nature of the trails, we much preferred the southern trails. The level of tech was a great challenge, probably more so on the ups than downs, which was surprising. The southern climbs are not super long, but the combination of rock slabs and steep means you really need to muscle the bike around everywhere. At times it felt like there was not much reward for effort

Overall it was a good day out and with all the rain around, the place was absolutely perfect conditions - this is a great wet weather destination.
The hard stuff is properly hard out there, we chickened out on 2-3 features. (Instagram vids make things look MUCH smaller)
Highlights for me were track 8 and 9, with the descent of 2 also being quite a bit of fun.
 
Yeah, this place is sweet! Well worth the two-hour drive from Geetroit. I'm looking forward to riding Track 7 again when I'm fresh, not after having already done 9km. And I'm looking forward to riding Track 8 never.
 
Yeah, I looked at where it goes down from the lookout, with those two big drops. That's a NOPE from me.
 
I rode here on Friday for the first time and the thing I had the most trouble with was grip, that granite is super grippy when you're on a slab but is just front wheel washout prone when in the gravel,it took me an hour or so to adjust but the place is super fun...track 5 being the exception, I can honestly say I will never ride that again.
 
Nope, didn't make it to Melb, I was down in Vic for the school holidays and just rode Macedon, Harcourt, Wombat and Beechworth on the way back. My normal trails are sandstone based but they don't have that skatey feel. It took some adjusting and trust in the front tyre but I got there in the end.

The sausage roll (and beer) at the cafe in town was the best I had on the whole trip...and there was quite a few sausage rolls consumed.
 
Spike-X said:
Yeah, I looked at where it goes down from the lookout, with those two big drops. That's a NOPE from me.
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The one on 8? That looks like it would amazing fun with the right bike and many many pads and helmets... Oh - and actual skills....
 
wkkie said:
It's not that bad! Just don't do the crazy black climbs and take it easy on track 2.
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Oh, I’ve been...I just stack too much lately.
Will be a sedate roll. Felix is training with a couple of the Dynamite boys. I have no interest or business riding with them.
Ribs are 4/10, fitness is 3/10, so I’ll be taking it easy.
 
5 has a cow of a climb, but the down is fun.

Big drop on 8 scares the shit out of you, is fun but.

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Hipstar said:
Big drop on 8 scares the shit out of you, is fun but.

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What are you riding off that...? I'm sure a decent rider could do it, but it feels like it needs more bike than a Trance.
 
Any idea how trails are holding up with all this rain? I went there a couple of weeks ago--was great--but we've had a good soaking.
 
hilo said:
Any idea how trails are holding up with all this rain? I went there a couple of weeks ago--was great--but we've had a good soaking.
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Went there Sunday.

Hero dirt. Grip for years.

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