Lake Cooloongup off-road stuff

As a MTBer in the coastal areas near Perth, there isn't much MTB action
going on due to the mainly sandy soils (makes for lots of crunchies in
the chain).

Yesterday I found some good trails around Lake Cooloongup near
Rockingham, I entered the lake area from the car park at the Rockingham
golf course and found a mixture of hard packed salt lake base, some
light sandy tracks on a hard packed base and also found a kicking
single track through some heavy foliage. What I like to call an eco
bike wash.

I did take a wrong turn at one point which took me away from the lake
area and ended up in deep thick sand which necessitated a walk. I am
planning on doing some more exploring to find a good loop as a regular
ride away from cars. The soft tracks are used by trail bikes but you
can hear them coming from a mile away and can make sure you aren't in
harms way.

Does other MTBers use these trails?

SuperCujo wrote:
As a MTBer in the coastal areas near Perth, there isn't much MTB action
going on due to the mainly sandy soils (makes for lots of crunchies in
the chain).

Yesterday I found some good trails around Lake Cooloongup near
Rockingham, I entered the lake area from the car park at the Rockingham
golf course and found a mixture of hard packed salt lake base, some
light sandy tracks on a hard packed base and also found a kicking
single track through some heavy foliage. What I like to call an eco
bike wash.

I did take a wrong turn at one point which took me away from the lake
area and ended up in deep thick sand which necessitated a walk. I am
planning on doing some more exploring to find a good loop as a regular
ride away from cars. The soft tracks are used by trail bikes but you
can hear them coming from a mile away and can make sure you aren't in
harms way.

Does other MTBers use these trails?

Just be carefull about where you got down there, the mud is tenacious.
We know of people losing cars at Cooloongup and we nearly experienced it
ourseves while out bird-surveying. I've used the tracks around
Cooloongup but find that they get chewed up regardless of whether sandy
or muddy. Seasonally right now is the best time for MTBs around those
parts. Try also exploring the trails near the rail lines starting from
near the traffic lights at the Dixon Rd end.
When I lived in Orelia, before a heck of a lot of new suburbs popped up
there last week or sometime just before, I used to be able to cycle
around Kwinana, hop onto a railway line (keeping an eye over my
shoulder, those trains can really move) for a few hundred metres, cut
through Cooloongup and the back of the hospital, along the scrub near
Rae Rd and into the back off Lake Richmond to get to Palm Beach. My MTB
got 1km of cyclepath and 1/2 km of road, rest was offroad. But you are
going to find the same thing soon, those tracks are going to be
swallowed up by urban sprawl. Explore now.
There are also hilly, sandy tracks around the back of Parmelia still,
also near Wellard Rd. Some tracks still exist near the Mundijong flats,
like that interesting one near the pigfarm (how long can you hold your
breath for offroad?).

"DD" wrote in message
...
SuperCujo wrote:
As a MTBer in the coastal areas near Perth, there isn't much MTB action
going on due to the mainly sandy soils (makes for lots of crunchies in
the chain).

Yesterday I found some good trails around Lake Cooloongup near
Rockingham, I entered the lake area from the car park at the Rockingham
golf course and found a mixture of hard packed salt lake base, some
light sandy tracks on a hard packed base and also found a kicking
single track through some heavy foliage. What I like to call an eco
bike wash.

I did take a wrong turn at one point which took me away from the lake
area and ended up in deep thick sand which necessitated a walk. I am
planning on doing some more exploring to find a good loop as a regular
ride away from cars. The soft tracks are used by trail bikes but you
can hear them coming from a mile away and can make sure you aren't in
harms way.

Does other MTBers use these trails?

Just be carefull about where you got down there, the mud is tenacious.
We know of people losing cars at Cooloongup and we nearly experienced it
ourseves while out bird-surveying. I've used the tracks around
Cooloongup but find that they get chewed up regardless of whether sandy
or muddy. Seasonally right now is the best time for MTBs around those
parts. Try also exploring the trails near the rail lines starting from
near the traffic lights at the Dixon Rd end.
When I lived in Orelia, before a heck of a lot of new suburbs popped up
there last week or sometime just before, I used to be able to cycle
around Kwinana, hop onto a railway line (keeping an eye over my
shoulder, those trains can really move) for a few hundred metres, cut
through Cooloongup and the back of the hospital, along the scrub near
Rae Rd and into the back off Lake Richmond to get to Palm Beach. My MTB
got 1km of cyclepath and 1/2 km of road, rest was offroad. But you are
going to find the same thing soon, those tracks are going to be
swallowed up by urban sprawl. Explore now.
There are also hilly, sandy tracks around the back of Parmelia still,
also near Wellard Rd. Some tracks still exist near the Mundijong flats,
like that interesting one near the pigfarm (how long can you hold your
breath for offroad?).

And for a bit of swoopy, easy, pretty flat sniggletrack have a look at the
Spectacles at McLaughlin Road, off Thomas Road. There's a 5km walk track
around the lake and 3km singletrack winding through the banksias. I go there
after work every so often for an easy pootle.

If you drive there, take care. The car park on McLaughlin Road is notorious
for car break-ins. I park at Mundijong fire station on Anketell Road. The
car's then in sight of the school and houses. There's another entrance and
car park to the Spectacles off Johnson Road, so you can ride easily from the
fire station, check the map that's mounted on a board near the carpark and
away you go.

Cheers,

Frank