Cobden

Day 6 - Timboon to Cobden Rail Trail
Our original intention was to ride from Timboon to Cobden, but good intentions don't always result in the desired outcomes. Yesterday we discovered that the trail between Timboon and Cobden is impassable because the trestle bridge has not been built yet. The only way to get past this obstruction is via a 15 km detour along very busy public roads - not a sensible or safe alternative.
After studying the maps, we decided that we could start at Glenfyne instead and then follow the remaining 11 km of the trail to Cobden. That would make it a very simple and easy ride (or so we thought).
We arrived at Glenfyne without incident. Actually Gordon and Sue missed Glenfyne entirely and ended up driving all the way to Cobden by mistake. We all had to wait while they drove back to the designated start point. In their defence, we had to admit that Glenfyne is pretty much a complete non-entity. Apart from the quaint little public hall, there is absolutely nothing there.
So then we started on the trail. We did not have to ride far, before we realized that it was not going to be as easy as we thought. The trail was sadly neglected, so much so that I suspected that we were the first riders to ride this way since the introduction of decimal currency back in 1966.
Not only was the track overgrown with large weeds (scotch thistles), we also had to contend with long grass, fallen trees, mud and loose stones. We hadn't ridden far before Greg took the easy way out by falling off his bike into the large ditch at the side of the path. Fortunately his fall was softened by the large thistle bushes that welcomed his fall.
The ride to Cobden might have only been 11 km, but it felt like much more. By the time we arrived, our bodies and our bikes were looking the worse for wear. It didn't take long for us to discover why the trail was in such poor repair. The town itself was little better. Most of the businesses were shut down, and those few that were open looked like they wouldn't be around for much longer.
We then searched for a bakery for lunch, eventually finding a possible place hidden away in a little arcade. We noticed the place was for sale (like everything else in town). Walking to the counter, I discovered that there was only one pie and one sausage roll left languishing in the pie warmer. David immediately bought the last pie, which cheered the proprietor no end, after all they had been trying to sell it for the past week. The rest of us walked out and looked for another bakery.
Fortunately we discovered a much nicer place at the other end of town. It was fully stocked with pies and cakes, so we didn't starve after all.
After lunch we faced the challenge of riding back along the same goat track we had ridden out on. With the benefit of our previous experience, we seemed to all manage a bit better. About an hour later we were safely back at the cars.
In the evening we met up with 7 riders from Group 2, who had arrived from Warrnambool. We had a lovely outdoor dinner in the beautiful outdoor kitchen. There were lots of shared stories and an abundance of laughs, until we all got cold and retired to our rooms.
Tomorrow we tackle the Old Beechy Rail Trail, our final ride for this trip. I hope the surface is better than today's track.Read more