The Lakes

York to Mundaring day 8, Monday 31 October 2011.

I left York at 8:40 on a mild sunny morning with moderate easterly winds. It was mostly uphill for about 7 km as I climbed from the Avon valley into the Darling range. I took a rest at 466 and again at 482. I wasn’t thinking of the whole 60 km, just of the 48 to the Lakes roadhouse, where I would have a nice long rest and have, I thought, only 12 km to go.

I passed the West Talbot Road turn-off at 486, the Wariin Road turn-off at 489 and reached the Lakes sooner than I expected, at 496. After my drink and rest I rode onto the Great Eastern Highway and was impressed.  ... Read more

York to Mundaring, day 10, Wednesday 22 October 2003. I left York at 8:28 on a fine sunny morning which promised a warm day. I headed west up the Great Southern highway, prepared for a long climb which started 6 or 7 km out of York. The wind was light from the east and south-east – perfect again.

I took a rest at 1347, then again at 1363. The road was very up and down. I reached The Lakes roadhouse at 1378, 11:28, and took a long lunch on a curried egg sandwich. It is always at this point that I think of the ride as achieved, over, though there is a bit more to go yet.

I passed through Sawyers’ Valley at 1391 and nearly missed the turn into the Travellers’ Rest Motel at Muindaring, because the road past there is now dual carriageway and things looked different from what I remembered.  ... Read more

Mundaring to York, day 2, Monday 11 October 1999. The morning was cool and cloudy with a light E headwind. This was to be the first big test of the ride, of the new bike and myself. I left Travellers Rest Motel at 8:15, 105, and reached The Lakes roadhouse at 8:55, 120. I had a drink and a rest then took the Great Southern highway. I rested again at 140, and as luck would have it found by the side of the road several of the rare blue sun orchids that I hadn’t found on my walk behind Travellers Rest Motel the previous afternoon.

I rested again at 156, then reached the Avon motel in York at 11:39, 167. On the downhill run into York I exceeded 50 kph and had trouble holding the bike on a straight course.  ... Read more

Beverley to Mundaring, day 10, Saturday 4 November 1995. In 1989 (see 1989 ride story) I went from Midland to Wooroloo on Day 1, then from Woorooloo to Beverley on Day 2, going by the gravel West Talbot Road through the State forest, connecting with the Talbot and Waterhatch Roads. This was supposed to be a short cut, shorter than going via York and making the whole ride (after Day 2) easier than if I had stopped at York on Day 2.

I wanted today to do this short cut in reverse, to see how much shorter it really was. On reaching the Great Southern Highway, however, I was going to head west for Mundaring.

I had another self serve breakfast, all the cereal, toast and jam you can eat, with the truckies, and heard a dirty truckie joke.  ... Read more

York to Mundaring, day 9, Thursday 28 October 1993. A fine cold morning with light winds, not a factor. I left York at 8:26. The first 6km were almost all uphill, very hard, and I wondered if there was something wrong with me or the bike, but at the top of the last rise I looked back and saw quite a view of the country behind, showing that I had in fact climbed quite a long way. It was easier after that.

The country was mostly forest. After 1 hour and 16km I rested at 27841 and walked into the forest to find orchids. I didn’t see any. I rested again at 27857, passed over the section of the Great Southern Highway that I had ridden in 1989 on the way from El Caballo to Beverley, a journey done mainly on back roads (see 1989 ride), then stopped at The Lakes roadhouse for another rest at 27870.  ... Read more

The Lakes is a locality in Western Australia within the Shire of Mundaring. It is located 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of the capital city of Perth at the junction of the Great Eastern Highway and the Great Southern Highway.