All downhill ... the winding Doolagharl circuit.Credit: Ben Stubbs
On two wheels, Ben Stubbs discovers rugged riding tracks and a shaggy beast born of Aboriginal legend.
The doolagharl is a creature of Aboriginal legend said to be more than two metres tall with arms down to its knees and a mane of thick, stinking hair. This south coast "yeti" has stalked people in the bush and along the escarpment for thousands of years, according to the Ngarigo and Yuin tribes.
While many say the doolagharl is extinct or just a fanciful story told to scare children, locals still believe in the power of the Chewbacca lookalike around the coastal town of Tathra.
From the deserted streets of town, I cycle past the caravan park to the trail head at the "poo ponds", the name given to the treatment works by locals. It is a three-kilometre climb up through the trees on "Kingies" track to the top of the Doolagharl circuit, named by the Aboriginal community in reference to the shaggy beast that is said to still live in these hills.
Kookaburras cackle overhead as I push to the top of the hill and the thump of passing wallabies sounds across the quiet hills while I shift the bike into the easiest gear. Through the ironbarks on the ridge, I see a big swell rolling in to shore and the iconic salmon-coloured sheds of the Tathra wharf clinging to the rocks beside the beach.
I am on the trail of the "yeti" with Jake Iskov, who runs the South East Mountain Bike Company in Tathra, and local rider Andy Johnson, who has been "scratching in mountain bike tracks behind Tathra since the '80s". They have taken the day off to show me the riding trails that cut through the nature reserve and Aboriginal land behind the town.
Before I have time to catch my breath and appreciate the view at the top, my guides are clipped in and whipping along the dirt on their bikes. I get the feeling this isn't too much of a chore for them as I hear the two grown men whooping like schoolchildren as they head down the twists of the track to the bottom, daring me to catch them. Mud flicks on to my face and my stomach drops as I let the bike take me over the slope and around a rickety wooden bridge, one of 11 structures across the creeks and gorges Iskov and Johnson have built on the trail.
It rained heavily overnight and parts of the track are a lumpy custard, making it even harder to navigate and stay upright. We traverse the cool forest carpeted with bright-green ferns and the black husks of gumtrees that remain after the most recent bushfires.
Rather than just a straight up-and-down trail, the Doolagharl single-track undulates through the forest like an intestine. This is a conservation measure by Iskov and Johnson to ensure minimal erosion and environmental impact from the use of the 25 kilometres of trails they have built behind Tathra for mountain bikers to enjoy. Iskov has completed courses run by the International Mountain Bicycling Association on sustainable track building to ensure their project is doing the right thing by the environment and the riders.
Beside the sustainability concerns, the mountain bike tracks cut through state forest, the Tathra Nature Reserve and designated Aboriginal land. It was only through lengthy negotiations that the bikers were given the go-ahead in such a sensitive area. As part of the agreement with the Aboriginal Land Council and Aboriginal elder John Dixon, many local indigenous people helped build the track and learnt sustainable building and maintenance techniques that now allow the whole community to appreciate the area.
The Land Council office also received solar panels after the success of the Tathra Enduro event on the Doolagharl circuit in March, when 200 riders were pitted against each other in a gruelling 100-kilometre cross-country race.
Tathra buzzes with activity on the beaches in summer but is a ghost town during the winter months. The riders and the Aboriginal Land Council are keen to promote mountain biking as a year-round attraction for visitors here.
The Manna Park Enduro is slated for July 17 and the three-hour mini Tathra Enduro will take place at the Doolagharl circuit on September 4. Riding along to the soundtrack of the waves and cicadas, I slalom through the trees as best I can, avoiding the corridor of trunks and boulders as I try to keep up with my guides on the "Muzza's Magic" section of the downhill trail.
I follow Iskov's instructions and I'm up off my seat to avoid any backside trauma on the steep and bumpy sections. I hold the bike loosely and use my legs as suspension coils to steer over logs, rollovers and around the sloping berms on the dirt. I pump the brakes as we approach a dropoff and double bridge obstacle. Johnson takes the lead and he tells me always to look ahead to where I want to go so I don't get a face full of track. I look ahead, though all I see are rocks and a probable accident, so I skid to a halt again. I get off and push my bike over the technical section as quietly as I can, hoping to sneak past without my guides noticing. Iskov and Johnson are waiting at the bottom when I arrive and they let me in on a little secret: "It's all about momentum. If you don't hesitate you'll be fine."
The next section is a steep rock garden and, as I steer through the maze, I forget to look ahead. The insect whistle of my brakes sings through the forest; it's too late to back out. I grip my handlebars and zip down a muddy 10-metre chute, balancing over the bridge and on to the other side at speed to the applause of my waiting guides.
There are no signs of the hairy doolagharl prowling among the thick vegetation as we continue, only kangaroos and their joeys hopping through the scrub as we climb 1½ kilometres back to the top again. This time, we descend through the mud of "Anchors Away" for a trip down the intermediate trail. We traverse a ridge that looks out on to the curl of Tathra beach. It's deserted despite the warm water of the season and Johnson tells me a swim or a surf is the perfect way to finish a hard day's riding.
We skid along the narrow single track on the last section of the ride. We pick up speed through impossibly tight bends, careful not to clip our pedals on the trees, and we push over the sand hills. I emerge into civilisation once again.
I'm covered in sticky black mud and sweat and my clothes are snagged with twigs. Iskov and Johnson love showing people their playground and they're ready to go up again. I shake myself clean as a precaution before we keep riding. If any of the golfing ladies across the road saw us in the distance covered in leaves and muck, there might be a reported doolagharl sighting on the mountain biking trails behind Tathra.
Ben Stubbs travelled as a guest of Sapphire Coast Tourism.
FAST FACTS
Getting there
Tathra is 430 kilometres and a six-hour drive south of Sydney along the Princes Highway. Rex airlines has one-way fares from Sydney to Merimbula from $146 (1hr 10min). Tathra is 25 kilometres north of Merimbula.
Staying there
Tathra Beach House Apartments have sea views, pools and barbecue areas. Low-season rates start at $95 a night. Phone 6499 9900, see tathrabeachhouse.com.au.
Riding there
South East MTB Company has guided tours, mountain bike hire and trail maps available. Phone 6494 4357, see tathrabeachbike.com.au.
More information
See sapphirecoast.com.au.
Loops and trails
THERE are numerous other locations to ride mountain bikes along the south-east coast of NSW.
The Manna Park trail is 15 kilometres from Tathra towards Merimbula, off Red Hill Road. Iskov and Johnson have helped establish a challenging 6½-kilometre section in the bush with bridges, rock gardens and S-bends that connect with the Mandeni cross-country trails. In total, there are 15½ kilometres of bush tracks there for all levels and a beautiful hostel with a pool at the head of the trail.
See mannapark.com.au.
Heading north from Tathra, the Bermagui Dirtsurfers Mountain Bike Club has built a challenging eight-kilometre, single-track loop with jumps, berms and technical sections, just north of the town on Wallaga Lake Road.
See bermagui-dirtsurfers.org.
On the south side of Eden, the locals have a 12-kilometre mountain-bike loop around the water tank and up Nethercote Road, with some leg-burning downhill sections around the golf course.
See mountainbiking.com.au.
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