April 29th 2006 – TKT Training Weekend – Narracan, VIC
It was a brisk Autumn day on Saturday 29th April, when Tali Karng Trackers met at Mick and Rel’s farm “Wrendale’ in beautiful Narracan Gippsland Victoria.

We ended up with thirteen starters for our Training weekend/Race Day. After a 10.00am meeting/brief we divided into team of twos and threes, checked the maps and the course set out by Mick, and prepared for the dash at the start.

The flagpole at Mick’s drive marked the start/finish line, and the first leg involved finding 6 markers scattered throughout the property in any order. Teams took different routes and it quickly spread out the field. It was the usual bush bash with markers placed in Creek lines, and although wet, it didn’t take long to warm up, running up and down throughout the pretty valley.

Stage two was to the bike and it was an exhilarating fast ride down Weirs Rd to checkpoint one, a letterbox in the shape of a cow. Then onto the Narracan church, past the town Hall and an uphill climb to the top of Falls Road and back down again to the Narracan Falls. This set the tone for the day, with a lot of up and down mountain biking. The checkpoint at the Falls required a Creek crossing, which a few people got a little more wet than others as the slippery rocks required some skill to negotiate in riding cleats.

Another long uphill haul on the bike, with a few more checkpoints at the shrine, wood hut and on to the Narracan winery where we met local Nanducci or better known as Nando. From the winery it was a nice ride along McDonalds tracks with another checkpoint overlooking the entire Narracan valley. Autumn in the valley is a stunning time of year.

Fast downhill again on Mills Road, back to Coalville Road, then a killer uphill ride to Coalville Camp where stage three awaited, an army commando course set up by local Neil Sherritt. This was tough but fun, and involved several climbing apparatus and obstacles with a final thigh burning climb up the steep hillside, just what you need before another long bike ride ahead.

Stage four and back to the bike, another fun down hill ride from the camp, and you know what that means next, another long uphill climb up Rosatos Road. This was the toughest of the day, and several people were off their bikes just to make it up the 4km hill. Once at the top of the ridgeline, it was cruisy ride back down again along Moe South Road, collecting a few more checkpoints all the way to Lake Narracan. As usual a few detours along the way and a few more checkpoints to collect.

We hit Lake Narracan late in the afternoon, where Canadian canoes awaited us, patiently manned by Mick’s wife Narelle (Rel) and sister Lauren (Boz). We were a little behind schedule, as the day had already been quite grueling. The lake was like glass, and made for fantastic paddling as we collected the three checkpoints at either end of the lake.

Final ride home at dusk (stage six), with the first team back Mick, Chris & Sara, taking a total time of just over seven hours to complete the 70km course. Two other teams mange to finish the entire course coming back in the dark an hour or so later. Some teams made select parts of the course and came home earlier during the day.

Trafalgar Pub was a nice way to finish the day and a great meal was enjoyed by all along with an ale or two, and a story to tell. It was a peaceful camp that night as all slept well at Wrendale.

Special thanks to: Rel, Boz, Ivor (for manning the canoes), Neil Sherritt at Coalvile Camp ph 5168 1402 for organizing the commando course, and Nando at the Narracan Winery.

Regards,
Mick – 0411 888 735
‘Stay Strong, stay on target’