in the lap of the Kiwarrak gods

So firstly, let me say to the guys that went to Kirrawak, if i get any of the details wrong or forget anything please feel free to add.
This was my first weekend away with a nobmob crew but will definitely not be my last, so after throwing a sickie from work on Friday, packed up all my camping gear and hit the road , not really knowing what to expect, after a cruisey drive I arrived at lanis on the beach campsite where John and Craig had allready set up and John, being the first to arrive, proceeded to tell us that he'd allready had a dressing down from the guys at the reception desk, " if you guys are going to be up all night drinking and playing music you can go down the road" let me tell you, not blooming likely, after Nas and Dicko arrived and set up, the temperature dropped pretty quickly so we had a couple of beers and friendly chat and it was off to bed for me, then the missus called and decided to rib me about the fact that it was only 9.30 on a Friday and i was tucked up in bed and before i started biking i'd be walking into the pub about now and wouldn't be seen until Sunday, but thats another story!

Saturday morning arrives and we all emerge from our tents, get breakfast sorted and head to the meeting point on Deans creek rd, we're then met by the rest of the nobmob gang Terry, Nick and Matt and we all start getting the bikes ready and start discussing which way to try first, when all of a sudden i heard a " yep thats them, Hello boys" from which i spun round to see what can only be described as a legion of mountain bikers coming along the fire road, (now this is what makes a good weekend great), being greeted with warm smiles,firm handshakes and of course the obligatory banter which consisted of " oh hang on i'll just check my bike computer, oh i can't somebody bloody run it over!". Anyway,the soldiers were set and the army were off, with locals leading us into the fray, now i know one of the first tracks was "two dogs" and then we headed up "divine" but after that the names elude me,but it doesn't matter when your riding tracks that not only flow but also glide with the contours of the land, with scrub mentioning that over the years some tracks have been made by tracking the local wildlife and building there tracks from there paths! from there we dropped into gullies only to ascend out and then descend back in, hit corners at ear grinning speed, and touch on leg pleasing climbs only to hit the first of fun obstacles a small see saw which was all negotiated nicely, then from there it was more singletrack goodness, wizzing through handle bar wide trees, up and down rolls and on to the jump track, which i never thought i'd actually be doing this sort of stuff on my bike, it was, small jump, gap jump, right hand small berm, table top drop off,another right hand corner, hook a left, gap jump,small jump, big jump then onto the walled berm,which makes the sweetest freaking noise as you hit every slat and get catapulted out of it, from there it was more sweet riding up to the next installment which was the BIG see saw and i'd be lying if i said my stomach didn't drop a tiny bit when i see it, John was up first and hit sweet and then the old, eff it, i'm having a go attitude kicks in and the fun begins, rode onto the see saw over the pivot point little stall on the brakes waiting for it to drop and then vroosh off brakes hit the downside of the gully and come up the other side just buzzing,then carried on to the VAG, a creek jump called so because it "looks ugly but feels great" all the lads hit this one sweet, i left it for another time, i'd been pushing my limits all day and was happy with what i'd achieved. all the while we were there suspicion was growing on how these tracks were so perfectly manicured, the answer,.............Dave, this guy,found out the nobmob guys were heading up for the weekend and had been out over the course of a week, spending 16 hours walking and blowing the tracks down with a petrol leaf blower and in one session getting up at 2.30 am doing a 4 hour stint!!!! seriously, i've backpacked a few places and had one night encounters with girls who weren't as well groomed as these tracks! finished up with local guys and the nobmobbers hit the servo for lunch, then it was back into it in the afternoon, had a great time exploring and then of course, hitting the jump track TWICE! headed back to the campsite for a shower,barbie and beers,lots of talking about corners berms and jumps and simulating handle bar movements!

Sunday arrived and the legs were feeling it a bit but the excitement was heightened from the day before capers, and knowing what we in for, met with Dave and Ian and not only were they great guides but fast riders with not an ego in sight, hit some new track that just got you thinking more about how good Kiwarrak really is, but even saying that doesn't cut it!! we rode for about 25 k's had a couple of stacks but we won't go into those, as it would focus on the negative and i don't want to do that, finished up again with warm smiles and firm hand shakes and left with a feeling of not only a privelege but an honour to ride with guys that have an obsession and a passion beyond normal sanity! and to the nobmobbers...thanks guys , good blokes, great riding and a weekend that couldn't be bought if you'd tried!

if you want to ride a bike,you'll want to ride Kiwarrak!