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Manly Dam Night Ride
Hi Everyone,
I was really just hoping for some firm clarification on whether or not we are allowed to ride the dam at night, i have looked around for information but everyone seems pretty undecided. I just want to know before i invest in some decent lights.
Cheers Andy
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Better to ride quietly at night lest you piss off the neighbours.
I've ridden the dam probably 100 times at night over the last 10 years or so. Rode there last Wednesday night, including Ghania and Seratta.
Awesome thanks
Terry Hills - Perim and Long you can enter via Nerang Ave or behind Northern Beaches Christian School. Go on a Thursday night and you almost don't need lights as there will be others out there for sure. Make all the noise you like unlike Manly Dam where being quiet is essential to keep peace with the non biking neighbours.
My experience with the tracks around Terrey Hills at night is that there are loads of wild life and after a few near misses one night I gave up on those tracks but MD is fine at night.
That really pisses me off, as it was done with no communication or consultations, just presented as a fait accompli when the signs were installed.
Of course, my trail glasses are distance vision not reading glasses, and the print is small, so I've never actually read that.
I see riders regularly popping out of the trail crossing Wakehurst Parkway when I'm on the way home on the roadie, so if you need to practice riding singletrack underlights I'd go ahead, but just be very quiet and be careful not to beam the neighbours with your lights.
Regarding P&L at Terrey Hills, there was a regular Full Moon ride with Hans back in the day, finishing at the tavern for schnitzel, and we never encountered any wallabies, but I have heard reports of others getting t-boned and choppered out. Being vegemite-coloured, they're bloody hard to see!
I think most rides completely change when the sun goes down. It brings a very different perspective to riding.
Manly Dam is like a different track after dark. You miss all the usual visual references. But as @hawkeye has said, don't piss off the neighbours. Keep it quiet and on the track.
As for perimeter and long trail... It's always a blast! At night time I've only ever hit one wallaby, run over a few snakes, saved a huge tortoise, been swooped by a a giant owl and even rediscovered an apparently extinct frog - according to NPWS. In fact I'm disappointed if I don't come across any wildlife on a night ride out there...
Other options include duck holes trail, centre trail and the cascades. These are all regularly ridden on Wednesday and Thursday nights by various groups.
Now where is@hans? I miss the good ole full moon rides...
Actually one of the main reasons I want to get into night riding is due to hoping to see an abundance of wildlife, in comparison to day time.
then the tracks around TH ought to be good. On my last visit there were countless jumping thingies along the track jumping out and crossing just in front of me. I had to slow right down to make sure I did not get taken out by any of them.
Cascades is another place where you ought to be able to spot wildlife. I've not had issues with jumping big things there but grinding up those hills doing the four gates there are plenty of eyes along the track, the bike lights seems to reflect well by the eyes of whatever evil creatures that are out there.
I ride Bantry bay (either Gahnia or Serrata) each week before work, around 6:30am. Pretty much guaranteed to see multiple Wallabies. And it's not even dark!
Best time to see wildlife is either sunset or sunrise. I have been known to ride trails in the Northern Beaches early mornings. When its pitch black, I have not heard or seen anything ( yes my lights are on) but as soon as day breaks thats when the action starts. I have seen wallabies at the Heath trail, Cascades, Manly Dam, Duck Hole, Morgan road- in fact almost everywhere except the trail in TH that runs close to Mona Vale Rd. I have been living in Northern beaches best part of 17 years and seen little wildlife even though surrounded by Garrigal national park. Its only when I started MTB'ing a couple of years ago that I have realized the wealth of wildlife in this area.
I chased a fair sized wallabie up Possums the other evening. Now there's a sentence you don't get to say much in real life.