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To get there, follow the directions for the normal Oaks ride.
The track looks completely different at night, so I reckon night riding gives me two Oaks rides for the price of one! On any Friday night, you're just as likely to find me out on the Oaks track.
You do need good lights - I recommend at least 10w. I now use my home made lights with 1 x 20w plus an additional 20w for 40w of high beam! On a good full moon you might be able to ride stealth (no lights) for part of the trip, especially along the ridgetops, but the singletrack doesn't get enough light.
I reckon winter is the best time of all for a night ride - the air is crisp and clear, the wind often blows the pollution away so the city lights look spectacular (take binoculars for an amazing view), and the stars are always better in winter! The biggest benefit of all is that you don't need to do summer's "Spider Dance".
The Spider Dance is a dance of passion and excitement that requires no music to perform professionally. Similar in initial appearance to those (German??) knee slapping dances, the energy of the dancers is almost visible as the dancer spins, writhes and contorts in eXtreeem poses, all the time uttering the characteristic "AAIIEE, AAIIEE" chant. If the dancer has reached that peak of fervour that all keen Spider Dancers aim for, he or she will almost certainly begin what appears to be uncontrolled slapping at the body - do not be alarmed, this is a normal part of the experienced dancer's repertoire - the dancer is fully in control and aware of their performance, so a little support in the form of cheers, laughter and jeering, is very much appreciated. The truly professional Spider Dancer completes their performance collapsed in a heap on the ground, murmuring "is it off me?", over and over.Performances such as this should be cherished, and the Dancer should be elected to lead the rest of the singletrack in honour of their performance.
Although
the air is cold and you are less likely to overheat, you do still need to dress
warmly enough for the night. It's best to dress in layers, so you can remove or
add clothes to regulate your temperature. On cold nights I carry a warm vest to
wear when we stop (as well as the usual toolbox), so I don't get too cold.
Summer is good too, but the sound of those spiders hitting
your helmet in the singletrack can give you the heebie-jeebies and prompt a
sudden rendition of the Spider Dance. On a hot and stormy summer's night, you
can often get spectacular lightning shows while staying dry yourself - or you
might get really lucky, and get drenched...
I haven't seen huge amounts of wildlife on the night
ride - I think we make too much noise, but I have seen swamp wallabies, lots
of tawny frogmouths/owls, other birds, frogs and the occasional possum (usually
at The Oaks picnic ground itself) and kangaroo. We often hear wallabies thumping
about in the darkness nearby, but only see them occasionally. Some nights we
have stopped by one of the little dams on the side of the track and been almost
deafened by the noise of the frogs - they really get croaking!
The lights of Sydney can be seen in quite a few places
on the ride - especially since the fires - the track runs south along the ridge
for quite a distance and there are often views of the city to your left (east)
as you run up and down the ridgetops. Just before Redwire Saddle there are some
big rock shelves on the left of the track at the top of the ridge which give
spectacular city views. On a clear night, you can make out Centrepoint Tower
and planes circling over Mascot. With binoculars the view gets even better,
and you can pick out other landmarks such as the aviation light on the Harbour
Bridge.
Trains
back up to Woodford from Glenbrook usually run just past the hour, but there
is often trackwork that disrupts the timetable.
Night
Ride Report
We
intended to make this trip with the full moon as a backup for our batteries,
however the moon wasn't to rise till 10:30 pm, so we missed it. No matter,
this is still an excellent, fast night ride.
Hodgie
and I both had our home made lights giving an amazing
40 watts of bright light as we rode side by side along the trail - it was just
like being in a four wheel drive. [You should see us now with
80 watts glaring!! :TF] Good lights are fantastic!
We
had one minor incident - that could have been major. I knew there was
a sharp left turn after a fast straight at top of the Redwire Saddle downhill,
just after the sign warning of the hump, unfortunately, I was going too fast
- way too fast, and ran straight ahead. Fortunately, I was able to stop
before riding off the edge. Hodgie was busy following my lights before he too
realised he had missed the turn and skidded to a halt beside me. Watch out for
the left turn...
Despite
that fright, the Redwire Saddle downhill was our peak speed for the dirt - I
managed 62 kmh. Hodgie did 57 - I think we were both mad! [When
Redwire was in excellent condition, we both managed a screaming 67!! :TF]
Hodgie's
battery gave out soon after, so we switched to his spare for the long downhill
stretch, which was a real blast in the dark. After the gate, we
switched to the single track which was really exciting as the track dives and
weaves between trees, logs and stumps. I buggered up though, and we left
the single track too early - make certain you stay on it till the end for maximum
thrills. Don't take the first cross track back to the main trail...
The
final belt downhill was followed by the long slog up from the causeway and then
we cruised to the station for the train back up the Mountains. They were
running hourly that Saturday night - 7.02, 8.02 and the one we caught - the
9.02 pm.
My
actual ride time from the gate to Glenbrook station was 1 hr 24 minutes and
Hodgie's 1 hr 30 mins. My max speed on the dirt was 62 kmh(!) and on the
tar hill into the causeway I hit 68 kmh (where I nearly ran on again instead
of crossing the creek - I've twice ended up 10 metres up the creek). The ride
proved a real high speed test for our lights, which they both passed with flying
colours - we were amazed to see we weren't much slower than in the daytime.
In fact, my time was less than several of my day trips.
Night
Ride Report 2
We
did it again by the light of the full moon - which stayed hidden behind clouds...
This time we found all the singletrack, including the Little Moab track, which
heads off left shortly after you hit the tar. Our ride time increased
by around 20 minutes, presumably because we did five km
more singletrack this time. I managed to hit 64 kmh this time down Redwire
Saddle hill, but was slower into the causeway (and up out of it). Because
there was supposed to be a good full moon, it was a popular ride. As I
waited for my mate to cross the saddle, I watched a line of lights snaking their
way down the hill to the sounds of assorted whoops and hollers - must have been
10 to 15 bikes with lights, as well as some without. Looked pretty cool
I reckon.
Night
really adds an extra element of
An Oaks night ride deserves a solid 4.5 fat hippies
| Distance | ~28 km station to station |
| Difficulty | Medium/Hard - may need to walk some uphills, especially that last climb from the causeway. Surface may be loose. |
| Time | Varies - around 1 hr 30 minutes upwards |
| Trains | Woodford, Glenbrook |
| See also... | Anderson's fire trail, Murphy's Glen, Ingar, try it in daylight! |
| Interest | Red Hands Cave, swimming holes, bushwalks, other tracks, picnic areas, Aboriginal Engravings,the Wheel, Euroka, Oaks Classic Race |
another fAt hIpPy production
Standard disclaimer: Like all outdoor activities, mountain bike riding can result in serious or fatal injury. Track conditions may have changed since these reviews. Don't ride beyond your ability. If you fall off it's your own fault. Unless otherwise stated, all text, images, thoughts, comments, opinions etc expressed herein are mine, and should not be taken to represent anyone else. If you don't like anything I've said, sorry, just change the channel.
Copyright © Tony Fathers, 1997 - 2006
