Another Greendale Permanent

No scheduled Audax rides this weekend and a fortnight since the last "long" ride so a 200k permanent seemed like a good idea. I chose to do Stephen Rowlands Greendale Jaunt as it has some good solid climbs totaling nearly 1900 metres. I need to do a bit of climbing to ensure I can cope with 2 crossings of Lavers Hill in the upcoming Western Districts Wanderer 1000k which is now only 3 weeks away. It was only back in February when I last did this ride but it is good course and is nice and convenient.  As is usual with daylight saving ending overnight I was confused with what time to get up to ensure an early before dawn start. I got it right and set off from Werribee at 5:30 am.

Werribee is one of the fastest growing municipalities in the country and even in the past few months the houses seem to stretch even further to the north and for an early Sunday morning there were more cars than one would expect on the roads around town. Maybe they were late getting home from the night before? Finally on reaching the open country out towards the end of Tarneit Road I was apalled at the amount of domestic rubbish along the roadside. Everything from garbage bags to mattresses and lounge suites. The ride slowly climbing up past Rockbank to Toolern Vale was uneventful but with clear skies you get rewarded with some great views back towards Melbourne and down the bay towrds the You Yangs as you travel along the Diggers Rest Coimadai Road. You then skirt the essentially dry Lake Merrimu before dropping down past the sand quarries into Bacchus Marsh for the first scheduled stop.

"along the Diggers Rest Coimadai Road"

After Bacchus Marsh you take a short trip along the freeway and then there are some good climbs that lift you above the Western Freeway and Werribee Gorge as you head up through Myrniyong and on to Korobeit.

"above the Western Freeway and Werribee Gorge"

From Korobeit you turn westwards and head across to Greendale before a high speed descent into the town. Turning at the roundabout at the local pub and you are soon climbing again on another one of those 8% or so hills. Once topped its down again before the long climb which passes back over the freeway into Ballan. Just through town you turn south over the railway and on towards Meredith.Along the way you get some good views across towards Mt Egerton, Warranheip and Ballarat. You pass through Ballark, nothing there except a farming property with that name, and then Morrisons which has a very steep descent on a very rough valley road. There is a short 10% climb out of the valley and then before long you arrive at Meredith. This is the second controle and the obvious lunch spot.

Road to Meredith

Leaving Meredith you immediately enter the Brisbane Ranges. There are no flat roads here, its either up or down and its not long before your flying down towards the Moorabool River. A good climb out of that valley and you are soon hurtling down into the old gold mining town of Steiglitz with its historic buildings with the most notable being the courthouse. Up out of town you then turn east and on to DeMotts Road which has this nasty short climb that peaks  at 15%. Once you reach the high point approaching Anakie you get some great views towards Geelong and Corio Bay. 

 Approaching Anakie with views towards Corio Bay

The road then sweeps down into Anakie where you turn and travel up past Fairy Park and on to Staughton Vale. Leaving the bushland you now hit farmland at Balliang which will be featured for the rest of the ride.

"farmland at  Balliang"

Shortly you are travelling around the back of the Ford Proving Ground and traversing the edge of the You Yangs with a relatively flat 20k to go to Werribee to complete a 200k that has a lot of variety and scenery on quiet country roads

"edge of the  You Yangs"

Greendale Jaunt 200k