Clutha Gold Cycle Trail: Millers Flat to Lawrence

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Day 2 of the Clutha Gold trail is to the end of the trail which runs from Roxburgh Dam down to Lawrence.

After a fairly cramped stay in our little cabin at the Millers Flat camping ground, the men drove the cars down to Lawrence to leave one and bring one back. We were wondering about the virtues of biking since it was drizzly and cold. It certainly did not look like a fine day, yet that was what was forecast. We decided to "harden up!" and get on with it.

We set off from Millers Flat and once again headed off down the Clutha River on yet again a superb surface. We weren't quite sure why the track had been constructed in some places since is ran parallel to an existing secondary road with virtually no traffic. I think we saw one vehicle all day and a couple of cyclists. As we biked the river went away from the main road area and into the hinterland with very little population. It is a great place to bike. It is completely quiet, completely isolated and surrounded on all sides by barren rocks. Even the river bed in this area has rocks sticking up making for great rafting I would imagine. The lower part of the trail through the gorge is on an old railway line so is very even

Eventually the trail comes out at Beaumont and the main road again. This is a very small location with a very old bridge. From here we biked along the side of the road that goes to Balchutha until we switched off onto the old railway line again. Here we headed steeply uphill for a bit to go through the Big Hill Tunnel. This made the uphill worthwhile and interesting as we had to walk through the tunnel (very dark). From here it was flat out downhill and once reaching the bottom the rest of the ride was through pleasant farmland until we reached Lawrence 43kms later.

We had a cafe stop in Lawrence then drove back to Millers Flat to collect the other car and go our separate ways. K & N to Dunedin and us to Alexandra.

The Clutha Gold Trail is well worth doing. It is scenic and within most people's abilities if they have some level of fitness. It is 77kms long. That can be added to by doing the top end from Alexandra to Roxburgh Dam although this section has to include a boat trip where there is no trail.

So ends our biking trip. We may or may not use pedal power for the rest of our journey down south. We're certainly fitter after biking day after day for over a week.

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Photos

The rocky Clutha River
Downstream the river bed becomes more rocky

The Big Hill Tunnel
Constructed in 1912

The Clutha Gold Trail at Beaumont
Where the trail joins the main road at Beaumont