Riders from the Great WA Bike ride certainly had little time to put their feet up on their rest day yesterday as they swung into caves on ropes, paddled the waters of Geographe Bay, trekked the Cape to Cape Track and went searching for the elusive phascogale with Margaret River’s Cape to Cape Explorer Tours.
The Jewel of the Cape experience featured twelve kilometres of walking along stunning sections of the Cape to Cape Track. The bikers showed their high level of fitness on the walk and maintained a good pace whilst taking in the spectacular scenery. After a break for lunch the team headed into the adventure cave, an 88 meter deep, one kilometre long experience that ranged from towering sand floored chambers to tight ladder climbs.
Participants on the Margaret River Starlit Night Explorer were treated to perfectly still night walking conditions and had the added bonus of witnessing the full moon rising over one of the larger pools in the Margaret River, all the while enjoying a mug of hot chocolate and a marshmallow. Cape to Cape Explorer Tour’s Drew McKenzie explained about the wondrous lifecycle of the Lamprey Eel, whose history predates the dinosaurs and who is not really an eel at all, but much more closely related to the hagfish, a four hearted slimey, jawless critter that lives more than a thousand metres below the sea’s surface!
The Under the Forest Abseil was certainly an adrenaline rush, as participants abseiled down into thescenic doline (collapsed cave chamber) of Brides Cave, before exploring underground. Meanwhile those on the Cape to Cape Ocean Explorer took to the bright blue waters of Geographe Bay. The Bay has been unseasonally warm this year, with northern pelagics such as Spanish Mackeral and Black Marlin being caught chopping up the schools of baitfish right off Meelup Beach. Good thing the water was warm, as over half of the crew half of the crew managed to capsize while navigating the shore break! This just added to the excitement, as the biker riders jumped in for a quick swim before enjoying afternoon tea and heading back to Margaret River.
Thanks to all the Great WA Bike Ride organisers, especially Hugh and Leah from Bike Vic, Ben MacDonald from Kerfuffle Wines and our star rider Kate G., who put Olympic athletes to shame with her bike, double cave tour and Cape to Cape walk!