It was the spring of 2007 when I first rode the Neverfail Trail in Marramarra National Park, near Dural. I drove out there expecting a great ride but found instead a trail infested with spider webs strung across the whole track, about every 10 metres. I dodged under some and pushed aside others but after persevering for the first 500M or so, I retreated, rode back, beaten. Now I don’t mind spiders, but by the time I got back, my bike jersey was like a cocoon…not pleasant.
Still desperate for a ride that day, I drove further on and rode the Old Great North Road. Great riding as usual.
A couple of years on and I decided recently it was time for a re-sortie. “Must have been the season”, I said to myself. I checked Google Maps to see if there were any other trails I could spot in the area and found 3, so was even more determined to head back to check the place out.
The return journey was well worth it: I didn’t spot a single spider, or web, and the rides were at the least interesting and at most, fantastic.
I think I was right; spider infestation must be seasonal. Unless you’re an arachnologist, I don’t recommend riding the trails early spring.
Marramarra is located past Dural, after Fiddletown (the name apparently comes from an American mining town where in the early 1800’s the local water source, Dry Creek, ran dry during the summer months, during which time the miners couldn’t do any mining and were said to be “fiddling around,” thus the name.) The road route to get to the trailhead takes you on a bit of a wild goose chase, but stick with it.
Trail 1: Neverfail Fire Trail, which, about 5Km in, splits into Collingridge and Coba Trails.
Collingridge (5Km): Moderately easy track, not too wide and narrow in places. Feels largely downhill from the start. All firetrail and at the end a reasonable view over the Lower Hawkesbury
Coba Trail (9 Km): Narrow firetrail. More interesting. Better views of the Upper Hawkesbury from further round the hills. The trail got very steep, rocky and very technical about halfway.
Eased off after a steep downhill but then became very narrow then flattened out as it rounded a hill. Eventually the trail entered private land that had a sign that said, “No Vehicles” but had no fence or gate. About there I stopped and headed back. There’s an abandoned rusted out old Ford Anglia – maybe 20 years old? ….
How the hell anyone drove it to this point I have no idea. Crazy… I could only guess that 20 years ago the trail was not nearly so overgrown AND they were crazy or maybe it was helicoptered in. Yeah…maybe not.
Trail 2: Smugglers Ridge Track. This is a shorter track from the looks of the map. I skipped this one on the day to try out…
Trail 3: Marramarra Ridge Track.
You head along Bloodwood Road to Smugglers Ridge Road, past the turnoff & gate to Smugglers Track then at the next T-intersection, turn right and park in either the first or second gap in the trees at the left. My gpx (coming soon with the trail page) starts at the first track but they both join up not too far along. For a start it’s a decline but quickly becomes fairly flat, rocky and sandy.
It follows a line of Pylons which is not my preferred trail accompaniment (they usually give me a headache - electromagnetism is weird physics!).
On the left about 2 Km in you can see from the track , the façade of an old sandstone house. Looks historic. It sits on a grassy ridge and looks like a great spot for a sĂ©ance if you happen to be riding by at midnight… Got a photo but didn’t explore. Thereafter, good rocky trail with lengths of trail-width and unavoidable sand and a few sandstone areas and then there’s a gate after which the DH fun begins…
This next part’s for DownHillers: Unfortunately, you’d need to have a boat (I’ll explain later) if you don’t want to ride back up. The 1 km stretch between the first and second gate is fast enough but after the second gate it’s Andersons-style speed-of-light downhill all the way. This is fun and somewhat treacherous and goes for well over a kilometre… not for new riders; that’s for sure. Steep valley on the left and low grass-lined bush off to the sides and good views of the hills as you head down.
At the base of the hill you hit swampland but the trail that continues around to the right is built above the marshes and meanders round through sparse trees until you hit an orange grove.
Seriously.
I’d stopped to grab some food from my Camelbak and looked up to see near-ripe oranges. I hopped off the bike and headed a few metres off-track to go get a sample, when something dropped on my helmet: something big.Â
A large seed pod from the huge tree 50 feet above me. At this point I realised that if the Orange trees didn’t want me to pick their fruit… then heck I would quite happily back off! But there were maybe 5 more trees behind this first one, indicating that unless this was private land then one could have a fairly hearty fruit lunch, in season…
Superstition aside they weren’t ripe anyway so I rode off, but I did get a couple of photos to prove it wasn’t my glue-sniffing addled brain, (well, maybe the superstitious part was.)
About another 700M on and the trail ends at a narrow river, one of the tributaries of the Hawkesbury. There’s a picnic table & BBQ and a sign alerting boat drivers of the Marramarra National park. Really nice spot, but was nearly in shadow when I rode in at midday
The ride up that great hill, well… not so nice. Steeper than Andersons. It felt endless.
It’s great training, I guess… I hiked a fair bit of the early part but the slope eased off and I rode some, figuring the downhill had made it worth the trek up.
Recommended.
Â
Â