This ride combines the first portion of the Heritage River Walk Ride with an "out and back" portion of the ride into the Back Creek area below the Easter Monday mine area (uses eastern section of light blue trail before following yellow trail in map above). As an "out and back" ride from the Blackwood pub, it is approximately 18 km long and can be hooked up with other rides using the Blackwood Ridge Road. The ride described below was undertaken from the Blackwood township.

There are a number of gold diggings in the area that are visited and care should obviously be undertaken in the vicinity of any workings.

The westernmost portion of the ride can be disorienting as there are a number of tracks heading off from the road and the track meanders a bit. Use a topographic map to understand where you are at. Having said that, if you get lost you can readily head westwards and get to the Blackwood Ridge Road and return via good gravel road. Just follow your map if this is the case.

From left to right, Blackwood Pub is the starting point for the ride. Head south down Martin Street and turn right at the Cobb and Co Store into Simmons Reef Road. Head down the hill to Skinners Road and turn left into it.

Head up hill approximately 500 m until you get to a trail marker on the right hand side of the road (see second picture below).

Follow single track.

Above are photos of the initial part of the track showing how it quickly narrows down to a single lane track. If you look off to the right a short distance in, you will see the extensive water races which were used to channel water for the gold mines. These appear as 'U' shaped trenches and follow the path around the gullies. Trail markers have been replaced recently with grey posts making the trail easy to follow.

Note in third photo above how a main trail crosses - don't follow it, follow the pointer posts (in this case down to the right). The trail follows the contour of a couple of creek gullies and typically looks like the photos below.

Views above are of the forest - it had just been back burnt when I went through and has since regenerated.

When the single trail hits the fire trail intersection, turn left to access Back Creek.

As you come out of German Gully, you will gradually arc around to the left and head uphill before heading back to the right and downhill. You will come out at a track marker which is at a gravel fire trail crossing. You can identify it because the trail you come in on is single track but on the other side of the intersection is a wider track which heads down to Garden of St Erth. Don't take this but head left up the gravel fire trail - you will take the Garden of St Erth trail later in the ride.

You will climb for almost a kilometre and come to a discarded water tank and 44 gallon drums on the right hand side of the road. There is a trail heading off to the right between the drums and tank. Follow this for a few hundred metres and you will come to a large area of diggings to explore (photos below). There's also an old shaft still there as well. Do not enter the shaft and take care in the vicinity of the diggings when walking around. Return to the main track and head south west.

Head to right when you get to the clearing with the water tank in it.

Follow track around to diggings.

Pictures of adits and workings.

Follow the trail back for a few hundred metres and turn right. Follow this trail for about 700 metres and you will head down into the Back Creek valley before the road heads left up a steep hill. This takes you out to the Blackwood Ridge Road which you can follow around to the Easter Monday Track if you desire. The Easter Monday Track provides a great ride back down as does this track as they are both reasonably rough.

In the Back Creek area, you can walk down into the creek valley which has ferny glades at the base. Note there is a track shown on the map and GPS heading over to Easter Monday mine from this valley. I believe the map is incorrect in this regard as I have looked a number of times using map and GPS together and have been unable to locate it so I believe it has been closed a long time ago. There is some evidence of a track on the ground but it is heavily overgrown.

Just before you get to the steep hill in the last photo above, there is a trail off to the right which cuts back and heads north east. It is readily identifiable as there are two short fun roller coaster sections right at the start before a further larger one further down the trail.

The trail  then climbs steeply back to the main trail again. Follow the trail back to the main trail and then return back the way you came past the water tank and back towards the Garden of St Erth. When you get to the intersection with the single track where you turned left onto Back Creek Track, turn left and and follow track back around to the Garden of St Erth. You can return to the Recreation Reserve via Simmons Reef Road with some nice downhill stretches.

No video available for this track.

	Parking is available at the Recreation Reserve off Simmons Reef Road.
	Toilet facilities are available at the Garden of St Erth car park or in town.
	No drinking water is available.
	Cafe facilities are available at the Garden of St Erth or in town.
	No local information facilities are available at the Recreation Ground.