Foster to Fish Creek rail trail return with a side of mushrooms : March 19 2026

Today starts the annual Australian Bike Friday gathering with a ride west up the Great Southern Rail Trail. Ride organiser says to ride until you are half tired or half battery and turn back. Makes for a good ride model as there is no waiting at key turns for the mob to catch up. Just ride and explore and come back

My plan for today is for a rolling rest day up the section of GSRT we have not cycled - a short 12kms to Fish Creek with a climb up away from the coastal plain

Trestle bridge - a bit fall down - we ride around it

View through the trees toward Wilson's Promontory

A little further was a side track to a lookout. Was a bit steeper than expected. Came close to falling when the front wheel went onto the grass verge - luckily was able to grab a sturdy fence post to arrest the fall.

Spied a cluster of these mushrooms. Apparently, they are edible - red cap milk caps. Virginia from Lithuania stopped with Lexie and got excited - she knows what they are. Her husband was waiting a long while at the next stop. I told him what was happening - he rides back to find them

Virginia asks how he knew about the mushrooms. I told him as he was worried where you were. Good bounce back that was

Could hear the black cockatoos and the crunching of seeds in these trees. Stood there for 10 minutes and could not see one. This photo gets the name "Spot the nowra"

Fish Creek station

As I have been riding along the trails the past few days, I have been thinking how these tracks were built. This storyboard gives some clues - started in 1888. That says horse and cart and hand shovelling and dynamite. Maybe a traction engine. Typically, they would lay a section and then run locos and good wagons to bring up provisions and men.

Mind bending

Stopped in this cafe for coffee. French it is with a South African barista. Coffee was good

Swish tool set and pump at the rest area

Stopped again at the "spot the Nowra" spot. A little easier this time and did see a few black cockatoos

Something they would be eating

Tiny in white at the same spot

Tinge of purple in this lobelia

From here on the early theme of mushrooms on the rail trail took over - red cap this one

Red cap with brown underside showing

Tree hugging form

Breaking the monotony with some interesting shapes low down

David found these a few metres off track - never seen these before

Underside shot - marvelling at the gooey stuff

Back to redcap

Brown top trackside

Mould and virus attack on this mushroom

Stages of decay

Hugging the bushline, the yellow line

Brown top pair breaking the surface next to the trail

I counted at least 6 mushroom types

Turned into a good rolling rest day with first half a gentle work up the grade and an easy cruise back

Spent the afternoon sitting on the verandah watching the birds in the grevillea flowers

Dinner in The Exchange Hotel which was busy. They handled a big crowd well. my food was good. And we were entertained

The local ukulele band. Tomorrow we head east down the rail trail
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Cycling, Daily Activity

Height 183 cm		Weight 90 kg		Body Fat %
Waist cm		Thighs cm		Chest cm