6 minute read
ROXBURGH GORGE TRAIL
ALEXANDRA to ROXBURGH DAM
1 day - 34km
© AA Traveller 2022
Roxburgh Gorge Trail has a somewhat Jekyll and Hyde persona. Depending on the season and the correlating flora, colours and weather, you might experience big blue skies and bonniness or a sulky ashen temperament but it won’t matter which you meet because both are enchanting.
Travelling from Alexandra to Roxburgh (or vice versa) this trail skirts the Clutha Mata-au River, darting between sweeping willows and during springtime, the heady buds of fragrant thyme. In between soaring river cliffs anddesert-like landscape, the route is sprinkled with remnants from the gold-rush era, including schist huts. These small den-like shelters were built into rockfaces by miners and offer a fascinating peek into the past. Years before these dwellings existed, the pathway was also trodden by early Māori moa hunters trekking from mountains to sea in pursuit of the prize.The earlier sections of the Roxburgh Trail are just a taster of the fascinations to come; between Doctors Pt and Shingle Creek, the track becomes inaccessible and riders are required to fill the missing link, which is etching slowly closer to getting constructed, with a 45-minute jet-boat ride. Deep inside the gorge are some of the most visually spectacular sights of the trip, and an isolation that many will deem a rare treat these days.Once off the boat, the ride turns into a steady climb out of thegorge, but the impressive views of Roxburgh Hydro Dam will counter any fatigue. Soon after, Roxburgh Village comes into view, signalling the ride’s conclusion.
TRAIL INFO
TRAIL GRADES:
ALL GRADES 2-3 (EASY-INTERMEDIATE)
ALEXANDRA TO DOCTORS POINT, 10KM
SHINGLE CREEK JETTY TO ROXBURGH DAM, 11KM
NOTE: An annual maintenance contribution of $25 per person or $50 per family covers the cost of maintenance for use of the Roxburgh Gorge Trail and the adjoining Clutha Gold Trail. A 1-day pass is available for $10 per person, or a life pass for $500. It can be paid at local bike tour companies and i-SITES.
MOBILE PHONE COVERAGE: Some coverage at the far ends of the trail, after which it ranges from patchy to non-existent.
DRINKING WATER: Once in the gorge there are no food/water outlets. Alexandra and Roxburgh are the closest places to stock up.
TYPE OF BIKE: A mountain bike is recommended. E-bikes permitted; note boat companies impose a surcharge to carry them on board.
RIDING THE TRAIL
ALEXANDRA TO DOCTORS POINT, 10KM
The trail starts at the Clutha Mata-au River near Alexandra’s Blue Bridge. Stranded in the river alongside it are the remaining piers of the original suspension bridge, built in 1882. Weathered relics of a bygone era, these monumental pillars are an apt gateway to the journey ahead. The trail passes through a forest of silver poplars now covering Frenchman’s Point, formerly rich gold deposit workings. It then enters the narrow Roxburgh Gorge, flanked by bluffs up to 350m high. The wide, smooth trail passes Ketts Gully with its massive stacked rock walls, sporting several old rock bivvies and huts. The trail keeps meandering gently towards Butchers Creek, an old gold-mining site. It continues winding through the gorge, climbing a zigzag to access The Narrows, an ancient rock slide where care is required to negotiate the narrower trail section and boardwalk. Doctors Point appears all too soon. This is the pick-up point for the 13km jet-boat trip bridging the missing link. The 45min boat tour down river is a highly memorable way to delve deeper into the gorge’s history.
SHINGLE CREEK JETTY TO ROXBURGH DAM, 11KM
Disembarking at Shingle Creek jetty, riders commence a gentle climb up to Elbow Creek, each bend offering a different view of the river below. The river slows and widens as it forms Lake Roxburgh, the waters of which drive the power station ahead. With pretty islets in the lake and broad views of the surroundings, this is a lovely but quite different stretch of trail. A series of switchbacks lead to a fitting finale, the impressive Roxburgh Hydro Dam lookout. The trail ends at Commissioner’s Flat car park, starting point of the Clutha Gold Trail that can be followed for an additional 9km or so to reach Roxburgh township.
Spring in Roxburgh Gorge © Will Nelson
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRAIL
• Alexandra is your starting point or finish line. Nip into the small but informative museum and tell the time by the enormous clock on the hill.
• Roxburgh is between Alexandra and Milton and is famous for its orchards. Adventure can be found here on the scenic trails navigating craggy mountain ranges.
• Roxburgh Gorge hosts some of the best-preserved relics of Chinese miners’ rock shelters in Otago.
• Pedal past the gorge’s narrow runnels, flanked by cliff bluffs that reach 350m.
• The rugged bluffs and rock forms that define this area are home to several interesting birdlife species, including kārearea, our native falcon.
• Seasonal diversity means that the trail can be bathed in verdant green, autumnal golds, steely greys or the herbaceous colours of ‘spring thyme’ (springtime thyme).
• While jet boating on the river, look out for miner’s dwellings, there’s even a little schist hotel and pioneer’s pub to spy.
• Enjoy some fun switchbacks that climb gently to a vantage point over Roxburgh Hydro Dam. This concrete beast powers almost 200,000 homes.
• Cruise down Clutha River, or take a 12km detour from Alexandra to the bonnie town of Clyde. Many of Clyde’s surviving gold-rush buildings have been carefully restored.
• Scenic Lake Roxburgh offers kayaking tours and is flush with brown and rainbow trout.
• If you want more, this trail connects to three other Great Rides – the Otago Central Rail Trail, the Clutha Gold Trail and the Lake Dunstan Trail.
