Two side notes here: first, this area is still in the minds of many Aussies, as last year was one of the largest bush fires in history. As one can see in the pictures, the Eucalypts are burnt black, which leaves the road with no shade. Second, the Eucalypts and their evolutionary adaptations. When hot, and it gets up to mid-40s here (plus, the lack of Ozone means the sun can fry your soul in 15min!), the Eucalypts seep their sap. This is significant because the tree as a whole is really flamable (flaky bark and thin branches) but add their sap, which is like a gel fire-starter, and you have a country (basically, all trees here are Eucalypts) with forests trying to turn itself ablaze. How does this help the Eucalypts? Well, they happen also to have adapted to being burned. They survive their own extremely hot and intense fires while all else is turned to cinders. Crazy! Not only can 98% of the animals and bugs kill you in minutes (not actual statistics), now the trees are trying to burn your butt outta' here...I still think it's pure tropical paradise. Back to the ride. At the top of the climb, it plateaus for many miles before descending. On the plateau, there is an area where the trees split and one can actually see Melbourne city far in the distance (can't really see it in the pics, but it's there). The decent is shorter than the ascent but very fun and wide open (that’s cyclist speak for go as fast as you can, no need for brakes --I hit about 50mph). At the bottom, and in unexpected fashion, the road turns into a series of long false flats (ie: 1 & 2% grade for miles), most of the trees disappear and one is met with a strong headwind for nearly the entire ride back into the city. That sums up "Kinglake." My favourite part of this ride is the climb because it's completely quiet and one can see all around for ages. One can really begin to imagine themselves racing through the alps.
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