The way points of this bicycle route:
A great little town with a great big pub. To start this ride from a train station come up Petes Ridge from Gosford or add a nice day or two through Cessnock from Newcastle.
The riding from Wollombi to Singleton is very easy and beautiful, following a river downstream. I spent my first night camped off the side of the road south of Broke due to a late start on Day 1.
The New England Highway from Singleton to Muswellbrook is pretty busy and full of big trucks coming from the mines. But the shoulder is good and once you hit M. the worst of the trip is over. The road is a bit quieter on toward Scone.
I spent night number 2 here in the Golden Fleece Pub which had very basic rooms for the right price. Aberdeen hs pub accomodation as well. From Scone on is where the scenery and riding gets really good.
A little town midway between Scone and Merriwa. You could probably camp somewhere in town here and there is a small general store with pies and drinks and a couple cans of food but not much else.
A quaint Aussie town with full services. I stopped for lunch and to pick up some water. Pity I missed the bottle museum. A few kilometers on the Golden Highway are busy but then you turn out left toward Wollar on Ringwood Road.
Welcome to nowhere.
pavement ends about here. The road surface is good tho.
Just before the road drops into the Gouolburn River canyon there is a lookout a short walk up a trail on the left. It is signed and would make a good area to camp if you have water. It is worth taking a break to walk up and see the view.
Turn right, about 15 k to Wollar
I camped here on night 3 in a small park next to the Wollar General Store/Cafe/Auto Repair/Watering Hole. There is a water tank in the park that had plenty of water when I was there (May 08).
Wollar to Mudgee is an easy day, a small climb out of Wollar leads to a long enjoyable descent and flat riding through wine country. There are a few wineries you could taste at on the way into town. After Mudgee the riding becomes markedly more challenging so rest up. I stayed at the Oriental Hotel in Mudgee. There are cheaper pub stays around but the Oriental is very clean and a step up from your normal pub accomodation. I found the clientele and employees to be real nice. One of them even chased me down in his car the next morning to return my camelback I had accidentally left in their parking lot.
At the top of a climb a signed dirt road leads 1 km to Hargraves Cemetary on the right. It is a peaceful little detour and a nice spot for lunch or a rest.
From Hargraves to Hill End the road is dirt much of the way and there are a few climbs that go on and on and on and on and on and ,......
Hill End is a fun little stop with lots of history, a ride up to Bald Hill to get a view over the land, and a small store, pub, and hotel. There is also camping in town with coin op showers. The trees turn colors in the fall and the main street is quite beautiful. A km or two before you get to Hill End proper don't miss the Arch on the right side of the road. A small stream cuts through the mud and has created fluted cliffs and an impressive arch spanning the stream bed.
From Hill End there is quite a bit of climbing and descending and the road switches between sealed and unsealed often. But the riding is scenic and pleasurable and the road surface is never too bad.
Unfortunatly I did not stop in Sofala. When you reach Peel Road you still have one big climb left. The road is sealed and there is usually enough room on the side to stay out of traffic. Enjoy!
I caught a train back to Sydney here. It would have been nice to make it to Lithgow so I could load the bike on Cityrail instead of boxing it for Countrylink.
Welcome to Bikely, take a step by step tour of this path:
Press Start Tour - then use the navigation buttons below to move along the path.
This is a tour I rode over 6 days from April 27th to May 2 in 2008. See comments for a Flickr link to photos of my trip.
Overall it is a very nice intermediate touring route without too much difficult riding. The setting feels very remote at times, a feeling that is enhanced by skinny tire accessible dirt sections and long quiet periods without any traffic to speak of. The scenery is rural grazing and farmland. Also included are some charming towns, affordable pub stay and easy camping options and historical attractions.
Tagged with: Onroad, Intermediate, Difficult, Low traffic, Rural, Scenic, Touring
