ĭistance: 21km return Grade: Easy Bike: Any There are also hatted restaurants and a whisky and rum distillery in Mendooran. The classic country moments continue with the likes of the grand red-brick Hotel Dunedoo, the silo art in Dunedoo, and the hospitality that has farmhouses, such as Mayfield (near Birriwa), and even the post office in Wongarbon, preparing morning tea for cyclists who call ahead. The CWC can be started anywhere around the loop, and cycled in either direction, but Mudgee makes a good starting point, pedalling out through its surrounding vineyards, which make a good excuse for a short day (30km) to Gulgong, a town rich in gold-rush history. In a couple of places, there’s a choice of two routes – roads suitable to gravel bikes, or more challenging stretches for mountain bikes. To this, it adds wine country around Mudgee, pockets of gold-mining history, and beautiful rural country interspersed with forest and dotted with wildflowers. Wide open (and quiet) roads take riders through beautiful wine country, with plenty of pretty historic towns to experience along the way. The loop ride is a mix of sealed and unsealed roads, and it provides a gentle introduction to touring – you’ll need to carry panniers or bikepacking bags, but you can get away without camping gear or much food on board. The ride is that rarest of things in Australia – a road route specifically targeted at cycle tourers. Opened in 2020, the route puts towns in easy reach each night – Mudgee, Gulgong, Dunedoo, Mendooran, Ballimore, Dubbo, Wellington, Goolma – with the spaces between no longer than 60km. Through wheat-lands and woodlands, this new arrival on the cycling scene loops through NSW’s Central West region, following backroads on a tour that can be stretched across a week. The ride is ideal for families, and it is well worth taking a picnic and to spend some time admiring the view (and refuelling) before the return journey.ĭistance: 400km Grade: Intermediate Bike: Gravel/MTB You cannot ride up to the rock that offers the best views but can leave your bike just below and walk. From here, the route is slightly rougher under your wheels and continues its undulating profile for just under 4km before you reach the lookout. The Perimeter Trail comprises the first section and is a wide, undulating firetrail (keep an eye out for horse riders and walkers here) that loops north and west around the top end of Terrey Hills for a touch over 6km before you reach the Long Trail turn-off that takes you north. The view from Peach Trees Lookout is the unforgettable highlight of the Perimeter-Long Trail ride. Reaching Peach Trees is a lovely ride along primarily firetrail (Perimeter Trail is signposted and there is ample parking on streets near its start point), through dense bush dotted with eucalypts, grass trees and loads of wildlife. From this high-up natural wonder, there are expansive views across the Hawkesbury River to Cowan Creek and Berowra on the northern banks of the river. This ride combines two designated routes – Perimeter and Long trails, in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park – to deposit riders at one of Sydney’s most beautiful viewpoints: Peach Trees Lookout. This magical there-and-back-again ride is found at Terrey Hills, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches area. In this exclusive excerpt from the book, we reveal our three favourites from each state and territory.ĭistance: 21km Grade: Easy Bike: MTB/Gravel It is this ideal that led Australian Geographic to produce “Australia’s Best 100 Bike Rides”, a guidebook that details some of this country’s greatest bicycle rides, for all age groups and skill levels (available from all good book stores and online here). From the historic ‘overlanders’ – those bike-borne explorers and adventurers who crossed and circumnavigated this vast land of ours in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – to our strong competitive international cycling heritage on the road and on the trails, through to families who simply enjoy bike rides together in the outdoors, we are a proud bike-riding nation.įor more than 35 years Australian Geographic has been encouraging its audience to get outdoors, explore and connect with this wonderful country of ours and there are few more fun ways in which to do so than to jump on a bicycle and start pedalling. Australians have a rich, rewarding, and fun relationship with the humble bicycle, spanning more than a century.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |