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Australian
Bicycle Camping Fact Sheets
NSW :
PO Box 3331 RUNDLE MALL SA 5000
Purpose
This fact sheet is intended as an
introductory guide to cycle camping in the Hunter Valley NSW. The region is an
established conventional tourist destination, and general tourist and
promotional information is readily available from mainstream sources
elsewhere. This fact sheet assumes the reader has, or will have, access to
those sources.
Resources
There is no bicycle-specific map of
the Hunter.
NRMA's
" Regional Touring Map # 4 : Blue Mountains,
"The Pacific Bicycle Route"
[Australian East Coast, Sydney to
Freewheeling Magazine # 04:07 describes a route between
Goulburn and Maitland via Penrith (
The Australian Bicentennial
National Trail passes through this area, using pleasant back roads. http://home.vicnet.net.au/~bnt/
Wind direction maps are available
at http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/wind/wrselect.shtml
The "
The "East Coast [Bicycle]
Touring Club" is based in
The Wine Country website may
be of some interest: http://www.winecountry.com.au/
Bicycle NSW is the established bicycle advocacy group
for NSW. There does not appear to be any independent touring information at its
site. http://www.ozemail.com.au/~bikensw/
The Roads & Traffic
Authority of NSW [Department of Transport] has some token information
about bikes, but nothing about long distance bike travel. http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/
History
Aborigines of the Awabackal people
inhabited the region for millennia before European settlement began with the
discovery of coal in 1790's. By the 1820's the area was attracting settlers and
producing timber, cattle products, wines, coal & wool. In places, the
present minor roads follow historically significant routes, especially the Great North
Road of the early colonial period, including the oldest bridge still in use
on mainland
Environment
A lush river valley, with gentle
undulations near the
Weather : the warmest time is
December to March ( 24 -18 deg ) and the coldest in July ( min 8.3 deg.) The
driest season is September - November and the wettest March - July, though
rainfall is fairly uniform year round , about 10 days / month
Getting there
by bike
From
See also the "The
by bus
Greyhound & McCafferties intercity buses serve
the main highway towns. Both have " flat fee" charges for bikes that
effectively discriminate against short journeys with a bike. Note however that
significant discounts exist for tickets booked in advance. The train (below)
may be much cheaper and more frequent, at least to/from
by rail
"CityRail" the
Roads
There is an extensive network of
well maintained sealed roads, sometimes narrow (one lane). Car traffic
generally very light and considerate but through roads between major towns will
be busier and less pleasant for cyclists. Some newer sections of through roads
have useful sealed shoulders. There are also some rough, sandy tracks providing
useful & picturesque alternatives to sealed roads.
The road from Wollar to Bylong and
Sandy Hollow is very quiet, and rough in some places, but well worthwhile. The
Singleton to Gresford road is very attractive, as is the unsigned backroad
between Maitland & Cessnock and on to Wollombi. The road from
The main highways are very busy
with a lot of heavy coal trucks, particularly Route 15 (
Water
The longest stretches without
access to drinking water would be around 20 km or less. Tap water is
theoretically safe to drink in all places. If possible, however, try to find
rain water, which is collected in metal or plastic tanks and usually
more palatable - farmsteads will usually be happy to provide drinking water.
Bottled water is readily available in large supermarkets. Ground water will not
be safe anywhere.
Food
Most small settlements still have
general stores with a limited stock of non-perishables (see below). Major
centres have well stocked supermarkets with competitive prices and long trading
hours ( useful to the tired cyclist arriving late ). Supermarkets often have
liquor stores attached. Beer drinkers should try "Toohey's
Old" a traditional dark beer which originated in the Hunter miners'
pubs, and Resches "Real". Wholefood stores are useful if you can find
them, as the cyclist can buy smaller quantities of basic foods ( eg honey, milk
powder, dried fruits etc ) than are available in supermarkets. For other food
ideas, see " Bicycle Kitchen".
Camping
Roadside camping is generally
permitted overnight anywhere outside the 60 km (ie, town) limits. Free camp
sites are easy to find on quiet unsealed minor roads & stock routes leading
off from the sealed roads. Around most of the small towns, it would be possible
to stock up on water and food, then proceed to an overnight "free"
campsite nearby if desired. Be sure to bury all toilet waste carefully. In many
places there is enough wood for a small pit fire, and you can cook or make damper easily. Use wood sparingly and observe all fire
precautions and bans. Alternatively, caravan parks in some towns provide tent
sites, and hot showers, at about $5.00/person and up - managers may ask you if
you need power.
Services
Bylong |
water tank, friendly general
store with liquor, free camp site at tennis court. |
urban centre, all services, with
a severe traffic problem in the CBD! Free camp by railway line on S side |
|
Clarence Town |
pub, general store, van park.
Free camp in forest nearby. |
Denman |
expensive van park.small
s/market. Pubs. Town used for historical film set. |
Dungog |
large town, several s/markets. No
van park, no tank water, but taps OK. Free campsite at picnic shed about 5 Km
to NE. Bicycle
User group . (Tel unknown). Steep climb to the SW, great views ! |
Nice small town, all services,
pleasant, cheap van park ( with friendly management & a bottle recycling
program).Thrift shop. Email at |
|
Gresford |
small town. Tank water at the
school. Good place to wash clothes in school 's trough. |
Jerry's Plains |
small friendly general store.
Pub. |
Kulnura |
general store. Football field . |
Maitland |
urban centre, wholefood shop ( |
Mangrove Mtn |
general store, camp at football
park. Smelly battery chicken farms. |
Singleton |
large urban centre, free email at
library. Bike shop at |
Spencer |
village by the Hawkesbury,
general store with liquor shop till 1800 hrs, 7 days. |
|
Public water tank at reserve,
shelter shed, and toilets. Fast food store. |
Warkworth |
Water from school's tank. Noisy
park near the school. Fast food. |
pub, fast foods. |
|
general store, pub. Basic camping
area near the pub. National Trust site, very pleasant. |
Note : there are several small
villages along the
This
fact sheet was produced by grassroots cyclists. No responsibility for errors or
omissions can be accepted. It is intended for free or low cost distribution on
paper or on the www, and you are free to copy it on that basis. Suggestions for
improvement are most welcome!
Other
Bicycle Camping Fact Sheets in this series include
Central
Australia | SA Kangaroo Island | SA Flinders Ranges | North Queensland
| WA Kimberley | Stuart Highway |
NSW Central West | NSW Sydney to Canberra
2000
/ September 7