Cootamundra and Parkes long weekend

The June long weekend is always a great opportunity to get away on the bike with friends, due to the extra day off work, that is, if you don't mind the cooler weather. Personally, we prefer the cooler days especially if the sun is out, as you dont get too hot and the oil cooled bikes seem to run better as well.

Day 1: Map (400 kms travelled)

Our first leg of the tour, saw Cathy and I riding in quite heavy rain down the Hume Highway, where we would meet up with Mop, Kelly, Mick and Belinda in Pheasants Nest, then head on to Goulburn, at the Big Merino, for morning coffee and a snack at the bakery. Here, we also met up with Gus and Triesha. Lance made his own way a little later, meeting up with the group in Boorowa.

The Big Merino is huge and pays tribute to Australia's wool industry. A must see for overseas visitors and Australians, alike.

The Big Merino stands over 15 metres high and weighs in at 97 tonnes. That's alot of lamb chops!

The Trappers Bakery is the place to enjoy fantastic pies and pastries.

A quick pic of the group before heading off to Boorowa.

Taking some great roads through to Crookwell, we then head out to Boorowa. Here, we take a short break to allow Triesha and Gus to catch up, before turning off.

And here they are.

All our legs stretched, we get back on and roll in to lovely Boorowa.

As always, we visit good mate Mike at his pub, and to enjoy lunch.

The Shamrock cafe at the front of the hotel.

Our bike parked out front with the town in the background.

Inside the hotel, Mike had the fires going, which made for a very balmy atmosphere.

This is what happens after a good lunch, in front of the fire.

Ok, this is taking it too far.

The Boorowa Hotel , also has a large open fire place in the next room.

Here, Lance arrives and shares a beer and a chat with the rest of us, before heading on to Cootamundra.

After lunch it was time to ride on to the lovely town of Cootamundra, birthplace of Sir Donald Bradman. After, unpacking and changing, we set off on a walk to see the birthplace of Donald Bradman and also to find the Captain's Walk. A dedication to cricket captains of Australia.

Just a short walk away from the pub, we soon find the great man's birthplace.

Well preserved and open to the public.

This old out house, seemed to be the laundry room, left in original condition.

Cathy being a sticky beak.

Kelly all rugged up as the cold evening air descends.

After a quite unnecessary long walk, due to some questionable signage, we finally come upon the Captain's Walk. It was getting dark so we had a quick look and planned to return first thing in the morning before setting off to Parkes.

Here, the girls get a pic with the great man himself.

All of Australia's cricket captains have been commemorated like this, in order of their service. This is Sir Donald Bradman's.

As you can see, it got dark so we left it at that until the morning.

Returning to the Central Hotel, Cootamundra.

All our bikes parked safely behind locked gates and under cover.

Finally, it's beer o'clock, enough to put a smile on our faces.

We all enjoy the socialising as much as the riding.

The meals at this hotel are particularly good, as is the case with many country pubs.

Day 2: Map (397 kms travelled)

The next morning, we met for breakfast at this cafe just near the pub before saying good bye to Triesha and Gus, who head home, as they had quite a distance to ride.

I simply love these chilly mornings in the country.

The Westpac Bank, formerly Bank of NSW.

We're never in too much of a rush to leave, you'll notice.

So, before we head off, we revisited the Captain's Walk.

A totally different experience in the morning sunshine.

Even Donald seemed fresher this morning.

Here; you can see the path leading visitors through the walk.

This perfectly split boulder, telling the story behind the Captain's Walk.

Our bikes, patiently waiting in the sunshine.

Such a nice view of Cootamundra below a blanket of fog.

After leaving Cootamundra, Mick. Belinda, Grant and Kelly left to visit a friend on their way to Parkes, where we would meet up with them, while ourselves and Lance, visited my son and his partner in the lovely town of Coolamon.

Here, Lance leads us to this statue of Ray Warren in the town of Junee.

Ray Warren, known as the voice of Rugby League.

This huge old pub stands in the main street of Junee.

And a clock tower in the middle of a large round about.

Junee seemed to be a major rail hub in the area,

Then it was off to Coolamon via Temora.

Due to distance, we dont get to see my eldest boy often, so it was so good to see his beautiful new home he shares with his partner Lexy, set on 5 acres of lovely country.

Both Lexy and Phil have great plans for their new home. All in good time.

They also have a new huge shed that will include two horse stables for their horses.Ah the country life.

We spent a good hour and half having a catch up, then it was on to West Wyalong, where we stopped to refuel and have lunch. Another beautiful country town.

Cathy enjoying the warm sun, waiting for lunch.

Eventually we make it to Parkes, via Forbes, but we rode right through to meet the others at the CSIRO Satellite Dish on the outskirts of town.

Made it with an hour to spare.

Quick photo opportunity with the monster in the back ground.

This pic really gives a good indication of the size of it.

Its iron base close up.

It's not until you see close up, that you notice detail like the steps leading to the tip.

The whole dish rotates and tilts as required. Here you can see the wheels at its base.

Hovering over the information centre.

Group pic to commemorate our visit.

This one with me in it.

Some Dish facts.

In all her glory.

The boys checking out the information centre.

Cathy in her own little dish.

Eventually we head back in to Parkes and unpack our bikes. Many of the town's trees are still in lovely autumn colour.

We find this statue of Henry Parkes in the middle of town. The man the town is named after.

Those autumn colours providing a nice backdrop.

A short story of the man.

The old council building.

The Parkes court house.

The Parkes Elvis Festival is held in January each year, which attracts thousands of people from all over. You can see murals such as this all over town.

Day 3: Map (368 kms travelled)

This morning, we were again greeted with fantastic weather and looked forward to the trip home. Our first short stop in the town of Eugowra.

This sign showing us the way via Canowindra, by the bridge.

Another well preserved piece of country architecture.

Not quite peak hour.

And across the bridge, a beautifully maintained pub. One to visit.

Girls just wanna have fun.

Over where? Over there.

We made our way through Canowindra and on to Bathurst where we paid a visit to the Mount Panorama Race Circuit. Home of the V8 Super Cars.

Group shot just behind the start line.

Close up of the top of the hill.

We all did a lap of the circuit, stopping at the lookout at the top of the hill.

The girls enjoying the view overlooking Bathurst.

Some fog still hovering over the town.

Mick hard at work, also covering the trip.

Mop enjoys the view from the seat of his bike.

Leaving Bathurst, we made our way to Lithgow for lunch. Time for one last group shot.

We made our way through to North Richmond via the Bells Line of Road, before parting ways and making our way home, after safely completely yet another great tour through country NSW with good mates. As usual, we can't wait for the next one.

Denman, Nelson Bay Overnighter

Autumn in NSW is our favourite time of year to go touring on the bike, that is, after the rains have cleared. The temperatures are very pleasant and the skies are so blue and clear. Riding in country NSW, particularly in the cool crisp mornings, puts us on such a high.

Cath and I did this one alone and combined the ride with a visit to our friends Merv and Julie who are now living in lovely Nelson Bay and loving it.

Day 1: Map  (404 km travelled)

We woke up to a perfect Autumn morning and set off at 7:30am. From home, we made our way to Bell's Line of Road and out of Sydney. As per usual, due to its handy position and great views over Hartley Valley, our first stop for a break was The Monkey Creek Cafe outside Lithgow.

Our Beemah sat proudly and very clean, but not for long.

This sculpture of a crane must have been photographed thousands of times. Ah well, one more wont hurt.

Cathy enjoying a milk shake in the sunshine. 

We then made our way through Lithgow then along the Castlereagh Highway to our next photo stop at Pearson's Lookout, overlooking Caper Tree Valley.

This valley is the second largest enclosed valley in the world after the Grand Canyon, although it is a kilometre wider, it isn't as deep.

A valley as spectacular as this and I'll bet not many Australians even know about it and it's grandeur.

The views are spectacular.

 Leaving, the lookout, we then make our way to Rylstone, via the stunning Bylong Valley Way.

Rylstone is one of many beautiful towns dotted in the Hunter Valley wine region.

This was our lunch stop at the Rylstone Pub.

I have stayed here not so long ago and great place to visit, it is.

 After lunch, we had the choice of continuing along the Bylong Valley Way or to continue on to Mudgee then turn off on to Ulan Road. We took the latter and to be honest, we were much better off to continue on the Bylong as it is much more picturesque.

After a distance, Ulan road turns to dirt, which is quite often a good thing, however, this road runs behind huge ugly coal mines in the region.

This mine has absolutely demolished a huge chunk of the Hunter Valley. How they were ever allowed to do so is beyond me.

A close up of one fo the large dump trucks used in the mine.

Eventually we came off the Ulan Road and back on to the Bylong Valley Way.

Back to motorcycle heaven.

The Bylong Valley has stunning scenery, wineries and farm land right through it. Typical of the Hunter Valley Region.

Soon we arrive in Denman. This is the Denman Hotel with the Grapevine Motel behind it on the same property.

The Motel side of the business is run by the Father of the family while his son runs the pub. How convenient?

Close up, our bike sits filthy under cover after the travelling the dirt road.

The pleasant beer garden sits at the side of the pub.

After a quick change of clothes, we set off for a walk about town. We have ridden through Denman once before but never stayed. This walk way runs along the lagoon in town.

As with every town, a lovely old church, oozing with character.

This is the Royal Hotel that stands just across the road from the Denman Hotel, It seemed noisier than the other so we chose well.

This is the main street of town.

Another quiet but tranquil country town, just as we like it.

Facing west as the sun begins to set on a great day riding.

Day 2: Map  (383 km travelled)

The next morning, we were off and back on the bike at 8:00am. The early crisp but sunny day, made for a great experience of freedom on the bike as we rode through kilometre after kilometre of farmland along the upper Hunter Valley.

With only one rest in between, we eventually found our way in to Nelson Bay on the Mid North Coast of NSW, and to visit our friends Merv and Julie.

After a chat and catching up with the latest news, they took us for a walk down to the harbour.

Summer is over, however there was no shortage of tourists enjoying the sun and sand of Nelson Bay.

It just so happens that markets were on down by the bay.

And just in time for lunch.

We all chose this food van that created some fantastic burgers of all types. I chose the slow cooked sweet potato burger. Absolutely delicious without one bit of meat.

After a bite to eat, it was time for a walk around the harbour, and what a perfect day!

And my favourite, the fishing boats.

Merv showing us the points of interest along with his secret fishing spots.

Looking back in to the harbour from the entrance.

This walkway follows the break wall around the harbour front.

And finally, fishing baskets adorn the wharf next to the fish market.

Leaving our mates in Nelson Bay, we made our way home the quickest, most efficient way home on the boring old freeway. We always try to avoid this however, to avoid riding at night we had the need.