Saturday 11 July
Oyster Bay - Goulburn - Crookwell - Boorowa - Young
360 km
I had planned to travel to Broken Hill via Ivanhoe and Menindee which meant lots of dirt roads. I had thought about it for a while and this time was determined to do it. I tried to book accommodation in Ivanhoe four the second night, but couldn’t get any. Lots of RMS workers in town and apparently all 8 rooms in town are taken, I could have got a single cabin at the caravan park, but with shared bathroom facilities. Forget it
Plan B was to go to Young first night, then Hillston which would have me well placed to travel to Ivanhoe, Menindee and Broken Hill. Best laid plans and all that.
So Day 1 was to Young following a route I had taken before. Once you get off the freeway at Goulburn and head to Crookwell, this a great ride. It was a cold morning, but I was feeling very snug in my heated jacket liner. All well through Crookwell and I planned to stop for some lunch at Boorowa. Approaching Boorowa it began to rain quite heavily so I didn’t want to stop. I carried on to Young. I was there quite early and the rain had stopped so I went to a bakery/coffee shop for some lunch before heading to the Federation Inn Motel where I had stayed previously. Got settled in and went across the road to the Ex-serviceman’s Club for dinner. The place was packed and right on 6pm there was a huge line to order from the Bistro. One brave staff member tried to encourage the people in the cue to social distance, but they all just smiled and ignored her. Made a very poor choice for dinner and paid for it. I seem to remember the same thing happening the last time I was here.
Sunday 12 July, 2020
Young - West Wyalong- Barmedman - Rankins Springs - Goolgowie - Hillston
330 Kms
There had been some really heavy rain rain overnight which gave me some concern about the unsealed roads I was intending to ride on Monday. Fingers crossed. I had ordered breakfast from the motel and had it in my room before setting off on a cool morning (7c) in a moderate fog. Slow going until the fog lifted. I noticed some very large pools of water lying about the sides of the road from the overnight rain. Not a good sign.
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| Silo art - Weethalle |
I kept going straight through West Wyalong, Rankin Springs and Barmedman. Then Goolgowie to Hillston. This was very close to my stomping grounds in younger years in Hay. I had travelled to both Goolgowie and Hillston to watch the Hay team play football. I always had a fairly low impression of Hillston, so I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice tidy little town. I was in a very new Motel and was able to walk the length of the Main Street in no time at all.
It had rained on my journey today and I was wasn’t feeling confident about the dirt roads. the first and crucial road was Mossgiel Rd from Hillston to Ivanhoe. Even without rain this is considered a fairly nasty road. The dirt out here can be sandy or clay. If it’s clay and it’s wet then it is very boggy. No fun. I called the Carrathool Council road conditions hotline and asked about the Mossgiel Road. “Nah mate. All our unsealed roads are closed after all this rain.” “Thank you.”
Time to work on plan B. That meant Cobar, Wilcannia, Broken Hill. 250 Km to Cobar and stay the night. 518 km to Wilcannia and stay the night. Or 718 km to Broken Hill and stay 2 nights. Didn’t fancy Cobar. No way was I staying in Wilcannia. Easy choice. Long ride.
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| Motel in Hillston |
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| Hillston shops |
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| Hillston |
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| Hillston |
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| Hillston |
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| Darling River at Hillston |
Monday 13 July, 2020
Hillston - Cobar - Wilcannia - Broken Hill
720 Kms
I decided to skip breakfast and get on the road early as I had a big day in front of me. Left Hillston at 7.30 in a thick fog. I had a straight run of 250Kms to Cobar up the Kidman Way. The fog came and went, but was there for pretty much all the trip to Cobar which seriously affected my speed. Temperature started at 6 and dropped to 5 half way along. My heated jacket kept my torso and arms warm, but my feet and hands were really felling it.
Finally got to Cobar and filled with petrol. Fog was lifting now and the temperature rose to about 12 which made all the difference to my hands and feet. Didn’t stop for food and headed towards Wilcannia. Before I got to Wilcannia I stopped at the Emmdale Roadhouse. A place straight out of the 1960s. I have stopped here before and had fond memories. Coffee and a bacon and egg role and I was good to go. Petrol in Wilcannia and then the final 200 km to Broken Hill. Temperature was up to 15c by now so very comfortable. Just grin and bear it for the final run.
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| Emmdale roadhouse |
Got into Broken Hill about 3.30pm. Checked into the Motel, glad that I had booked 2 nights and I had tomorrow off. Yeehaa.
I didn’t get into the Motel I was after. Full house. But I did get into one that is directly across the road from the Junction Hotel, where I am more than happy to have dinner the next 2 nights.
Tuesday 14th July, 2020
Broken Hill – sleeping – reading –eating – drinking – walking
About 5 Kms
Wednesday 15th July, 2020
Broken Hill – Menindee – Pooncarie – Wentworth
360 Kms
So far my dirt road plans hadn’t worked out, but I had one left. Pooncarie road from Menindee to Pooncarie. About 100 Kms of dirt road. The weather had been fabulous for the last 2 days so I had no concern about water on the road. In fact, I couldn’t think of a single excuse not to do it.
Got away from Broken Hill about 8.30. Still around 5c and fog again, but I was coping with that pretty well. Nice run to Menindee. Sealed road and flat countryside. There was actually water in the Lakes this time after the rain so far this year.
I stopped for petrol and a toilet break before setting out on the unknown, unsealed Pooncarie Road.
I hit the dirt a short way out of town and it seemed pretty good. Mostly hard packed clay. A big wide road. Plenty of room for trucks and caravans to get past.
I was tootling along nicely at about 80 Km/h when I hit the first sand patch quite suddenly. I was in it before I knew it. About 2 inches of sand on top of the road. The front wheel seemed to lose all control and jumped from left to right. I was fairly sure I was going to hit the ground at that point. I managed to slow rapidly and continue through the sand very slowly until I came out the other side. Shaken and stirred.
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| Pooncarie Road |
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| Pooncarie Road |
That continued to happen on a regular basis. The main problem was I couldn’t really see what was sand until I was right on top of it. Very little colour variation. I went through patches of more hard packed clay, some gravel and then more sand. Certainly kept me on my toes and kept me moving very slowly. So slowly that at one point I was overtaken by a 4WD towing a large caravan. I must say I thought that if Mossgiel road and Ivanhoe-Menindee road had been like this, then I was OK about not having been able to ride them. A sook I know.
Finally got back on the bitumen just before Pooncarie where I stopped at a nice café on the Darling river where the old paddle steamer wharf used to be. Very happy to sit down for a while with some refreshments.
Pooncarie to Wentworth is a 120 Km run on bitumen though some nice country, following the Darling river all the way down to where it joins the Murray at Wentworth. Got in about 3.30, checked in and had a nice stroll around the river and town before finding a pub for dinner.
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| John Egge Statue - Wentworth |
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| Darling River - Wentworth |
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| Street Art - Wentworth |
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| Tractor in a pub - Wentworth |
Thursday 16th July, 2020
Wentworth – Euston – Balranald – Hay – Narrandera – Wagga Wagga
580 Kms
I knew this would be a bit on the dull side and if there hadn’t been a pandemic that closed the NSW-Victorian border, I would have crossed the Murray and done some of this trip in Victoria.
Never mind, let’s get on with it. Another heavy fog as I left Wentworth. As I went through Buronga I could see all the flashing lights of the police roadblock approaching the bridge to Mildura. Left for me and on to Euston. A cool morning but pleasant riding. The first hour or so I was looking into the sun rising in the East. A bit tricky.
From Euston I went straight on to Balranald where I stopped for petrol and coffee. I found the tourist Information center in Balranald which looked quite new and I had not noticed it before. Big car park, Nice café with good coffee and clean toilets. Everything I needed. The also had a temporary Covid-19 testing station set up in the car park, but I opted out.
From Balranald it was over the flat, treeless Hay plain. Home territory. Nothing changed here except it was green. Not the usual state at all. I didn’t stop in Hay. Straight through until petrol stop at Waddi, which is just a petrol station on the Sturt Highway near the Darlington Point/Griffith turn off.
From there it was on through Narrandera and into Wagga Wagga for the night. The Club Motel, which I have stayed at a few times, is right in the middle of town and very convenient.
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| Another foggy morning - Wagga Wagga |
Friday 17th July, 2020
Wagga Wagga – Gundagai – Yass – Goulburn – Oyster Bay
450 Kms
Very cold morning in Wagga Wagga and more fog. There had been fog every morning I was away. Once I got out of town the fog was only thin, but then as I went through lower valley areas, it became very, very thick and I had slow down a lot.
An uneventful trip on the freeway. One stop in Goulburn for petrol and coffee and home around 2pm. 2,849 kms. Another successful trip
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