Hill End Trip 2003
The BMW Touring Club of NSW had a run on to Hill End for a weekend - sounded good to me so I went.
I went via
- The Bells Line of Road - always a good ride.
- From lithgow I went north on the Mudgee road untill Capertee - a secondary road; pleasant country road
- From Capetee I went west to Hill End
- The first part goes though Turon Gate - narrow winding poor surfaced dirt track with poor sight lines in places.
- From it follows the creek for the most part - the creek smells as there has not been much rain fall! Untill you get to Sofarla
- From to Hill end is a main track - alternating tar and dirt and much faster speeds.
Over night at Hill End was mostly spent at the pub, then later back at the camp site - which is quite nice.
The camp site is for sale - no one knows the asking price ... but tempting. Also a property on the way in is selling bits of it self;
you'd get a small parcel to build a house (as would some others) and the rest of the property is kept as common ground for enjoyment by all.
You'd need to know the rules - and better yet if a group of motorcyclists did it together ...
tntwists1.
Next day we all leave slowly - I'm last out of the camp site! Just a lazy sunday morning i guess. I tour some of the town and some surrounding look outs ... might make it a 2 night trip next time.
Finally leave via the bridal track - down hill for the most part. This is better than the turon track I came in on - more traffic moves more of the rocks off the track. Once at the bottom it follows a creek.
I catch up to the Newcastle group at a turn that takes us back to Sofarla - the way i want to go - they are going that way too.
Except that when the dirt turns to tar they take a wrong turn on the tar that takes them into Bathurst...
someone catches me and lets me and the rider in front know so they turn back to the right road,
I try to catch the rest of the group - no hope I turn back where the bridal track enters the tar road.
In Soflar we await the return of the explorers. And have lunch. They come in and have lunch too.
The Newscast people go north, me and another Sydney sider go east then south via more dirt. I over cook the approach to
a corner - lock the front wheel release and lock it again - losing the font on a wash out .. down I go.
No real damage - pannier dented - and a little out of shape - and the lower pannier frame (made of light steel bar) bends in - soon bent back
. But the pannier top mount is somewhat more damaged - must work on that. Onwards with 2 occy straps holding it on - does a good job too.
We get a little "lost" - at least not knowing the correct way to go at 2 intersections - untill we past through Sunny Corner - I thought we'd gone thought it when we past a bush fire brigade shed ... so much for my observation!
Back on to the tar - Lithgow - petrol and return via Bells line of road.
The last bit home is done with the headlight on - some people 'flash' me -
I find out why at home - yes the aim is a touch high .. bit this is a right hand drive headlight
not a left hand as it should be. This means that more light is allowed to the mid right ...
into the on coming drivers eyes.. not good. It should be more light to the mid left to pick up the
curb and street signs. Just another thing to buy.
click on any thumb nail photo - should open another window with a 60k photo...
You can e-mail me at Yahoo.
The BMW Touring Club of NSW had a run on to Hill End for a weekend - sounded good to me so I went.
The camp site is for sale - no one knows the asking price ... but tempting. Also a property on the way in is selling bits of it self;
you'd get a small parcel to build a house (as would some others) and the rest of the property is kept as common ground for enjoyment by all.
You'd need to know the rules - and better yet if a group of motorcyclists did it together ...
tntwists1.
The Newscast people go north, me and another Sydney sider go east then south via more dirt. I over cook the approach to
a corner - lock the front wheel release and lock it again - losing the font on a wash out .. down I go.
No real damage - pannier dented - and a little out of shape - and the lower pannier frame (made of light steel bar) bends in - soon bent back
. But the pannier top mount is somewhat more damaged - must work on that. Onwards with 2 occy straps holding it on - does a good job too.
We get a little "lost" - at least not knowing the correct way to go at 2 intersections - untill we past through Sunny Corner - I thought we'd gone thought it when we past a bush fire brigade shed ... so much for my observation!
Back on to the tar - Lithgow - petrol and return via Bells line of road.