March 25, 2024
Mandurama
I was a bit worried about today's ride last night. After cool days and mostly gentle hills since leaving Canberra we would now have a bit more climbing in hotter weather. And then there was the chance of heavy traffic.
As it transpired, my worries were needless. The first climb of over three hundred meters was drawn out over more than twenty five kilometers. All the others were short with only a few steepish sections. It was cool, to the point of being cold, until the last fifteen kilometers - we wore jackets for the first hour - and the traffic was much less of an issue than I expected.
There wasn't much to see along the way. This is a mixed farming area, mostly sheep, cattle and wheat. The road had enough eucalyptus trees on the verges to provide shade and harbour some birds that we keen to see but didn't stop to look for because we wanted to reach our destination before it got hot. The road varied from pretty good to rather shoddy but we invariably had sufficient shoulder to shield us from the traffic. A positive effect of the variable surface was that the motorized traffic mostly drove a bit slower than they might have otherwise.
About five kilometers before Mandurama we stopped in Lyndhurst, a tiny village established in 1869. It has a rustic camping facility which we had considered as a place to spend the night but the lack of shower facilities on a hotter day after lots of climbing persuaded us to book a hotel room further on. Nonetheless, it was at the top of the last climb so we detoured to the campground to eat our lunch.
We reached Mandurama, established six years after Lyndhurst, about two o'clock. There's not much here, although it's a bit bigger than Lyndhurst. The hotel was locked up but a phone call was sufficient to get us inside. The kitchen doesn't open on Mondays so we had to resort to some pies from the cafe across the road, which also closes its kitchen on Mondays and closes up at five in the afternoon. However, the pub at the hotel is open until eight so we were able to get a couple of beers to enjoy with our pies.
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Tomorrow we head to Lucknow, south of Orange, where we are spending the night with Gerald and Angela Naef.
Today's ride: 49 km (30 miles)
Total: 765 km (475 miles)
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Within Orange, there are many historic homes and sites. Cook Park for example.
It’s quite a climb on a bike, but the nearby extinct volcano Gaanha Bula (Mt Canobolas) has magnificent views. It’s the highest point between Sydney and Perth.
8 months ago
8 months ago
- The Orange Visitor Information Centre in Byng St is a great source of local and regional information. eg the Orange 360 cycle route maps will give an indication of ride routes.
- DG Cycles in Summer St (the main street) is an an excellent bike shop. Also a source of local ride route info.
- The Central West Cycle Trail could also provide some ideas for routes and sights. It’ll be busy with cyclists at Easter.
- Beware of extra traffic and worse driving at the start and finish of Easter.
- Molong is also a lovely town. A few km (by bike path) out of Molong is a moving memorial to a grim piece of Australian history. The transport of British ‘orphans’ to Australia and their internment on a rural estate near Molong.
8 months ago